TELEVISION
FCC Spurs Rethinking Of Digital-TV Strategy (WSJ)
F.C.C. Told to Repeal Its Order on Replies (NYT)
The Ad Campaign: Democratic New Spending vs.
Republican Tax Reductions (NYT)
INTERNET
Internet Domain Administrator Holds Its First
Public Election (NYT)
Comments Available: Management and Administration of
the .us Domain Space (NTIA)
Internet Connectivity of Historically Black Colleges
and Universities (NTIA)
Cutting the Web Down to Size (NYT)
Moving Beyond Billboards (NYT)
EDTECH
E-Mail Gives Students More Choices for Career Advice (NYT)
COMPETITION/TELECOMMUNICATIONS
U.S. May Seek To Open Buildings To Communications Competition (NYT)
Italian Utility Agrees to Buy Vodafone Unit for $9.6 Billion (NYT)
Telecommunications Network Security and Reliability in the
21st Century (FCC)
TELEVISION
FCC SPURS RETHINKING OF DIGITAL-TV STRATEGY
Issue: DTV
Television-set makers are rethinking their strategies for digital models
after Federal Communications Commission Chairman William Kennard said
the government ought to mandate them as soon as 2003, to keep the transition
from analog to digital TV on the 2006 target date set by Congress. Chairman
Kennard also suggested that Congress close a loophole that might let the
target date slip and that TV stations be charged a fee if they continue to
broadcast analog signals in 2006 and later. Chairman Kennard's proposals
were protested immediately by both broadcasters and electronics makers.
Broadcasters and television makers are in a chicken-and-egg situation with
digital TV, just as they were in years past with advances such as the
introduction of color programs and UHF channels. TV stations say they need
viewers to have digital TV sets before they will fully embrace the
technology and give up existing analog channels. TV makers say viewers need
something to watch on digital channels before they will buy DTVs. But some
manufacturers said they will consider anything to speed things up, including
a mandatory date for digital technology in televisions. There is precedent
for Mr. Kennard's proposal on TV manufacturing. In the early 1960s, the
government required TV makers to incorporate tuners for UHF channels and, in
the 1990s, a device that decoded captions for the hearing-impaired. With
Japan and European countries already using better wireless services, Mr.
Kennard says the U.S. is in danger of falling behind high-tech's next
important wave.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B6), AUTHOR: Evan Ramstad]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB971309619370427612.htm)
F.C.C. TOLD TO REPEAL ITS ORDER ON REPLIES
Issue: Political Discourse
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has overturned two
Federal Communications Commission rules that had required radio and
television stations to provide free reply time for opponents of political
candidates endorsed by the stations and for candidates and others whose
integrity had been attacked. Broadcasters have argued for years that the
rules discourage programming about political and controversial topics by
imposing stringent reply requirements. Just last week, the FCC had
suspended the rules, the last vestiges of the Fairness Doctrine, during the
political season to test whether they are necessary. No word yet on the
agency's plan to appeal the ruling.
[SOURCE: New York Times (A15), AUTHOR: Stephen Labaton]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/12/politics/12FAIR.html)
(requires registration)
THE AD CAMPAIGN: DEMOCRATIC NEW SPENDING VS. REPUBLICAN TAX REDUCTIONS
Issue: Political Discourse
With plans to run them in 17 states, the Republican National Committee
released two new attack ads this week claiming Vice President Al Gore is
proposing a budget that the RNC asserted would turn projected surpluses
into deficits and endanger the nation's prosperity. [Mr Gore's sound bite
must have worked after all] One of the commercials focuses exclusively on
the scale of Mr. Gore's spending plans. The other contrasts Mr. Bush's
tax-cut plan with Mr. Gore's spending proposals. Stevenson notes a couple
of inaccuracies in the ads and then scores them: Mr. Bush has sought to
frame the debate as one about who would best take advantage of the nation's
prosperity, rather than about who gets the credit for it. The new
advertising is intended to suggest that Mr. Gore is an old-style
tax-and-spend liberal who will squander the surplus, while emphasizing that
Mr. Bush is giving a tax break to lower and middle income families. But the
more that Mr. Bush pushes economic issues, the more he risks reminding
voters that the country has rarely, if ever, had it this good.
[SOURCE: New York Times (A18), AUTHOR: Richard Stevenson]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/12/politics/12ADBO.html)
(requires registration)
INTERNET
INTERNET DOMAIN ADMINISTRATOR HOLDS ITS FIRST PUBLIC ELECTION
Issue: Internet
Icann's first public election was completed yesterday. For the North
American region, the winner was Karl Auerbach, a researcher in the Advanced
Internet Architectures group at Cisco Systems Inc. Winners for the other
regions were: 1) Ivan Moura Campos, the chief executive of Akwan
Information Technologies in Brazil, representing the Latin
America/Caribbean region; 2) Andy Mueller-Maguhn, a self- employed
journalist and consultant in Germany, representing Europe; 3) Masanobu
Katoh, an employee of Fujitsu Ltd. in Japan, representing the Asia/Pacific
region; and 4) Nii Quaynor, an employee of Network Computer Systems in
Ghana, representing Africa. The election process was criticized because of
low voter turnout and technical problems that made it difficult to register
and vote (the election was conducted by Election.com). Mr. Auerbach echoed
the frustrations that many candidates felt about the election process.
"Every conceivable hurdle was put in the way of carrying out an effective
campaign," he said. As for why he wanted to become involved in an
organization that he has often criticized, Mr. Auerbach said his agenda was
simple: "supporting the right of the general public to have some role in
shaping the Internet."
[SOURCE: New York Times (C6), AUTHOR: Susan Stellin]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/12/technology/12ICAN.html)
(requires registration)
COMMENTS AVAILABLE: MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE .US DOMAIN SPACE
Issue: Internet
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Department
of Commerce, requested comments on a draft statement of work and draft
methods and procedure section, which is expected to be incorporated in a
request for proposals for management and administration of the .us domain
space. Comments were due Friday and are now available at the URL below.
[Note: the Benton Foundation did NOT pay to get ours listed first]
[SOURCE: NTIA]
(http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/domainname/usrfc2/comments.html)
(http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/domainname/usrfc2/dotusrfc2.htm)
INTERNET CONNECTIVITY OF HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
Issue: Digital Divide
From Media Advisory: Commerce Secretary Norman Y. Mineta holds a press
conference today at 10:30am to release, in conjunction with members of the
Congressional Black Caucus, a Technology Assessment Study of the nation's
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
The study, conducted by the National Association for Equal Opportunity in
Higher Education (NAFEO), assesses the computing resources, networking and
connectivity of 80 of the 118 HBCUs. The study was sponsored by the
Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA).
Among those participating with Secretary Mineta at the press conference
will be Gregory L. Rohde, assistant secretary of commerce for
communications and information and NTIA administrator, and Representative
Edolphus Towns (Democrat, New York) and Representative Major Owens
(Democrat, New York). Other participants include Dr. Wilma Roscoe, Vice
President, NAFEO.
Location: Room 1539 Longworth House Office Building
[SOURCE: NTIA]
(http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/press/2000/nafeo101100.htm)
CUTTING THE WEB DOWN TO SIZE
Issue: Internet/InfoTech
Why should a person who wants a few headlines have to open a full page of
information? Why should anyone have to click on link after link to get to
the right information? And how many people really go back to all those Web
sites they bookmark? The next generation of Internet services will aim at
streamlining browsing [and put us out of business, it appears]. But the
services raise fears of new annoyances like technical glitches and risks to
privacy. The new services come in three flavors: 1) the most radical enable
people to disregard the standard Web browser altogether by downloading
colorful, Internet-based taskbars that are displayed on the computer
desktop; 2) Other programs work within the format of the standard Web
browser but tweak it offering people the chance to alter their Internet
Explorer browsers by dressing them up with color and patterns while also
adding buttons for their favorite sports and shopping sites, weather
reports and news headlines; and 3) a third species of service lets people
set up their own personalized gates to the Web, a la My Yahoo, but with the
option of gathering headlines or bits of data from whatever sites the users
choose. The story is rich with examples, see the URL below. And here's my
favorite quote: Bob Rankin, the co-editor of Tourbus, an online newsletter
about the Web, is not convinced that most Internet users are so desperate
for new navigation tools that they will tolerate the annoyances, let alone
change their browsing habits. "My experience is that, unless it is
fantastically useful," he said, "I either forget that it is there or stop
using it after a few weeks." What works for him instead? Simply getting an
e-mail message with news headlines and worthwhile Web links, he said.
"Plain text in e-mail," he said, "will rule the roost for a while."
[Ahhhhh. Inhale, exhale.]
[SOURCE: New York Times (D1), AUTHOR: Lisa Guernsey]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/12/technology/12TOOL.html)
(requires registration)
MOVING BEYOND BILLBOARDS
Issue: Convergence
In the last couple of years, moviegoers have become accustomed to seeing Web
site addresses tacked to anything advertising a film, from the movie trailer
itself to posters on the sides of city buses. As Hollywood and the Web begin
to overlap, perhaps it is not surprising that Web sites first created to
promote new films are now being designed to reinterpret them. This spring,
Darren Aronofsky, a New York filmmaker with a penchant for blurring worldly
reality and otherworldly fantasy in his work, was considering what sort of
Web site he wanted for his latest film, "Requiem for a Dream," and decided
to break with convention. The result is a site that is more of an
interactive audiovisual metaphor for the movie's disquieting themes of decay
and loss of control than anything else. A Web design house in London that
has a reputation for producing bold, cutting-edge online graphics helped
design the movie's Web site. "I'm really impressed with their interpretation
of the movie," Mr. Aronofsky said. "I took a book and tried to interpret it
into a movie. They took a movie and interpreted it into a Web site." "It was
a dream," said Florian Schmitt, the creative director for new media at
Hi-Res. "We wanted to transfer what we got out of the film to a different
medium and then superimpose on that the whole general theme of the film,
which is decay. It's basically sort of an attempt to do a narrative on the
Web." Toby Miller, a professor of cinema studies at New York University,
said he was not surprised to see the film industry beginning to appropriate
Internet style and iconography. "Web designers are seen as cutting edge in
the electronic arts," he said. "It is a completely natural thing for
Hollywood to say, 'These guys are on to something. How do we get a piece of
that?' "
[SOURCE: New York Times (D9), AUTHOR: Michel Marriott]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/12/technology/12MOVI.html)
(requires registration)
EDTECH
E-MAIL GIVES STUDENTS MORE CHOICES FOR CAREER ADVICE
Issue: EdTech
The convenience of e-mail, as well as its ability to bridge geographic
barriers, has caught the attention of a growing number of mentoring
organizations, groups that foster relationships between working
professionals and middle- and high-school students who are seeking career
advice. The National Mentoring Partnership has added an online dimension to
its work and online mentoring organizations like iMentor (www.imentor.org)
and NetMentors.Org (www.netmentors.org) have sprung up over the last year
to provide mentoring programs for schools and after-school groups. "I have
to admit that when I first heard about e-mail mentoring, I didn't think it
held much promise," said Rebecca Saito, a youth development specialist for
the Minneapolis schools. "But having participated in a few programs, I do
think the possibility exists that some people will be able to form
emotional connections online, and sometimes they can be even stronger than
those conducted face to face."
[SOURCE: New York Times (D9), AUTHOR: Catherine Greenman]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/12/technology/12MENT.html)
(requires registration)
COMPETITION/TELECOMMUNICATIONS
U.S. MAY SEEK TO OPEN BUILDINGS TO COMMUNICATIONS COMPETITION
Issue: Competition
The Federal Communications Commission seems poised to require commercial
landlords to open their buildings to almost any communications carrier that
wants access to their tenants. Currently, landlords of apartment buildings
and office towers have had an almost inviolable right to determine which
companies may set up shop inside their properties. "Given the paucity of
local communications competition that has emerged since the
telecommunications deregulation act of 1996, it's absolutely critical to
use every mechanism possible to jump-start greater consumer access to
multiple telecommunications providers," Gene Kimmelman, co-director of the
Washington office of Consumers Union, said yesterday. "This would be one
step forward for breaking down barriers to local competition."
[SOURCE: New York Times (A1), AUTHOR: Seth Schiesel]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/12/technology/12TELE.html)
(requires registration)
See Also:
FCC IS SEEN GIVING TENANTS CHOICE OF TELECOM PROVIDERS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (Interactive), AUTHOR: Dow Jones Newswires]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB971317078202405742.htm)
ITALIAN UTILITY AGREES TO BUY VODAFONE UNIT FOR $9.6 BILLION
Issue: Mergers
Vodafone will its fixed-line telephone and Internet unit, Infostrada, in
Italy to the country's national utility, Enel SpA, for $9.63 billion in
cash and bonds. Vodafone, the world's biggest operator of wireless phones,
will use proceeds to pay down debt amassed in gaining licenses to operate
new generation wireless phone systems in Europe. Enel will combine
Infostrada with Wind, a fixed-line phone and Internet company it jointly
owns with France Telecom, to compete with Italy's market leader, Telecom
Italia.
[SOURCE: New York Times (W1), AUTHOR: John Tagliabue]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/12/technology/12ITAL.html)
(requires registration)
TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK SECURITY AND RELIABILITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Issue: Security
Given the rapid evolution of electronic communications technologies, the
FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology and the Center for Global
Security Research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory of the
University of California will co-sponsor a conference on telecommunications
security and reliability. The conference will begin at 8:30 a.m. on
Tuesday, October 31 in the Commission Meeting Room (TWC-305), 445 12th
Street, S.W., Washington, D.C., and conclude at 5:00 p.m. The goal of the
conference is to increase understanding of telecommunications network
security and reliability issues, identify relevant areas of research, and
understand more fully the roles of industry and government in facilitating
a robust communications infrastructure.
Topics to be discussed include:
- Telecommunications network security and reliability
- Growth of electronic commerce: reliability and security challenges
- Research issues: industry and government roles
- Challenges for government.
Members of the public may attend the conference, and every effort will be
made to accommodate as many people as possible. Admittance, however, will
be limited to the seating available in the Commission meeting room. Please
allow sufficient time for clearance through Commission security before the
conference begins. The audio portion of this conference will be broadcast
live on the Internet via the FCC's Internet audio broadcast page at
http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio. Additional information concerning this
meeting may be obtained from Kent Nilsson at the FCC at 202-418-0845
(e-mail: knilsson( at )fcc.gov), TTY 202-418-2989, or Eileen Vergino at the CGSR
at 925-422-6141 (e-mail: verginoes( at )llnl.gov). A report of the conference
will be available after the conference. For copies of the conference
report, please contact Eileen Vergino at CGSR at 925-422-6141 (e-mail:
verginoes( at )llnl.gov).
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Public_Notices/2000/da002
316.html)
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