INTERNET
Free-Speech Advocates Fight Filtering Software in Public Schools
(NYT)
Hook Up Rural Asia, Some Say, and Poverty Can Be Mitigated (NYT)
NBC Cuts 150 Internet Jobs (NYT)
TELEVISION
FCC Takes a Step on Interactive TV In the Wake of Kennard's
Departure (WSJ)
Report to Congress on the Public Interest Obligations of
Broadcasters (FCC)
FCC Review Of Children's Television Rules (FCC)
MERGER
AOL Time Warner (WP)
NTIA
NTIA's 2000 Annual Report (NTIA)
INTERNET
FREE-SPEECH ADVOCATES FIGHT FILTERING SOFTWARE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Issue: Free-Speech
One month after Congress passed a law pressuring public schools and
libraries to install blocking or filtering software on computer terminals to
screen out Internet smut, three free-speech powerhouses are gearing up to
slay the measure in federal court. The law requires public libraries that
receive E-rate funds to install some sort of technology on computer
terminals used by adults to block Internet access to visual images that are
obscene or depict child pornography. The American Civil Liberties Union will
file a lawsuit within two months attacking the constitutionality of the law.
"This law requires, for the first time in the nation's history, that local
libraries censor speech for every adult and every child. That's got to
present First Amendment problems," said Chris Hansen, a senior staff
attorney with the ACLU. The People for the American Way Foundation and the
American Library Association are also planning legal attacks on the new law.
[SOURCE: New York Times (CyberTimes), AUTHOR: Carl S. Kaplan]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/19/technology/19CYBERLAW.html)
(requires registration)
HOOK UP RURAL ASIA, SOME SAY, AND POVERTY CAN BE MITIGATED
Issue: Digital Divide
During the heady days of the dot-com boom, the hope was that a coming era of
telecommunications would help communities in the developing world narrow the
digital divide. In Indonesia, where fewer than 2 of every 100 people use the
Internet, the hope was that wireless
devices on a new global standard would bring e-mail to people too poor for
personal computers. With technology stocks slumping, the telecommunications
industry reeling at the cost of its wireless future, and rising doubts that
even rich-country users will quickly embrace the new technology, a more
pessimistic forecast for the third generation, or 3G, is emerging. Despite
rapid urbanization, most people in the developing world still do not live in
cities. Costly licenses and equipment militate against the spread of mobile
phones to poor communities, especially rural ones. "It's an illusion to
think that 3G will close the digital divide," said Bertrand Bidaud, a
wireless industry analyst at the Gartner Group in Singapore.
[SOURCE: New York Times (B1), AUTHOR: Wayne Arnold]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/19/technology/19DIVI.html)
NBC CUTS 150 INTERNET JOBS
Issue: Jobs
NBC Internet announced a second round of deep job cuts Thursday as it braces
for a slowdown in online advertising. The 150 layoffs represent about 30
percent of the company's work force. In August, NBC Internet slashed 170
jobs. NBC Internet's parent company, NBC, told its employees last week that
it would cut up to 10 percent NBC's work force, up to 600 jobs.
[SOURCE: New York Times (Online), AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-NBC-Internet-Layoffs.html)
(requires registration)
TELEVISION
FCC TAKES A STEP ON INTERACTIVE TV IN THE WAKE OF KENNARD'S DEPARTURE
Issue: Television
The Federal Communications Commission took a first step toward setting rules
for emerging interactive-television technologies amid a flurry of final
actions by the departing chairman, William Kennard. Thursday, the FCC opened
a formal inquiry, exploring whether an integrated company such as the merged
AOL Time Warner, could unfairly favor partners. Chairman Kennard said
Thursday that he wanted the FCC to "get ahead of the curve" on interactive
television, despite its infancy. He said he had concerns that interactive-TV
services affiliated with a cable company could discriminate against rivals.
The agency is also working on rules for digital-television broadcasting, and
could issue an order on the matter Friday, the last day in office for
Chairman Kennard.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Jill Carroll]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB979858253620577223.htm)
(requires subscription)
REPORT TO CONGRESS ON THE PUBLIC INTEREST OBLIGATIONS OF BROADCASTERS
Issue: Television
FCC Chairman William Kennard released a report outlining eleven major
principles on how broadcasters can fulfill their statutory duty to serve the
public interest. Entitled "Report to Congress on the Public Interest
Obligations of Television Broadcasters as They Transition to Digital
Television," the report said this broad examination of television
broadcasters' public interest obligations is intended to promote thoughtful
discussion among and between broadcasters and their communities. It draws on
comments received in the Commission's pending Notice of Inquiry on the
subject that was released on December 20, 1999.
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/News_Releases/2001/nrcc0102.html)
FCC REVIEW OF CHILDREN'S TELEVISION RULES
Issue: Television
The FCC reported today that commercial television licensees have made many
efforts to comply with the scheduling and promotional rules for children's
educational and informational programming and are complying with the
three-hour core programming guideline established in the 1996 Children's
Television Report and Order.
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Mass_Media/News_Releases/2001/nrmm0001.html)
See Also:
CME DENOUNCES BROADCASTERS CLAIM OF UNCONSTITUTIONALITY FOR CHILDREN'S TV
RULES
[SOURCE: Center For Media Education]
(http://www.cme.org/press/010118pr.html)
MERGER
AOL TIME WARNER
Issue: Merger
[Editorial] A year ago the, with the announcement of a merger between AOL
and Time Warner, some feared the creation of a media monopolist that would
have the power to crush competition at consumers' expense. At that time,
there was even anticpation of how the new merger would affect broadband and
instant messaging. A year later the atmosphere is rather different. Now,
after bowing to a series of regulatory conditions, the question at hand is
the basic profitability of the merged entity. The question is whether the
new company will flourish. Nearly a third of AOL's stock price has been
wiped away by the tech stock bubble bursting. Time Warner, itself, has lost
millions on World Championship Wrestling; CNN has lost viewers to upstart
news-only channels. Now, the new company will have to blend two decidedly
different corporate cultures: the opportunistic approach of AOL with the
conservative structure of Time Warner.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (A36), AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/opinion/A17233-2001Jan19.html)
NTIA
NTIA'S 2000 ANNUAL REPORT
Issue: NTIA
The NTIA has released its Annual Report with a separate Foreword. Both of
which have been posted to its Web site.
[SOURCE: NTIA]
(http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/annualrpt/2001/2000annrpt.htm)
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