INTERNET
Planners of Internet's Future to Face the Public (CyberTimes)
Networks for People: Society and Information Infrastructure (NTIA)
Business School Nurtures Entrepreneurs (CyberTimes)
Former Playmate Wins Round in Fight Over Web Site Labels (CyberTimes)
REGULATION
Ameritech Awaits FCC Clarification (ChiTrib)
FCC Orders MCI to Stop Charging "Non-Subscriber" Rates for
Direct-Dialed Calls (FCC)
JOBS
400 People Make Noise About ABC's 10-Day-Old Lockout (NYT)
INTERNATIONAL
Cuba OKs Reopening of AP Bureau (WP)
Bowing to Competition, Deutsche Telekom Will Cut Prices (NYT)
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INTERNET
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PLANNERS OF INTERNET'S FUTURE TO FACE THE PUBLIC
Issue: Internet
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
http://www.iana.org/newiana.html will hold what some are equating as a
constitutional convention this weekend. The nonprofit's newly appointed
board hopes to get more input on how to create a permanent, open,
representative body. "I hope its going to be friendly, but I'm sure there
will be long lines at the mikes," said Esther Dyson, Chairman of ICANN. Ms.
Dyson said that a primary responsibility of the board is to show that the
organization will have a representative membership and operates in a fair
and open manner. Critics of the new organization contend that ICANN's bylaws
were drafted privately and the nine interim board members were selected
secretly rather than elected. "I feel there is too much paranoia and
pessimism," said Milton Mueller, an associate professor and Syracuse
University's school of information studies. "The really stupid things have
been avoided: no membership, insulation of the organization, and lack of
accountability. This is organization 101. Things are being fixed and I think
the government is somewhat clueful, and I believe in the rationality of most
people involved." Additional information available at
http://www.mama-tech.com/boston.
[SOURCE: New York Times (CyberTimes), AUTHOR: Jeri Clausing jeri( at )nytimes.com]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/11/cyber/articles/13domain.html
NETWORKS FOR PEOPLE: SOCIETY AND INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE
Issue: Conference
From the media advisory: "The Commerce Department's National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will host a two-day
conference titled "1998 Networks for People: Society and Information
Infrastructure -- The Next Generation" on December 8-9, 1998 in Washington,
DC. The conference is open to the public and is free. People who are
interested in the use of technology to improve their lives and strengthen
our communities should attend. For more information, please call NTIA's
Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP)
at 202-482-2048 or visit NTIA's website at
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/tiiap/. The website includes information
on the conference, an agenda, and online registration."
[SOURCE: NTIA]
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/press/netpeop111098.htm
BUSINESS SCHOOL NURTURES ENTREPRENEURS
Issue: EdTech
The University of California at Berkeley's Haas School of Business
http://www.haas.berkely.edu offers a handful of students space in a
school-sponsored "incubator" program to help grow start-up companies. "I
learn something in class at 12:00 and I'm over here at 12:30 with a chance
to introduce it real-time into the business," said one student who says he
spends "every free period" at school working on the startup. The incubator
offers state-of-the art computers and high-speed Internet connection, but
the office space is sparse. There are ~600 business incubators around the
country -- 27% are affiliated with universities. For more info see the
National Business Incubator Association http://www.nbia.org.
[SOURCE: New York Times (CyberTimes), AUTHOR: Matt Richtel
mrichtel( at )nytimes.com]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/11/cyber/articles/13incubator.html
FORMER PLAYMATE WINS ROUND IN FIGHT OVER WEB SITE LABELS
Issue: Internet/Trademark
Meta tags are information imbedded into web pages that viewers are not
intended to read. Some give instructions to users' browsers on how a Web
page should be displayed while others are meant to aid search engines -- an
online trading company may have "stocks" or "trading" embedded in the
keyword meta tag. But a recent court case is making these tags controversial
-- especially when they contain copyrighted words by a webmaster not
affiliated with the organization that holds the copyright. Judge Judith N.
Keep has so far treated meta tags like card catalog entries in the case. As
long as the tags correctly describe what can be found on the site, then they
are OK. But the copyright holder contends that any company could exploit the
ruling and embed the company's name in mega tags and draw traffic from the
site visitors were really looking for. "This is an absolutely crucial case,"
said an intellectual property law expert. "The trademark owners have won or
favorably settled all the meta tag cases except this one. This is the case
that they are worried about." For more information see
http://www.pmdlaw.com/PlayboyWellesDocs.htm
[SOURCE: New York Times (CyberTimes), AUTHOR: Carl Kaplan
kaplanc( at )nytimes.com]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/11/cyber/cyberlaw/13law.html
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REGULATION
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AMERITECH AWAITS FCC CLARIFICATION
Issue: Bandwidth
In a speech at the Economic Strategy Institute, Ameritech CEO Richard
Notebaert said the company is waiting on a ruling from the Federal
Communications Commission before deciding when to rollout high-speed data
connections know as digital subscriber lines (DSL). The FCC ruling is
expected in early 1999. Notebaert suggested that regulators in Europe could
teach the FCC about promoting genuine competition. "In Europe," he said, "we
are more likely to be judged by the value we add and the jobs we
create...America could take a lesson."
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune (Sec 3, p.3), AUTHOR: Jon Van]
http://chicagotribune.com/textversion/article/0,1492,SAV-9811130080,00.html
FCC ORDERS MCI TO STOP CHARGING "NON-SUBSCRIBER" RATES FOR
DIRECT-DIALED CALLS
Issue: Long Distance
FCC Orders MCI to Stop Charging "Non-Subscriber" Rates for Direct-Dialed
Calls; Practice Deemed "Inherently Confusing" to Consumers (Memorandum
Opinion and Order, FCC 98-297). From news release: "On November 10, the
Commission ordered MCI to stop charging its "non-subscriber" rates for
direct-dialed long distance calls. Consumers affected by this practice are
those who remain presubscribed to MCI -- that is, consumers whose calls are
handled by MCI when they dial "1" plus an area code and local telephone
number -- after their accounts are removed from MCI's billing system. Noting
that customers who are presubscribed to MCI may reasonably consider
themselves "subscribers," the Commission concluded that the practice of
charging these customers non-subscriber rates is inherently confusing and,
therefore, unreasonable. The action resolves two formal complaints by
customers who were charged MCI's non-subscriber rates."
[SOURCE: FCC]
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/News_Releases/1998/nrcc8083.html
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JOBS
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400 PEOPLE MAKE NOISE ABOUT ABC'S 10-DAY-OLD LOCKOUT
Issue: Employment
Yesterday, about 400 people gathered outside of ABC's New York offices
protesting the 10-day lockout of over 2,200 members of the National
Association of Broadcast Engineers and Technicians. The employees were
locked out after they staged a one-day strike to protest the Network's
refusal to disclose specific information about their new health care plan.
Both sides are awaiting a decision from the National Labor Relations Board
on weather ABC is guilty of unfair labor practices. If so, the network could
be forced to end the lockout.
[SOURCE: New York Times (A24), AUTHOR: Jodi Wilgoren]
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/national/regional/ny-abc-rally.html
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INTERNATIONAL
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CUBA OKS REOPENING OF AP BUREAU
Issue: Journalism/International
The Associated Press received permission Thursday to reopen its bureau in
Havana, Cuba. The AP office was forced by the Cuban government to close in
1969. The agreement comes on the heels of a visit to Cuba by a high level
delegation of AP officials including Louis Boccardi, president and CEO, who
met with President Fidel Castro and other senior officials. Boccardi said,
"We are pleased that our long-standing request has been granted." AP will
be the second U.S.-based news organization with a permanent presence in
Cuba. Cable News Network opened a bureau in March 1997. The Clinton
Administration has given permission to 10 U.S.-based news organizations to
open bureaus in Cuba. U.S. government permission is required because of the
U.S. trade embargo against the island.
[SOURCE: Washington Post Online, AUTHOR: Anita Snow (Associated Press)]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WAPO/19981113/V000141-111398-idx.html
BOWING TO COMPETITION, DEUTSCHE TELEKOM WILL CUT PRICES
Issue: Telephone/International
Deutsche Telekom AG of Germany announced Thursday it would cut prices on
long-distance telephone calls by up to 63 percent. The decision is the
result of a loss of 25 percent of its long distance business to upstart
companies that have been encouraged by the official European opening of
telephone competition in January. Small companies have been able to re-sell
DT's own services at lower prices since new European Union rules require
traditional monopolies to give rivals access to their networks at reasonable
rates. Analysts said that DT was slow to revamp its own rates and kept its
prices too high. Deutsche Telekom has sued to overturn the price
regulations and sued to block some of its rivals' advertising. DT is also
lobbying the new German government for rate restructuring, arguing that the
company is being forced to subsidize competitors. Ron Sommer, DT's CEO,
said Thursday, "What we are seeing is a price war being waged on Telekom's
back."
[SOURCE: New York Times (C3), AUTHOR: Edmund L. Andrews]
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/germany-telephone.html
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ANTITRUST
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MICROSOFT TRIES TO DISCREDIT INTEL EXECUTIVE (NYT)
MICROSOFT ATTACKS INTEL EXECUTIVE AS BIASED (WSJ)
MICROSOFT ATTACKS CREDIBILITY OF INTEL EXEC (WP)
MICROSOFT ATTORNEY ATTEMPTS TO DISCREDIT INTEL WITNESS (ChiTrib)
Issue: Antitrust
Microsoft attorneys vigorously attempted to discredit Intel Vice President
Steven McGeady, a key government witness in their antitrust suit against
Microsoft. Mr. McGeady accused Microsoft executives of pushing Intel out of
the software market with threats and intimidation. Microsoft said that it
would pull support for Intel's next generation chip if Intel continued to
develop a technology called Native Signal Processing, according to Mr.
McGready. Lawyers for Microsoft tried to show that McGeady was a disgruntled
employee who didn't represent Intel's point of view.
[SOURCE: New York Times (C1), AUTHOR: Joel Brinkley]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/11/biztech/articles/13soft.html
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B5), AUTHOR: Keith Perine and Bryan Gruley]
http://www.wsj.com/
[SOURCE: Washington Post (B1), AUTHOR: Rajiv Chandrasekaran]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/longterm/microsoft/micro.htm
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune (Sec 3, p.1), AUTHOR: Andrew Zajac]
http://chicagotribune.com/textversion/article/0,1492,SAV-9811130068,00.html
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...and we are outta here. Have a great weekend and we'll be back on Monday.