BROADCAST
Nonstate TV in Russia Wins License to Broadcast
INTERNET
Web Privacy Gains Found in Survey
Program Puts Free Internet in D.C. Schools
Web Growth Slows, But Time Online Rises
SPECTRUM
FCC to Refund Spectrum Payments
BROADCASTING
NONSTATE TV IN RUSSIA WINS LICENSE TO BROADCAST
A group of Russian journalists that were pushed off the airwaves in January
by bankruptcy scored a victory today when they won the right to continue
broadcasting on national television. A government commission voted
unanimously to award a five-year broadcasting license to Media-Sotsium, a
nonprofit organization that includes a former Russian prime minister,
business magnates and some of this country's most critical journalists. The
journalists have been left jobless twice in the last year, bullied out of
business by companies backed by the Kremlin. Many saw today's auction as
their last chance to make an independent nationwide network. Some of the
journalists' supporters, however, remained skeptical, saying that the
journalists appear to have little control over how the station will be run.
But journalists claim that they have recently reached an agreement that
would give them more say over the editorial policy and management. "At first
it was terrible," said Alim Yusupov, one of the journalists, referring to
the distribution of powers. "But now there's a system of checks and
balances, both politically and financially."
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Sabrina Tavernise]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/28/international/europe/28RUSS.html)
(requires registration)
INTERNET
WEB PRIVACY GAINS FOUND IN SURVEY
The Progress & Freedom Foundation and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
have released a study examining online privacy practices. The study found
evidence that companies are addressing privacy issues and providing
consumers with opportunities to control how their information is used.
Progress & Freedom Foundation President Jeffrey A. Eisenach, co-author of
the report, said, "The changes we identified are evolutionary, not
revolutionary, but from a consumer perspective, they are all in the right
direction." Some consumer advocates, while welcoming the study, have pointed
out inconsistencies in online privacy protections. Fewer than half of the
randomly selected Web sites surveyed offer computer users choice and notice
about how personal information would be used. Staff counsel Paula Bruening
of the Center for Democracy & Technology has said, "Consumers need to be
able to go online and have a consistent expectation that the privacy of
their information will be respected." FTC Chairman Timothy J. Muris has
stated that the study "showed improvement" in the efforts of online business
to protect consumer information.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Robert O'Harrow Jr.]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/15891-1.html)
PROGRAM PUTS FREE INTERNET IN D.C. SCHOOLS
More than 160 D.C. public schools and libraries will soon be equipped with
free high-speed Internet service. Comcast Communications Inc. is spending
more than $2 million on the initiative. Comcast currently provides free
Internet access to more than 400 schools and libraries in Baltimore. "I can
think of no better way to express our commitment to the District of Columbia
than to provide the best service possible to our educational team," said
Donna Rattley, vice president and general manager of Comcast in Washington.
FCC member Michael J. Copps said the company's commitment to public
education is an example he hopes other private corporations will follow.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Ellen McCarthy]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/netarch/15892-1.html)
WEB GROWTH SLOWS, BUT TIME ONLINE RISES
A new report from Nielsen//NetRatings was released on Wednesday revealing
that while U.S. Internet growth is slowing, users are staying online longer.
Net analyst T.S. Kelly of Nielsen//NetRatings said, "Those who want to have
access pretty much have it." In 2001 growth in users who log on once a month
dropped to 6%. Other statistics showed that while 55% of U.S. households are
wired, only 37% of the population uses the Internet in any given month.
Fifty percent of all hours spent online are used by those with access to
high-speed connections. In 2001 more than 457 million people worldwide had
home Internet access and the number of active Internet global users reached
254 million.
[SOURCE: USA Today, AUTHOR: Leslie Miller]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20020328/3977470s.htm)
SPECTRUM
FCC TO REFUND SPECTRUM PAYMENTS
In a statement released yesterday, the FCC announced that it would refund
most of the $3.2 billion in down payments made by 22 telecommunications
companies that won an auction for spectrum licenses last year. The ownership
of the spectrum auctioned remains in legal dispute. When NextWave Telecom
Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection in 1998, the FCC claimed it had the
right to resell the airwaves that NextWave had purchased but not paid for.
However, an appeals court found the FCC in violation of bankruptcy codes and
forbade the FCC from canceling licenses held by NextWave. Verizon Wireless,
one of the companies participating in last year's resale, says the return is
a "step in the right direction," but continues to argue that the results of
last year's auction should be thrown out and that compensation for lost
interest should be provided.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Christopher Stern]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/15895-1.html)
See also:
FCC ANNOUNCES IT WILL REFUND A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF CERTAIN AUCTION #35
DOWN PAYMENTS
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Wireless/News_Releases/2002/nrwl0205.html)
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