UNIVERSAL SERVICE
Schools Get More Internet Money (NYT)
ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
Marketing by E-Mail: Sales Tool or Spam? (CyberTimes)
Marketers and Net Activists Reach Agreement on Spam (CyberTimes)
Microsoft and Barnes & Noble Join Forces (NTY)
INTERNET
AOL Seeks Boost Via Phone, TV (WP)
Conference Debates Successes And Failures of '98 Campaigns (CyberTimes)
TELEVISION
TV Hopes Millennium Captures Spirit of '76 (ChiTrib)
MINORITIES
Speech: Telecommunications for the Deaf (FCC)
Speech: Mastering Opportunity (FCC)
FCC
FCC Requests Nominations for Membership on the
Technological Advisory Council
INTERNATIONAL
Canada Shelves Bill On Magazine Ads Amid U.S. Opposition
ANTITRUST
Gates Escalates PR War Outside Court (WP)
=================
UNIVERSAL SERVICE
=================
SCHOOLS GET MORE INTERNET MONEY
Issue: E-Rate
Some more schools and libraries will finally get money from the federal
government to help fund their Internet connections. The Schools and
Libraries Corp. has chosen 3,300 institutions that will receive a average of
$22,000 in this second round of funding. Last month, 3,060 schools were
selected to receive funding in the first round of commitments. More that
30,000 schools and libraries have applied for financially support from the
federal program.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/12/biztech/articles/08schools-intern
et.html
See also:
$76M IN INTERNET FUNDS GIVEN
[SOURCE: Washington Post (Online), AUTHOR: Associated Press]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WAPO/19981207/V000721-120798-idx.html
===================
ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
===================
MARKETING BY E-MAIL: SALES TOOL OR SPAM?
Issue: Electronic Commerce
Used to be that the email marketing you received was some get-rich-scheme or
a promo for porno. As marketers question the effectiveness of banner ads,
however, they have started Plan B: enticing scheduled marketing or
promotional messages. The main difference is that this is "opt in" e-mail:
somehow the consumer has agreed to receive it. "Building a site is now in
many cases just a front for getting an e-mail list together," said Clifford
Kurtzman, president of Tenagra, a Houston based Internet marketing and
publishing agency. "In fact, for many, there's no need to update the site,
because e-mail will get your message across." According to ActivMedia
http://www.activmedia.com/, a Internet consulting firm, roughly half of
all e-commerce sites will use e-mail registration schemes by mid-1999.
Meanwhile, according to Jupiter Communications http://www.jup.com/, a
Internet research firm, of this year's 100 most successful sites (measured
by advertising revenue), 65 offer an e-mail newsletter option. "The low
economic barriers in sending e-mail, coupled with businesses' desire to get
closer to their customers, leads to everyone sending mail," said Marc
Johnson, Jupiter's senior analyst for online advertising.
[SOURCE: New York Times (CyberTimes), AUTHOR: Bob Tedeschi
tedeschi( at )nytimes.com]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/12/cyber/commerce/08commerce.html
MARKETERS AND NET ACTIVISTS REACH AGREEMENT ON SPAM
Issue: Electronic Commerce
A consensus may be emerging on how to regulate unsolicited, commercial
email. A meeting including the head of the Direct Marketing Association
(DMA) http://www.dma.com, representatives of the Coalition Against
Unsolicited Commercial Email (CAUCE) http://www.cauce.org and an executive
from Microsoft Corp.resulted in both "opt-in" and "opt-out" mechanisms for
accepting or declining to receive marketing messages. Anti-spam activists
have supported a system where a person would have to agree -- opt-in -- to
receive the email while marketers have supported a system by which people
would have to request to not get unsolicited email -- opt-out. Both sides
also pledged to support legislation which, at a minimum, would prohibits
false identification of the sender of commercial e-mail messages. And both
sides have agreed to work toward creation of a nonprofit global opt-out
list, supported by marketers and free to consumers, which would allow both
business entities and individuals to perform a one-time global choice to
reject receiving unsolicited commercial bulk e-mail. Deirdre Mulligan, a
lawyer for the Center for Democracy and Technology http://www.cdt.org who
at the request of the Federal Trade Commission http://www.ftc.org led a
yearlong working group that studied potential solutions to the spam debate,
said she was heartened by the announcement. "I think what this shows is that
when there is a table created and people step back from the rhetoric, that
there is a lot of agreement at least on how to start addressing the
problem," Mulligan said. "A year ago CAUCE and DMA couldn't agree on anything."
[SOURCE: New York Times (CyberTimes), AUTHOR: Jeri Clausing jeri( at )nytimes.com]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/12/cyber/articles/08spam.html
MICROSOFT AND BARNES & NOBLE JOIN FORCES
Issue: Internet
Who would have guessed that the hottest item on the Internet would be good
old fashion books? Well the people of Amazon.com had a hunch, and now other
booksellers are struggling to catch up with them. In an effort to stake out
their territory on the Net, Barnes&Noble has struck up an alliance with
Microsoft. Visitors to Microsoft's MSN site will automatically be linked to
barnesandnoble.com by clicking on the book category. Barnes & Noble's will
also be marketed on other Microsoft sites, such as Expedia and the Small
Business channel. While this deal will significantly expand Barnes & Noble's
reach, it is unclear to what degree it will hurt Amazon.com. "This isn't a
zero-sum game," says Ken Cassar, an analyst at Jupiter Communications, an
online market research firm in New York The market is growing so quickly
that Barnes & Noble's gain isn't necessarily Amazon's loss."
[SOURCE: New York Times (C6), AUTHOR: Amy Harmon]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/12/biztech/articles/08soft-barnes...
See also:
MICROSOFT TABS BARNES & NOBLE
[SOURCE: Washington Post (B1), AUTHOR: David Streifeld]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-12/08/107l-120898-idx.html
========
INTERNET
========
AOL SEEKS BOOST VIA PHONE, TV
Issue: Internet
In an ambitious plan to expand options for subscribers, America Online Inc.
is planning to provide high-speed phone access and access to the Internet
using the television screen rather than a computer. The television
connection is similar to Microsoft Corp.'s Web TV and will require a set-top
box to display AOL and Internet information. No launch date has been set.
The high-speed phone connection will be AOL's brand of digital subscriber
line (DSL) service. DSL can provide access speeds up to 250 times that of
regular telephone lines. AOL has been negotiating with Bell Atlantic Corp.
and other Bell companies since summer to arrange for the service.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (B1), AUTHOR: Paul Farhi & Mike Mills]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/washtech/daily/dec98/08/aol120898.htm
Conference Debates Successes And Failures of '98 Campaigns
Issue: Internet & Politics
Wow. Any bets on how many times we cover this story in '98? George
Washington University sponsored a Politics Online conference that gathered
more than 100 scholars, consultants, issue advocates and technologists to
debate the effectiveness of online campaigning. The consensus that emerged
is that during this year's election, the most successful online campaigns
mastered the Internet as a tool for organizing supporters and volunteers.
However, the medium did not shine as a way to persuade voters. "The audience
for Internet politics is small," said Mark Mellman, a prominent Washington
Democratic consultant. "The revolution may be coming, but it certainly
hasn't arrived yet." "The Internet is the final death knell to the idea that
a candidate can say one thing to one group of supporters and something else
to another group," said Pete DuPont, editor of the online journal
IntellectualCapital.com http://www.intellectualcapital.com/ and formerly
the Governor of Delaware. "I think it will make candidates more honest." See
the URL for the conference http://www.gspm.org/politicsonline/ and the
Democracy Network http://www.democracynet.org/.
[SOURCE: New York Times (CyberTimes), AUTHOR: Rebecca Fairley Raney
rfr( at )nytimes.com]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/12/cyber/articles/08politics.html
==========
TELEVISION
==========
TV Hopes Millennium Captures Spirit of '76
TV HOPES MILLENNIUM CAPTURES SPIRIT OF '76
Issue: Television Economics
Well, there's at least one network television executive who isn't
disheartened by poor ratings. David Poltrack, executive vice president of
planning and research at CBS believes the arrival of the 21st Century will
stimulate the market in 1999 and into 2000. That ad boost will be followed
by the 2000 Olympic Games and a presidential election which also
historically stimulate ad spending. Baby Boomers will be turning 50 and
marketers will be trying to turn their homes into "electronic playgrounds."
Total television advertising spending is expected to rise 7% this year, but
only 4% in 1999. Cable will see an increase of 13% this year and ad spending
is expected to rise 12% on cable next year.
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune (Sec3, p.1), AUTHOR: Tim Jones]
http://chicagotribune.com/textversion/article/0,1492,SAV-9812080309,00.html
==========
MINORITIES
==========
SPEECH: TELECOMMUNICATIONS FOR THE DEAF
Issue: Disabilities/Access
Chairman Kennard's Remarks before the Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc.
Gala, at Gallaudet University (Washington, DC): "When I was appointed
Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission one year ago, I pledged to
support the three Cs - competition, common sense and community. As I look at
all of you tonight, leaders in telecommunications access, people of
all colors, creeds, abilities -- even languages -- I think that it is
appropriate that we talk about community....I do have expectations for
accessibility and the future. The telecommunications industry is in the
midst of a great revolution. It is a revolution that promises to allow us to
communicate anytime, anyplace, in any mode -- voice, data, image, video, and
multimedia. It includes using intelligent, programmable wireline and
wireless networks and associated end user equipment. One can envision two
possible outcomes from such a revolution. On the one hand, properly
harnessed, these networks and devices create a potent platform upon which to
serve the needs of all of our citizens, including those with disabilities.
They create new and expanded opportunities for accessibility and
inclusiveness. On the other hand, if these powerful new platforms are not
designed, developed and fabricated to be accessible to -- and usable by --
individuals with disabilities, then, as they evolve, people with
disabilities will become isolated rather than empowered."
[SOURCE: FCC]
http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Kennard/spwek836.html
SPEECH: MASTERING OPPORTUNITY
Issue: Minorities
Chairman Kennard's Remarks "Mastering Opportunity" at the National Black
Media Coalition's Master Communicators Awards Luncheon: "....But we know
that the images portrayed so predominantly in the media do not reflect
reality. After all, most Americans, regardless of race, aspire to the same
ideals. They want decent, good-paying jobs, a sound education for their
children, safe communities, and an opportunity to live the American dream.
Media images that distort this basic reality, particularly when they
reinforce negative racial and ethnic stereotypes, do not serve the public
and are offensive to all of us. The broadcast industry is a better industry
today than it was 25 years ago because of the work of NBMC and many others
who have fought to create more opportunity for women and minorities. The
ranks of broadcast owners, managers and
executives have increased -- though not nearly enough to represent
adequately the rich diversity of this great nation...."
[SOURCE: FCC]
http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Kennard/spwek835.html
===
FCC
===
FCC REQUESTS NOMINATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP ON THE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVISORY COUNCIL
Issue: FCC
At the Federal Communications Bar Association and Georgetown University Law
Center Seminar "The New FCC: Agenda for the Future," Chairman William E.
Kennard announced the Commission's intention to form a Technological
Advisory Council. Rapid advances in technology have resulted in innovations
in how telecommunications services are provided to, and are accessed by,
users of those services. Many such developments have increased the rate of
convergence among categories of services traditionally viewed as distinct.
The FCC must stay abreast of new developments in technology to effectively
fulfill its responsibilities under the Communications Act. The Technological
Advisory Committee is being designed as a means by which a diverse array of
recognized technical experts selected from a variety of interests such as
industry, academia, government, citizens groups, etc., can provide advice to
the FCC on innovation in the communications industry. The Commission will
accept nominations for the Council through December 18, 1998. Individuals
may apply for, or nominate another individual for, membership on the
Council. Nominations and applications should be sent to Steve Kaminer,
Office of Engineering and Technology, Federal Communications Commission,
Washington, D.C. 20554. For further information, contact Steve Kaminer at
skaminer( at )fcc.gov or 202-418-2924.
[SOURCE: FCC]
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Public_Notices/1998/pnet8
024.html
=======================
MAGAZINES/INTERNATIONAL
=======================
CANADA SHELVES BILL ON MAGAZINE ADS AMID U.S. OPPOSITION
Issue: Magazines/International
A bill that would prohibit foreign magazine publishers from selling ads that
primarily target Canadian audiences has been shelved by the Canadian
government until at least next year. The legislation -- intended to preserve
Canadian advertising dollars for Canadian magazine publishers - provoked
threats of trade sanctions from the U.S. government. Canadian Prime
Minister Jean Chretien, worried about U.S. trade retaliation, is
apprehensive to move forward with the bill.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B8), AUTHOR: Wall Street Journal Staff Reporter]
http://www.wsj.com/
=========
ANTITRUST
=========
GATES ESCALATES PR WAR OUTSIDE COURT (WP)
Issue: Antitrust
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates told a group of reporters in Washington, D.C.
yesterday that the lead attorney in the government's antitrust trial against
his company is "really out to destroy Microsoft." In the news conference,
Gates appearing via satellite said Boies is "really out to take all the good
work we've done and make us look very bad." He told reporters he could have
appeared more telegenic during his deposition but that he did not believe it
would be played in court. He called many of the questions posed to him in
the deposition "strange" and defended his questioning of the meaning of such
words as "concerned" and "ask." Gates and Microsoft attorneys pointed out a
fracture in the government's ranks with the state of South Carolina's
decision to withdraw from the lawsuit. The South Carolina Attorney General
said the America Online and Netscape Communications merger "proves the
forces of competition are working." Also yesterday Microsoft asked the
federal judge for permission to subpeona documents about the merger
transaction from the two firms and Sun Microsystems. [David Farber, a
technical witness called by the government, will be cross-examined today by
Microsoft attorneys.]
[SOURCE: Washington Post (B1), AUTHOR: Rajiv Chandrasekaran]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/washtech/gates120898.htm
Gates Criticizes Government's Lawyers for Tone of His Deposition
[SOURCE: New York Times (C1), AUTHOR: Joel Brinkley]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/12/biztech/articles/08soft.html
Microsoft Claim Challenged
[SOURCE: Washington Post (B3), AUTHOR: Rajiv Chandrasekaran]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-12/08/121l-120898-idx.html
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