DIGITAL DIVIDE
Children's Computer Use Grows, but Gaps Persist, Study Says (NYT)
FCC Releases Report On Global Telecommunications Development
Initiative (FCC)
TELEVISION
FCC Deals a Setback to Broadcasters In Ruling on Cable Firms and
Digital TV (WSJ)
SILICON VALLEY
Experts Debate Net's Role In Power Crisis (USA)
Education Leads Silicon Valley Wish List (NYT)
DIGITAL DIVIDE
CHILDREN'S COMPUTER USE GROWS, BUT GAPS PERSIST, STUDY SAYS
Issue: Digital Divide
A report to be issued today by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation says
that seventy percent of American households with children ages 2 to 17 have
computers, and 52 percent are connected to the Internet. But only about 22
percent of children in families with annual incomes of less than $20,000
have access to a home computer, compared with 91 percent of those in
families with incomes of more than $75,000. Children in low-income families
with computers used it less than those in high-income families, perhaps in
part because they were less likely to have an Internet connection. Though
almost every school in the nation is now wired to the Internet, great
disparities are evident in how they use computers, says the report. Schools
serving poor children were more likely to emphasize word processing and
other simple tasks while those serving more affluent students taught
computer skills to promote problem-solving and a deeper understanding of an
area of study. "Efforts to ensure equal access to computer-related learning
opportunities at school must move beyond a concern with the numbers of
computers in different schools toward an emphasis on how well those
computers are being used to help children develop intellectual competencies
and technical skills," says Henry Jay Becker, a professor at the University
of California at Irvine.
[SOURCE: New York Times (A11), AUTHOR: Tamar Lewin]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/22/technology/22COMP.html)
(requires registration)
FCC RELEASES REPORT ON GLOBAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE
Issue: Digital Divide
Friday, Chairman William Kennard released a report titled, Connecting the
Globe: Telecommunications Development 2000, which describes the FCC's
initiative to work with developing/emerging nations to overcome the
regulatory obstacles contributing to the global Digital Divide. Upon its
release Chairman Kennard remarked, "Increased collaboration between the FCC
and our foreign counterparts is essential to promoting pro-competitive
policies abroad to lower consumer costs and increase
access to telecommunications services.
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Mass_Media/News_Releases/2001/nrmm0102.html)
TELEVISION
FCC DEALS A SETBACK TO BROADCASTERS IN RULING ON CABLE FIRMS AND DIGITAL TV
Issue: DTV
The Federal Communications Commission decided that cable-television
operators don't have to carry TV stations' current programming as well as a
digital copy, a setback for broadcasters who argue they need both signals
carried during the transition to digital TV. William Kennard, former FCC
Chairman who resigned Friday has long said he opposes forcing cable
companies to carry both analog and digital signals. The broadcasters and
cable industry fought hard over the issue, known as "digital must-carry."
The broadcasters say that until most viewers have TV sets that can pick up
digital signals, cable companies should be required to carry both current
analog programming and their future digital programming. Otherwise, they
say, they have little incentive to invest in digital technology. The FCC
also decided to further explore whether new TV sets should be required to
pick up over-the-air digital programming in addition to the current analog
signals. Such a requirement would address broadcasters' worry that when they
turn off their analog signal and switch to digital that they will lose many
viewers. Manufacturers say such requirements would add significantly to the
cost of buying a TV set -- a claim broadcasters dispute.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B8), AUTHOR: Jill Carroll]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB98012126839793097.htm)
(requires subscription)
See Also:
FCC ISSUES FURTHER ORDER IN DIGITAL TELEVISION TRANSITION
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Mass_Media/News_Releases/2001/nrmm0102.htm)
SILICON VALLEY
EXPERTS DEBATE NET'S ROLE IN POWER CRISIS
Issue: Internet
Is the Internet a power-sucking vampire that's worsening the energy crisis
in California or an economic savior that saves billions of dollars by using
less fossil fuel and by pumping up productivity? The debate flared last year
when Mark Mills - an energy analyst - warned Congress that the Internet
economy would take 50% of the nation's power. Experts estimate that
Internet-related computers, telecommunications and networking devices siphon
3% to 8% of the nation's electricity. Experts argue that the Net and other
technology actually save energy and are the main forces behind the USA's
record economic growth of the late 1990s. The debate arose again last week
as electricity shortages forced California utilities to impose rolling
blackouts across the state, leaving 1 million businesses and residents in
the dark. "Intel uses energy, but it ain't a steel mill," Joseph Romm, a
former U.S. Department of Energy official says. "When Microsoft sells
billions of dollars of software, it uses very little energy. Compare that to
manufacturing thousands of autos."
[SOURCE: USA Today (1B), AUTHOR: Edward Iwata]
(http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001-01-22-power.htm)
EDUCATION LEADS SILICON VALLEY WISH LIST
Issue: Policy
Will technology executives have a voice in the Bush Administration?
According to Barry Rubin, a professor at the George Washington University
Graduate School of Political Management in Washington, the technology sector
had matured enough that many more executives recognize Washington's
relevance. Rubin says they are likely to have influence on filling vacancies
on regulatory agencies and naming assistant and deputy secretaries in
crucial cabinet departments. Rich White, a former congressman and now chief
executive of TechNet says his contemporaries are all concerned with math and
science education and getting technology into the classroom. There is a
growing awareness that the technology industry could be affected by
government policies affecting the general economic climate - but little
agreement on what should be done in that sphere, he said. Nor is there a
consensus in the high-technology industry on antitrust and many other
issues, Mr. White said.
[SOURCE: New York Times (C4), AUTHOR: Barnaby J. Feder]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/22/technology/22SILI.html)
(requires registration)
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