MEDIA & SOCIETY
A Supreme Court Session We Should All See (NYT)
Can We Trust TV? (WP)
EDTECH
Educators' Approach to Technology Funding Matures (CyberTimes)
INTERNET
Internet Use in Europe Is on the Rise, Cheaper Hook-Ups
May Be the Cause (WSJ)
Time Warner Resists FTC Demands to Share Content (USA)
Network Solutions Adds '.tv' Domains (WP)
Internet Strategy to Help Others Make Films (NYT)
A Stephen King Online Horror Tale Turns Into a Mini-Disaster (NYT)
CABLE
Comcast, Juno Make Deal to Sell Net Access (WP)
Comcast-Disney Battle Could Hit TV Viewers (WP)
TELEPHONY
Softer Outlook for a Phone Offering (NYT)
New Telephone Slamming Rules Work for Consumers (FCC)
JOBS
Amazon.com is Using the Web to Block Unions' Efforts
to Organize (NYT)
FCC
Technological Advisory Council to Hold Seventh Meeting (FCC)
MEDIA & SOCIETY
A SUPREME COURT SESSION WE SHOULD ALL SEE
Issue: Media & Society/Journalism
[Op-Ed] Cameras in the Supreme Court? O'Brien, who covered the Court for
ABC News, writes that the stakes in Friday's hearing -- the legitimacy of
the office of president, not to mention its occupant -- couldn't be higher.
Justice David Souter has said that TV cameras would have to be "rolled in
over my dead body." O'Brien writes that for this one occasion, at least,
Congress should pass legislation making live coverage of the Court
possible. Court observers know how well the Supreme Court works; Americans
should see that, too. And after all, O'Brien concludes, it is not their
Court -- it's our Court.
[SOURCE: New York Times (A31), AUTHOR: Tim O'Brien, ABC News]
(http://www.nytimes.com/)
(requires registration)
CAN WE TRUST TV?
Issue: Journalism
[Op-Ed] Television network news, once regarded as a public service, has
become a business. The effects are seen in the disaster that was election
night 2000 coverage. Time magazine editor Walter Isaacson watched that
coverage and concluded, they "have lost their baritone of authority." 79%
of Americans believe the networks did not act responsibly in calling
Florida first for Gore and then for Bush. The corporate push to make news
profitable has lowered journalistic standards and taste. A Shorenstein
Center study shows a dramatic increase in
the number of stories "without any public policy content" -- from 36% in
1980 to 52% in 2000. Coverage of presidential candidates has also tended to
be "negative"--from 25% of stories in 1960 to 63% in 2000. In addition,
seeing all this, the public has lost confidence in the ability -- or desire
-- of network news to encourage positive developments in society. Kalb
concludes: The networks' current internal investigations may yet yield a more
responsible and substantive approach to news, but only a handful of dreamy
network optimists think so.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, (A39) AUTHOR: Marvin Kalb, executive director of the
Washington office of the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and
Public Policy at Harvard University]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1567-2000Nov28.html)
EDTECH
EDUCATORS' APPROACH TO TECHNOLOGY FUNDING MATURES
Issue: EdTech
Investing in technology is "becoming more institutionalized," said John
Vaille, CEO of the Oregon-based International Society for Technology in
Education. Until recently, Vaille said, technology spending was largely the
result of "individual school or teacher initiatives." School budgets are
now including hardware, software and training instead of relying on
donations and grants. Market Data Retrieval recently found that public
schools spent an estimated $5.67 billion, or $121.37 per student, on
technology in the 1999-2000 school year. That figure is up 2.5 percent over
the prior school year. "They've shifted their views on how they acquire and
maintain equipment," said Kathleen Brantley, director of product
development for Market Data Retrieval. Keith Krueger, the executive
director of the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), said that his
organization is helping schools to budget for what is known in the business
world as 'total cost of ownership' - accounting for the initial purchase
price, maintenance and replacement. "They've gotten smarter about budgeting
for the long term." "This ad hoc approach like Net Day, or doing something
with [computer companies] or getting a free donation - they're going to
slip away because all kids are going to need access," said Arthur Sheekey,
technology coordinator for the Council of Chief State School Officers. "As
the systems get more complicated, they can't depend on the math teacher or
a parent."
[SOURCE: CyberTimes, AUTHOR: Rebecca Weiner (rweiner( at )nytimes.com)]
(http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/tech/indexcyber.html)
(requires registration)
INTERNET
INTERNET USE IN EUROPE IS ON THE RISE, CHEAPER HOOK-UPS MAY BE THE CAUSE
Issue: Digital Divide
Internet use in Europe is growing by leaps and bounds, according to a new
report prepared by the European Commission. According to the commissioner
responsible for information technology issues, Erkki Liikanen, residential
Internet use rose to 28.4% in October from 18% in March and 12% a year
earlier. Internet use by small and midsize European enterprises, which had
been slow to go online, has also risen sharply, with around 70% of all such
firms now online and 40% boasting their own Web sites, according to
statistics due to be published this week. While the average figure for
residential Internet use still lags behind that of the U.S., where more than
40% of all homes go online, Europe is catching up fast. And the percentage
of Europeans accessing the Internet by mobile phones and digital interactive
television services remains ahead of that in the U.S., Mr. Liikanen said.
One explanation for the surge in Internet use is falling connection charges.
Many homes in Europe already had computers but hadn't connected them to the
Internet because of prohibitive prices.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (Interactive), AUTHOR: Brandon Mitchener]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB975450378922502146.htm)
(requires subscription)
TIME WARNER RESISTS FTC DEMANDS TO SHARE CONTENT
Issue: Content
Time Warner is unwilling to accede to regulators' demands to make its news
and entertainment content available to America Online's rivals as a
condition for approving the companies' merger - an impasse that could derail
the deal. The Federal Trade Commission, meanwhile, is preparing to sue AOL
and Time Warner to block the deal if it doesn't get a package of concessions
to preserve competition. The FTC is still reviewing the details of Time
Warner's agreement to open its high-speed cable lines to rival Internet
service providers. Its decision is expected by Dec. 15. It's unclear whether
the FTC is willing to try to block the deal over content distribution alone.
A victory would be far from certain, legal experts say. An FTC condition
would likely force Time Warner to provide ISPs its content on the same terms
it offers to AOL. In the 1980s, the Justice Department sued Time Warner
because it withheld HBO from satellite providers that competed with its
cable systems. The company agreed to stop the practice.
[SOURCE: USA Today, (1B) AUTHOR: Paul Davidson]
NETWORK SOLUTIONS ADDS '.TV' DOMAINS
Issue: Internet
Network Solutions, with a Los Angeles partner firm, will begin registering
Internet addresses using the '.tv' suffix. The two letters are so highly
recognizable that the two firms see it as a natural suffix for broadcast and
entertainment firms seeking to promote their products and target
international audiences. About half of .tv's registrants are outside the
United States, including Zee TV in India and TV Norge in Norway. While there
are relatively few .tv addresses registered, the pricing scheme of DotTV,
the Network Solutions partner, places a premium on certain addresses. For
instance, names such as men.tv or health.tv are priced at more than $1
million a year, compared with the $50 fee charged for the average domain
name. Network Solutions will get a portion of the registration fee, plus a
fee for storing the addresses on its exclusive master database, which it has
controlled since 1992.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E01), AUTHOR: Dina ElBoghdady]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1585-2000Nov28.html)
INTERNET STRATEGY TO HELP OTHERS MAKE FILMS
Issue: Arts Online
Project Greenlight is a Web site created to attract an online group of
aspiring filmmakers and help break down barriers that keep them from
finding work. For now, at the heart of the project is a contest: the winner
will get at least $1 million to prepare, shoot and polish their movie, all
of which will be the subject of an HBO series documenting the production
process, after which the movie will be released in movie theaters by
Miramax. Partners in Greenlight include Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, Miramax
Films, HBO and Live Planet, an entertainment-related Internet site. Read
more at the URL below.
[SOURCE: New York Times (B1), AUTHOR: Rick Lyman]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/29/technology/29GREE.html)
(requires registration)
A STEPHEN KING ONLINE HORROR TALE TURNS INTO A MINI-DISASTER
Issue: E-commerce/Arts Online
Five months ago, the horror writer Stephen King made news when he decided to
forgo publishers and sell a new serial novel directly to his readers via
the Internet. But with dwindling attention and sales, Mr. King has
temporarily abandoned his effort to work on other, more conventional books.
King had issued installments of the "The Plant" under a novel honor-system
payment plan, asking readers voluntarily to pay $1 for each chapter
downloaded and pledging to keep writing only if at least 75 percent of
readers complied. About 40,000 copies were downloaded in the first week
after the most recent installment became available, down from more than
120,000 copies in the week after the appearance of the first installment.
And many of the readers were not paying. Despite diminishing interest, Mr.
King's most recent installment so far still outsold almost all electronic
books published by the major publishers.
[SOURCE: New York Times (C1), AUTHOR: David Kirkpatrick]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/29/technology/29KING.html)
(requires registration)
See Also:
DEADBEATS PROMPT KING TO YANK INTERNET BOOK
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E1), AUTHOR: Linton Weeks]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1570-2000Nov28.html)
CABLE
COMCAST, JUNO MAKE DEAL TO SELL NET ACCESS
Issue: Cable/Internet
Comcast, the nation's third-largest cable television company, will announce
today a deal allowing Juno Online Services to sell high-speed Internet
service over its wires into homes, company executives confirmed last night.
This announcement comes right in the middle of a national debate on "open
access," the question of whether Internet service providers should have the
right to reach their customers by riding over cable systems, much the same
way they now have access to the telephone network. Open access is also the
unresolved issue in the FTC' review on the AOL/Time Warner merger. The deal
is mutually beneficial to both Juno and Comcast: Juno gains access to more
than 8 million households, while Comcast can use Juno's popular service
as a magnet to attract more high-speed Internet customers.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E01), AUTHOR: Goodman & Klein]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1566-2000Nov28.html)
COMCAST-DISNEY BATTLE COULD HIT TV VIEWERS
Issue: Cable
Walt Disney and Comcast Cable are challenging each other to a blinking
contest. The outcome could affect cable television subscribers across the
country, including 1.5 million in the Washington area. Disney is demanding
that Comcast carry its
new SoapNet Channel and give broader distribution to its Disney Channel and
Toon Disney offerings. If Comcast does not agree, Disney is threatening to
revoke Comcast's permission to carry ABC network programming in six cities,
including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago -- a move that would affect 3
million Comcast subscribers. Additionally, as of Jan. 1, Disney has the
option of also pulling ESPN. If Disney and Comcast do not come to an
agreement, it would mark the first time that a cable company has lost the
rights to carry local TV signals due to a contract breakdown. So far,
Comcast is the only cable system in the country that has not come to terms
with Disney, Disney officials said. Comcast Cable President Stephen B. Burke
accused Disney yesterday of trying to hold subscribers hostage to its
demands. "We think it's unconscionable that the Walt Disney Co. would, in
effect, use customers as a bargaining chip," said Burke. Burke also said
that Comcast will not remove ABC from its channel lineup in any city unless
it is receives a specific demand from the network to do so.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E01), AUTHOR: Christopher Stern]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A537-2000Nov28.html)
TELEPHONY
SOFTER OUTLOOK FOR A PHONE OFFERING
Issue: Mergers
France Telecom purchased Orange from Vodafone earlier this year for $36
billion. (Vodafone sold the company after acquiring it in its hostile
takeover of Mannesmann of Germany.) FT had hoped to reduce debt and help
its falling stock price by selling a portion of Orange and raising up to
$12 billion. But executives are now planning to get just $6-8.5 billion
from the sale that will take place early next year. The prospect of a host
of initial public offerings next year is also weighing on stock prices,
said Steve Scruton, a telecommunications analyst with HSBC Holdings. Apart
from Orange, KPN and T-Mobil of Germany, "the mobile arms of pretty much
all of the national operators" are planning to sell shares next year to
recover from debt, offering investors a chance to choose among them. "They
have got debt to refinance; they have got the choice of doing the deals" to
raise money, Mr. Scruton said, or risking downgrades in their credit
ratings, which will increase the interest rate burden.
[SOURCE: New York Times (W1), AUTHOR: Alan Cowell]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/29/technology/29ORAN.html)
(requires registration)
NEW TELEPHONE SLAMMING RULES WORK FOR CONSUMERS
Issue: Telephone Regulation
News release outlines new rules the FCC and the states have adopted to
prevent telephone companies from switching a consumers service without
authorization. Topics include: How do the New Rules Work, What Must I Do To
Complain and How Can I Get Additional Information About this Program.
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Consumer_Information/News_Releases/2000/nrci0006
.html)
JOBS
AMAZON.COM IS USING THE WEB TO BLOCK UNIONS' EFFORTS TO ORGANIZE
Issue: Jobs
Amazon, one of the leaders in electronic retailing, has stepped up its
antiunion activities the last week after the Communications Workers of
America, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and the Prewitt
Organizing Fund announced plans to speed efforts to unionize Amazon during
the holiday e-shopping rush. The organizing drive is the most ambitious one
ever undertaken in the high-technology sector, where the nation's labor
movement has yet to establish a foothold. Amazon workers upset about
layoffs at Amazon last January and about the sharp drop in the value of
their stock options. The company is using its internal Web site to
distribute antiunion information to workers and alert managers to the
warning signs that workers are organizing.
[SOURCE: New York Times (C1), AUTHOR: Steven Greenhouse]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/29/technology/29AMAZ.html)
(requires registration)
FCC
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVISORY COUNCIL TO HOLD SEVENTH MEETING
From Public Notice: The Technological Advisory Council ("Council"), will
hold its seventh meeting on Wednesday, December 6, at 10:00 a.m. at the
Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th St. S.W., Room TW-C305,
Washington, D.C. At this meeting, the Council may discuss (1) the current
state of the art for software defined radios, cognitive radios, and similar
devices and future developments for these technologies; (2) the current
technical trends in telecommunications services; and (3) the
telecommunications common carrier network interconnection scenarios that
are likely to develop. [Yes, it is meeting like this that inspired "Bring
Your Daughter Day" at the FCC]
Brief oral comments to the Council may be made with prior notice to, and
approval by, the Federal Communications Commission's Designated Federal
Officer for the Technological Advisory Council, David Farber (e-mail:
DFARBER( at )FCC.GOV).
For further information, contact Kent Nilsson at 202-418-0845 or TTY
202-418-2989.
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Public_Notices/2000/da002
687.html)
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