FCC
FCC May Require Digital TV Tuners Would Add To Cost Of New Sets
(USA)
FCC Adopts Seventh Annual Report On Competition In Video Markets
(FCC)
INTERNET
Dot-Com Is Set for a Union Vote (NYT)
IBM Introduces Instant Online Translation (NYT)
Pop-Up Profit for AOL (WP)
MAGAZINES
Time to Publish Magazine About Web (NYT)
FCC
FCC MAY REQUIRE DIGITAL TV TUNERS
Issue: DTV
The Federal Communications Commission might require all new TV sets to
include digital receivers, in a effort to speed up the the sluggish rollout
of digital television. Thursday, the commission will consider a staff
proposal recommending that digital receivers, or tuners, be mandatory in
both high-definition TV sets and today's analog sets. The Consumer
Electronics Association says forcing TV makers to include tuners could add
as much as $1,000 to the price of a set, says spokeswoman Ann Saybolt. But
David Smith, president of Sinclair Broadcast Group, says that once the
tuners are mass-produced, the price increase would be nominal, perhaps less
than $20. Although broadcasters are mandated to start offering digital
programs in the next few years, they have until 2006 to return their analog
channels -- but only if 85% of U.S. households have digital sets by then.
Many experts believe it's unlikely that threshold will be met.
[SOURCE: USAToday (3B), AUTHOR: Paul Davidson]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010109/2973230s.htm)
FCC ADOPTS SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT ON COMPETITION IN VIDEO MARKETS
Issue: FCC
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted its seventh annual
report on competition in markets for the delivery of video programming. The
report, which will be submitted to Congress in accordance with Section
628(g) of the Communications Act, provides updated information on the status
of competition in markets for the delivery of video programming, discusses
changes that have occurred in the competitive environment over the last
year, and describes barriers to competition that continue to exist.
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Cable/News_Releases/2001/nrcb0101.html)
INTERNET
DOT-COM IS SET FOR A UNION VOTE
Issue: Internet
The labor movement, a fixture of the old economy, will take a small but
significant step into the new economy as the first unionization vote is held
at a dot-com. Thirteen customer service representatives at etown.com, a Web
site that provides information on consumer electronics, are scheduled to
vote Friday on whether to join the Communications Workers of America. Gary
Chaison, a professor of industrial relations at Clark University in
Worcester, Mass believes that high-tech organizing is a smart strategy for
labor. "If they can crack one high-tech company open, it will give them some
real momentum. And in terms of union resurgence, it signifies that this is
not your grandfather's labor movement, that this is no longer the smokestack
labor movement."
[SOURCE: New York Times (C4), AUTHOR: Steven Greenhouse]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/09/technology/09ETOW.html)
(requires registration)
IBM INTRODUCES INSTANT ONLINE TRANSLATION
Issue: E-Commerce
On Monday, IBM unveiled a new software that instantly translates Web pages,
office e-mail and online chat from English into a host of languages. The IBM
WebSphere Translation Server will allow Internet Service providers,
corporations and other entities running their own servers to translate in
real time English communications into Spanish, German, French and Italian
and from those languages back to English. "The demand is very simple," said
Ozzie Osborne, general manger of IBM Voice Systems. "Its for people who want
to translate quickly and easily, who can't get translation. Much of the
content of the Web is in English, but population using the Web is becoming
non-English speaking." Osborne says the service will provide global entities
with the ability to allow their workforce to communicate, and will open up
new markets for English language e-commerce sites. The WebSphere Translation
Server will be priced at about $10,000 per processor.
[SOURCE: New York Times (Online), AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-net-ibm-translat.html)
(requires registration)
POP-UP PROFIT FOR AOL
Issue: Internet
America Online has long played down the financial potential of its two
instant messaging software products, but now some are taking notice.
Specifically, AOL has assured Congress that AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) and
ICQ are features of the AOL service, not business models unto themselves.
AOL CEO Steve Case said as much to Congress in September, arguing that it
should not be included as part of the government's review of AOL's takeover
of Time Warner Inc. "It's not really a revenue-generating business for us."
Over the past few months, though, it has become just that. AOL has been
placing big advertisers on the ad space of the AIM and ICQ products. Some
analysts believe AOL may have what amounts to a monopoly on what could be
the next communications rival to the telephone. AOL competitors say it is
important for federal regulators consider how AOL could dominate and extend
beyond enabling real-time exchange of text messages to the exchange music
and videos, for instance. Versions of the software are already available for
wireless phones and handheld computers. "This is growing more rapidly than
e-mail. What would happen if one company had a monopoly on e-mail?" said Jon
Englund, vice president for policy and government affairs at Excite At Home,
an Internet service that offers a rival instant-messaging product.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (A01), AUTHOR: Alec Klein]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34492-2001Jan8.html)
MAGAZINES
TIME TO PUBLISH MAGAZINE ABOUT WEB
Issue: Magazine
As Time launches On, a new magazine about life on the Internet, its editors
agree that they must work to persuade readers that the publication is not
just an AOL house organ, following the of the expected merger of Time Warner
and America Online. On is a redesign and renaming of Time Digital, a monthly
magazine about the digital world that began life packaged with Time
magazine. On will focus less on products and appliances and more on Internet
lifestyle and culture.
[SOURCE: New York Times (C10), AUTHOR: Alex Kuczynski]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/09/technology/09MAG.html)
(requires registration)
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