INTERNET
Head of Internet Board Defends Selection of Domain Names (NYT)
Patently Ridiculous Claims (WP)
Broken Undersea Cable Snaps Web Access to Millions in China (NYT)
DIVERSITY
Microsoft to Pitch Technology to Minority Businesses (NYT)
TELEPHONY
In-State Calls Cost More Than Coast-To-Coast (USA)
MERGER
FTC Close to Naming AOL Trustee (WP)
INTERNET
HEAD OF INTERNET BOARD DEFENDS SELECTION OF DOMAIN NAMES
Issue: Internet
The head of the board that oversees the Internet's addressing system
appeared before a Congressional panel yesterday to defend the process the
board used to select new suffixes to compete with the popular .com. Vinton
G. Cerf, the chairman of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers, or Icann, said that the selection of new suffixes last fall was
essentially an "experiment." The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on
telecommunications and the Internet convened hearings to consider whether
the board was overstepping its mission. Representative Fred Upton,
Republican of Michigan and chairman of the panel, said there were
"legitimate questions" on the "fairness of the application and selection
process."
[SOURCE: New York Times (C5)]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/09/technology/09ICAN.html)
(requires registration)
See Also:
CONGRESS SCRUTINIZES SELECTION OF NEW INTERNET DOMAIN NAMES
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (Interactive), AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB98166703692963456.htm)
PATENTLY RIDICULOUS CLAMS
Issue: Intellectual Property
Last June, when British Telecom announced that it had uncovered a 1976
patent application for hyperlinking and that it planned to seek licensing
fees from U.S. Internet providers, much of the world balked. But putting
aside for a moment questions as to who really did invent the Web and
hyperlinking, there's more to this. Fundamentally, the questions swirling
around the British Telecom patent also go to the nature of intellectual
property rights and, at least in America, their purpose: promoting
innovation. On the one hand open platforms have allowed the Web to grow, on
the other hand patents are meant to protect (for a time) the inventor, and
to promote innovation -- even if there are licensing fees involved. But
royalties could stifle use of a technology, right? So is there something
wrong with the concept of the patent? Not according to Esther Kepplinger of
the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. According to Kepplinger, "The patents
that are out there [are] fueling the creations of other people" -- that is,
people who can't copy an invention have to invent better alternatives to it.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E01), AUTHOR: Rob Pegoraro]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47281-2001Feb8.html)
BROKEN UNDERSEA CABLE SNAPS WEB ACCESS TO MILLIONS IN CHINA
Issue: Internet
Millions of people across China were unable to access much of the Internet
on Friday after an undersea cable was severed. It could take three weeks to
make repairs to cable, according to an official at China Telecom. Although
many domestic addresses were accessible, many Chinese Web users were unable
to visit overseas sites. The break in the cable linking Shanghai to the west
coast of the United States apparently sent reverberations throughout the
Asia-Pacific region, with Hong Kong and Singapore reporting reduced online
speeds. China has several undersea cables connecting its data networks to
the rest of the world, but the Shanghai-U.S. line carried the most traffic.
[SOURCE: New York Times (Online), AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/world/tech-china.html)
(requires registration)
DIVERSITY
MICROSOFT TO PITCH TECHNOLOGY TO MINORITY BUSINESSES
Issue: Diversity
Thursday, Microsoft kicked off a program aimed at training minority
entrepreneurs to use software and build a Web sites for their businesses.
The software giant will hold 85 free workshops in 14 cities from Los Angeles
to Philadelphia. "This is a serious marketing effort. We take this project
very seriously in terms of valuing these customers as potential revenue,"
said Maureen Crommie, a corporate account manager who is directing the
workshops. "It is not a goodwill effort, it's a serious effort to
communicate the benefits of technology." Only 2 percent of African-American
and Hispanic businesses used the Internet as a business tool.
[SOURCE: New York Times (Online), AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-microsoft-minori.html)
(requires registration)
TELEPHONY
IN-STATE CALLS COST MORE THAN COAST-TO-COAST
Issue: Telephony
While state to-state calling prices dropped 13.2% since 1996, in-state
long-distance prices rose 1.9%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics'
consumer price index. Local phone companies say higher in-state rates
subsidize basic phone service, keeping it affordable for millions of people.
If intrastate access charges are reduced, local phone companies say,
consumers will pay the price, most likely in higher charges for other
services. "To keep residential service low, other services are priced above
cost," Qwest's Steve Hammack says.
[SOURCE: USAToday (1B), AUTHOR: Andrew Backover]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010209/3056811s.htm)
MERGER
FTC CLOSE TO NAMING AOL TRUSTEE
Issue: Merger
The FTC is close to formally naming Dale N. Hatfield as a special federal
trustee overseeing the AOL/Time Warner merger. Hatfield was a member of the
FCC's task force that oversaw the agency's approval of the deal. As trustee,
Hatfield would be responsible for ensuring the merged company complied with
the terms of the merger. Public interest advocates have supported Hatfield's
appointment as FTC monitor.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E02), AUTHOR: Christopher Stern]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47259-2001Feb8.html)
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