MEDIA & SOCIETY
Supreme Court To Consider Digital Images (NYT)
FCC Released Notice On The Implementation Of Children's Internet
Protection Act (FCC)
Legislation Would Target Violent Games (USA)
EDTECH
New York School Web Site (NYT)
TELEPHONY
Florida Consumers Losing Out Over Failure of Local Phone Competition
(CFA)
BROADCASTING
Russian Gas Firm Claims TV Network (WP)
FCC
F.C.C.'s Powell Chooses Disney Exec as Chief of Staff (NYT)
MEDIA & SOCIETY
SUPREME COURT TO CONSIDER DIGITAL IMAGES
Issue: Media & Society
The United States Supreme Court has accepted for review a federal child
pornography law that has implications in the digital world. The question
the Supreme Court will be trying to address: May the government criminalize
computer-generated images of fictitious people engaged in imaginary acts?
According to legal thinkers, the question is an important one because it
comes at the dawn of an era of computer-created virtual environments. The
case comes to the Supreme Court by way of the United States Court of Appeals
for the Ninth Circuit, which struck down two parts of the most recent
amendments to the child pornography law. The United States Court of Appeals
for the Ninth Circuit rejected the government's main justification for a ban
on virtual child porn: that it whets the appetite of pedophiles and causes
them to victimize real children. That argument is hazardous, the court said,
because it "enables the criminalization of foul figments of creative
technology that do not involve any human victim in their creation or
presentation."
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Carl S. Kaplan]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/26/technology/26CYBERLAW.html)
(requires registration)
FCC RELEASED NOTICE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CHILDREN'S INTERNET PROTECTION
ACT
Issue: Internet
The Federal Communications Commission released a Further Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking, seeking comment on implementation of the Children's Internet
Protection Act, which requires schools and libraries to use Internet filters
to be eligible for E-rate funding. Comments are due to the FCC 15 days after
publication in Federal Register (Dkt No. CC-96-45), Released 1/23/01.
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/ccb/universal_service/)
LEGISLATION WOULD TARGET VIOLENT GAMES
Issue: Media & Society
A group of Senators said Thursday they will introduce a bill next month that
would punish companies that market violent games to children. They, however,
credited the industry for getting nearly all of its manufacturers to use a
voluntary rating system. "Practically everybody in the industry still
markets inappropriate games to kids, practically every retailer regularly
sells these games to kids, and practically all parents need to know more
about the rating system," said Senator Herb Kohl, D-Wis. at a news
conference. The National Institute on Media and the Family, which released
its fifth annual report card on video and computer games on Thursday, gave
retailers a near-failing grade for allowing children younger than 17 to buy
video games rated for older players.
[SOURCE: USA Today (online), AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/review/games/2001-01-25-violence.ht
m)
FLORIDA CONSUMERS LOSING OUT OVER FAILURE OF LOCAL PHONE COMPETITION
Issue: Telephony
According to a recent report by the Consumer Federation of America there is
little competition in the local telephone market five years after the
passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which was intended to open local
markets to competition.
[SOURCE: Consumer Federation of America]
(http://www.consumerfed.org/fl.telecom.0101.pdf)
BROADCASTING
RUSSIAN GAS FIRM CLAIMS TV NETWORK
Issue: Broadcasting
The state-controlled Gazprom energy monopoly claimed today to have taken
over Russia's main independent television network, NTV. Gazprom also
announced that it had begun appointing a new board of directors. The moves
could end seven years of Russian broadcasting free of government sway.
Alfred Kokh bluntly acknowledged Russian Presidents Vladmir Putin's
hands-on involvement. "Frankly speaking, I am sick of this talk about the
role of the Kremlin and I have to pretend that somehow the Kremlin has no
influence over it," he said. "It does." Kokh said Putin summoned him to his
country residence on Jan. 14 and told him: "Shares, debts, finances -- all
this is without doubt your prerogative. But journalists shall not be
touched. Management shall not be touched." Putin also reportedly guaranteed
"free speech," but, under the circumstances, the phrase has unclear meaning
and holds little comfort for NTV employees.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (A17), AUTHOR: Peter Baker]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46883-2001Jan25.html)
FCC
F.C.C.'S POWELL CHOOSES DISNEY EXEC AS CHIEF OF STAFF
Issue: FCC
New Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell on Thursday
named Walt Disney executive Marsha MacBride as the agency's new chief of
staff. MacBride served as a vice president in Disney's Washington office,
which was heavily involved in lobbying the FCC to place strict conditions
on the America Online-Time Warner combination which was concluded earlier
this month.
[SOURCE: New York Times (Online), AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-telecoms-fcc-dc.html)
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