** Sorry for the unedited version that was posted earlier this morning. **
Baby Bells Win Court Battle vs FCC
WSJ: FCC Out of Bounds on Pricing Rules for Local-Phone Market,
Court Finds
NYT: Local Bells Win a 2nd Victory to Block Rivals
Jobs
NYT: New Breed of Worker Transforms Raw Information Into Knowledge
Advertising
WSJ: Chrysler Drops Its Demand for Early Look at Magazines
Internet
WP: Should Children Be Kept Offline?
InfoTech
WSJ: Air Waves
WSJ: The Ability to Pull A Disappearing Act is Just Disappearing
WP: Va. Computer Repair Cost Doubles
Competition
WP: AT&T Joins Wireless Phone Fight
Lifestyles
NYT: Toy Makers To Sponsor Design Lab At M.I.T.
** Baby Bells Win Court Battle vs FCC **
Title: FCC Out of Bounds on Pricing Rules for Local-Phone Market, Court Finds
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://.wsj.com/ (B17)
Author: Leslie Cauley & John Wilke
Issue: Telephone Regulation
Description: The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis ruled that the
Federal Communications Commission could not force Baby Bells to lease and
then "recombine" network parts at a 70% discount to rivals. The Bells
successfully argued that the rivals -- mainly long distance carriers --
would just be reselling service and therefore should not qualify for the
discounts. FCC Chairman Reed Hundt has vowed to appeal all the way to the
Supreme Court. He said that the ruling allows Bells "to subvert competition"
and may mean that consumers will not have a choice for their local phone
service.
Title: Local Bells Win a 2nd Victory to Block Rivals
Source: New York Times (D1, D22)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/fcc-phone-competition.html
Author: Seth Schiesel
Issue: Telecommunications
Description: In St. Louis yesterday, a Federal appeals court threw out
regulations that were intended to promote competition with local telephone
companies. This is a major blow to long-distance phone companies that were
planning to get involved in local telephone markets. Analysts believe that
the court's decision could force long-distance companies to spend billions
of extra dollars to build their own local networks.
** Jobs **
Title: New Breed of Worker Transforms Raw Information Into Knowledge
Source: New York Times, CyberTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/101597knowledge.html
Author: Matt Richtell
Issue: Jobs
Description: There is a growing number of employees whose job is to take
overwhelming masses of information and transform it into something that is
tangible, accessible and useful. These 'knowledge managers' are part of one
of the hottest trends in the business world. This study of knowledge
management "evolved from the need of companies to manage resources more
effectively in a hyper-competitive, global economy," said Robert E. Cole,
professor of business administration at UC Berkeley. Another reason for
this growing trend, outside of information being so plentiful, is that the
US economy is increasingly service based. But instead of selling material
products, the top competitors are now selling ideas. The new products offer
consumers systems that will aid them in finding answers. For example, "The
biggest problem is that people don't know what they're looking for," said
Peter Tierney, chief executive officer of Inference. "They'll say, 'I'm
having a problem with my computer.' Then the system will say, "Well, here's
a list of problems. Which most resembles the problem you're having?'"
"Given how many Americans work in fields where the products are ideas, it is
fair to say that many of us are knowledge workers already. Says one San
Francisco Bay Area futurist: 'If you have trouble explaining to your mother
what you do, you're probably a knowledge worker, too.'"
** Advertising **
Title: Chrysler Drops Its Demand for Early Look at Magazines
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://.wsj.com/ (B1)
Author: G. Bruce Knecht
Issue: Advertising
Description: Last year, Chrysler spent $1.1 billion in advertising. $270
million was spent on advertising in 350 magazines and Chrysler had asked for
pre-notification of controversial articles in editions they had placed ads.
After two publishing-industry groups urged members to reject Chrysler's
demands, the company has backed off and says that it will not request
pre-notification nor read any that comes unsolicited. Other companies, like
Chicago-based Baby Bell Ameritech, request pre-notification and do not plan
to change policy because of Chrysler's change of heart.
** Internet **
Title: Should Children Be Kept Offline?
Source: Washington Post (B1)
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-10/15/0841-101597-idx.html
Source: Washington Post (B1)
Author: Victoria Benning
Issue: Internet Regulation
Description: Fairfax County officials have proposed a policy that would
allow them to bar children younger than 13 from using the Internet in public
libraries. Under the policy considered, a child's parents or guardians would
have th right to notify the library system that they don't want him or her
given access to the 'Net. Children 13 or older would have unrestricted
access. This proposal is a compromise between those who want the libraries
to have tougher Internet restrictions and those who see any limits as a form
of censorship. The plan's author, Charles A. Fegan, who is also a member of
the Fairfax County Library's Board of Trustees, said, "I don't believe in
censorship at all...this is a way of facing up to that reality and giving
parents an opportunity to get involved."
** InfoTech **
Title: Air Waves
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://.wsj.com/ (A1)
Author: Jeff Bailey
Issue: Satellites
Description: Seven-foot-wide satellite dishes -- in the early 90's so
popular that they were named the state flower of Louisiana -- are no one's
favorite anymore with the introduction of 18" dishes. Door-to-door salesmen
used to sell the big dishes at $2,000 - $5,000 a pop in rural areas, signing
people on to long payment schedules. For big-dish buyers, "it was a jolting
lesson in the rapid obsolescence of consumer electronics." But it was just
as an unpleasant lesson for the consumer-finance industry.
Title: The Ability to Pull A Disappearing Act is Just Disappearing
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://.wsj.com/ (A1)
Author: Cynthia Crossen
Issue: Privacy
Description: Ever get that old, romanticized urge to just dump your life and
begin a new one as a new person? Well forget it in an age of sophisticated
security systems and the availability of so much personal data available via
computers. "Sure, you can disappear if no one's looking for you," says the
president of a firm that finds missing persons. "But if someone is energetic
enough in trying to find you, they can probably find you."
Title: Va. Computer Repair Cost Doubles
Source: Washington Post (B5)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-10/15/124|-101597-idx.html
Author: Ellen Nakashima
Issue: Info Tech
Description: Legislative auditors warned today that Virginia will have to
come up with $100 million to retool ther computer systems for the year 2000.
They warned that driver's licenses could go unrenewed, tax refunds could go
un mailed, and criminal background checks unmade. The problem stems from
dated information stored in state computers with only two digits for the
year. "The next governor's going to be accountable for any breakdowns in the
state computer systems," said Philip Leone, director of the Joint
Legislative Audit and Review Commission. "...it's not glamorous, but it's
the price of providing the citizens of Virginia high-quality services." But,
Va. isn't alone with this problem: Maryland will have to pay $101 million to
fix their systems, while D.C. hopes to spend $25 million to fix theirs.
** Competition **
Title: AT&T Joins Wireless Phone Fight
Source: Washington Post (C13)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-10/15/0481-101597-idx.html
Author: Mike Mills
Issue: Competition
Description: AT&T Corp. has officially joined the wireless phone market,
hoping that their status as an all-digital network will put them on top. In
a market crowded by Bell Atlantic Mobile, Cellular One, Nextel, and Sprint
Spectrum, analysts say AT&T will probably compete based on service details
rather than rates. AT&T phones communicate using the binary code of
computers, which adds features like anti-eavesdropping security, extended
battery life, caller i.d., paging, and short e-mail messages. The most
unique quality of the service is the phone's ability to work in either an
"analog" or digital mode. Users can "roam" anywhere nationwide and be able
to connect with an AT&T digital network, or a local cellular carrier.
** Lifestyles **
Title: Toy Makers To Sponsor Design Lab At M.I.T.
Source: New York Times (D10)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/101597toys.html
Author: John Markoff
Issue: Lifestyles!
Description: The M.I.T. Media Lab plans to announce today a five-year
research project to design "smart toys". The project, called Toys of
Tomorrow, will be underwritten by four leading toy and entertainment
companies. "There is no question in my mind that going into the new
millennium technology will fundamentally change the way children play," said
Jill Barad, chief executive of Mattel. And Michael Hawley, a professor at
the Media Laboratory who will direct the project, said "rapid change in the
toy industry is perfectly matched to the pace of technological change in the
computer industry." Hmmmmm, still holding onto those "Star Wars Action
Figures?"
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