INTERNET
New Study Seeks to Profile Hispanic Web Users in U.S. (WSJ)
Predictions for the Top Tech Issues in Schools (CyberTimes)
Net2Phone, Panasonic To Offer Web Telephone (WSJ)
MERGERS
Bell Atlantic, GTE Propose Spinoff Of Unit to Address
Merger Concerns (WSJ)
INTERNET
NEW STUDY SEEKS TO PROFILE HISPANIC WEB USERS IN U.S.
Issue: E-Commerce
A new study commissioned by Boston-based Espanol.com (www.espanol.com) and
conducted by Research and Research of San Juan, Puerto Rico offers a view
into the online habits of Hispanic consumers in the U.S. The U.S. Hispanic
Internet Usage Study attempted to create a profile of the average U.S.
Hispanic online shopper. The study found that the average Hispanic shopper
online is 32, with and income of $51,600. The study also revealed that of
the Hispanics who use the Internet, 76% have purchased something online.
"It's confirmed what we've always suspected, which is that there's a huge
community of Latino users who have Internet access that are buying and who
want Latino-related products," said Kyle McNamara, chief executive officer
and founder of Espanol.com. Bruno Haring, president of Research and Research
said there are 15 million Latino Internet users worldwide, 5 million of
which are in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (Interactive Edition), AUTHOR: Cate Corcoran]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB94703714885139233.htm)
PREDICTIONS FOR THE TOP TECH ISSUES IN SCHOOLS
Issue: EdTech
What do you envision will be the two or three most interesting or important
developments in education and technology in the year 2000? Here are the
replies to this question from a few education experts; see more at the URL
below. B. Keith Fulton, director of technology programs and policy, the
National Urban League: Our nation is spending five to six billion dollars a
year in education and instructional technology. It's critical that policy
makers are able to point to the payoff on these investments. Expanded
ed-tech research and evaluation will be the key. Linda Roberts, director,
Office of Educational Technology, United States Department of Education: I
would hope to see a change in the way states certify teachers [so as to]
require, as a matter of course, technology proficiency. . . . The revolution
in smaller lower-cost devices is going to change the way people think about
the use of information technology in learning. We will see more investment
in devices like laptops and Palm Pilots. Keith R. Krueger, executive
director, Consortium for School Networking: [A]s a nation, and perhaps
internationally, we will begin to look at the so-called "digital divide" --
the fear that our poorest children and families are being left behind in our
emerging information society. Jean Armour Polly, Net-mom and author of the
Internet Kids & Family Yellow Pages: I think we'll see pay-per-view online
tutorials aimed at kids, and live homework help via one-on-one chat spaces.
[SOURCE: CyberTimes, AUTHOR: Pamela Mendels (mendels( at )nytimes.com)]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/01/cyber/education/05education.html)
NET2PHONE, PANASONIC TO OFFER WEB TELEPHONE
Issue: Telephony/Internet
Internet phone company Net2Phone and Panasonic Consumer Electronics are
planning to launch a line of telephones that feature a special button to
connect to low-cost Internet phone networks. Previously, customers who
wanted to use the Internet telephone services offered by companies such as
Net2Phone had to be registered online and then dial special access numbers.
The agreement with Panasonic calls for a new line of "One Touch" cordless
phones that allow consumers to choose between their regular long distance
service and Net2Phone by pressing an Internet button on the phone. The calls
will be routed using Net2Phone's Internet backbone and technology.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B6), AUTHOR: Rebecca Blumenstein]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB947031610940670024.htm)
MERGERS
BELL ATLANTIC, GTE PROPOSE SPINOFF OF UNIT TO ADDRESS MERGER CONCERNS
Issue: Mergers
In a new filing with the Federal Communications Commission, Bell Atlantic
and GTE have proposed spinning off GTE's Internet-backbone operation as a
separate, publicly traded company. The move is seen as a way to address
regulators' fears about the proposed merger -- valued at $70 billion -- of
the two telecommunications companies. BA and GTE would own 10% of the
spinoff company and be allowed to own as much as 80% within 5 years after
the closing of the merger. An FCC official said the agency continues to have
concerns about how much control Bell Atlantic would have in the proposed
backbone company. GTE purchased the backbone in 1997 for $616 million. MCI
sold its Internet backbone in 1998 for more than $1.6 billion in order to
complete its merger with WorldCom.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (A3), AUTHOR: Stephanie Mehta
(stephanie.mehta( at )wsj.com)]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB947042390970383638.htm)
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