Communications-related Headlines for 3/31/99

CABLE
Cable Controls to End (SJ Merc)
Narrow Casting (ChiTrib)

INTERNET
McCain To Offer Internet Bill (SJ Merc)
'Melissa' Reveals Growing Vulnerability (WP)
'Net Ratings War Explodes (B&C)
NPR, Minnesota Link To Create Network For Station Web Sites (Current)
Discussion Areas On New Sites Aren't Just For Rants (Cybertimes)
Electronic Fine Print Is Limiting Internet Charity (NYT)
Intel Quietly Launches Online Art Venture(CyberTimes)

INTERNATIONAL
AT&T, British Telecom Win Approval In Europe For
Global Phone Operation (WSJ)
Entrepreneurs Try to Bridge China's Internet Gap (SJ Merc)

CABLE

CABLE CONTROLS TO END
Issue: Cable
[Healey's lead is worth repeating] "Federal price controls on cable TV will
expire on April Fool's Day, a fitting time to end what some consumer
advocates consider a long-running joke." Cable rates have risen steadily
despite the price controls. Consumers now have two main hopes: that
alternatives to their local cable company will emerge or that cable
operators will find ways to increase their revenue besides jacking up
prices. Congress is set to allow satellite TV providers to include local
channels that should provide further competition to cable. And cable
companies are moving into new services that can provide new revenue streams.
But cable companies are paying more for programming and can pass those costs
to consumers. Also, they will be able to move some programming out of the
"expanded basic" tier into other premium packages.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: John Healey]
(http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/indepth/docs/cable033199.htm)

NARROW CASTING
Issue: Cable
In "on Television" column, Johnson looks at some of the cable channels that
are in development. We'll take the Will Rogers approach...the CEO Channel
will target "the world's corporate leaders." The Baby Channel (suggested
motto: New Parents' Headquarters for Still More Conflicting Advice, Johnson
writes). Chop TV tries to go hand-to-hand with The Martial Arts Action
Network. GETv Program Network -- no, it's not about your appliances, it's
"gaming entertainment industry." The Recovery Channel will provide
"information, interaction and support" in the homes of those with
"addictions and other behavioral health problems." The Love Network will
offer fare on "positive relationships, self-esteem and self-improvement."
The Enrichment Channel plans "offerings in self-help, personal growth,
practical spirituality, motivation and healing." Others in the works include
The Football Network, Anthropology Programming and Entertainment, the
Anti-Aging Network, Senior Citizens Television Network, American Legal
Network, Conservative Television Network, the Local News Network (with half
hour newscasts from around the country), the Premier Horse Network, and the
Puppy Channel -- "Television programming consists of video of 'puppies being
puppies,' accompanied by relaxing instrumental music, no talk, virtually no
people. A 'quiet time' alternative for families."
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune (Sec 5, p.3), AUTHOR: Steve Johnson]
(http://chicagotribune.com/textversion/article/0,1492,SAV-9903310367,00.html)

INTERNET

MCCAIN TO OFFER INTERNET BILL
Issue: Legislation/Internet
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) promised Tuesday to introduce legislation in April
that would bar the Federal Communications Commission from adopting any rule
changes increasing consumers' charges to tap into the Internet. FCC Chairman
Bill Kennard has said the agency has no intention of either regulating the
Internet or doing anything that would lead to higher charges for Internet
users. Sen. McCain's bill would also make sure that local telephone
companies have incentives to offer high-speed connections to the Internet
and prohibits the FCC from forcing telephone companies to sell the services
to other companies.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/breaking/ap/docs/291186l.htm)

'MELISSA' REVEALS GROWING VULNERABILITY
Issue: Security
The rapid spread of the "Melissa" virus this week illustrates how vulnerable
interconnected networks of computers have become in the digital age. A
decade ago a new virus was a novelty that computer detectives such as Steve
White of IBM had weeks or longer to work on. Today, White said, "there's
something like eight to 10 new viruses a day" and they are spreading at the
speed of light across the Internet. The latest incarnations of viruses use
"macros" embedded into popular software programs such as Microsoft Word or
Excel. The prevalence of viruses, the ubiquity of the Internet and the
widespread adoption of e-mail in the business world is taxing the defenses
of corporate technology managers. TW Scott of Northrop Grumman said his
staff has been working around the clock since Friday, first disabling the
corporation's external e-mail system and then performing a number of checks
and fixes. [For more information the Washington Post recommends
(http://www.cert.org/advisories/CA-99-04-Melissa-Macro-Virus.html), a site
with info from the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) at Carnegie
Mellon University, which tracks hacker activity.]
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E1), AUTHOR: Tim Smart]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/daily/march99/melissa31.htm)

'NET RATINGS WAR EXPLODES
Issue: Internet/Ratings
Neilsen Media has begun to battle it out with Media Matrix over the Internet
ratings. Neilsen, along with NetRatings, has begun to publish monthly and
weekly reports of the top visited Internet sites. Media Matrix, which has
tracked Net audiences for the past three years, has a sample base of 40,000
PC users and can track 15,000 sites. While Neilsen and NetRatings only have
a 9,000- user sample, they do offer some advantages to clients. They can
give overnight information and provide data on click-though rates from
banner ads.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable (p.58), AUTHOR: Richard Tedesco]
(http://www.broadcastingcable.com)

NPR, MINNESOTA LINK TO CREATE NETWORK FOR STATION WEB SITES
Issue: Radio
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and National Public Radio have announced plans to
partner in creating a new Web site. Last November, when Minnesota announced
plans
for web offerings, staff wondered where the content would come from. Vinnie
Curran of WXPN-Philadelphia says that "National Public Radio has the
programming and Minnesota Public Radio has the direct marketing experience to
make something that really has a lot of power." The site is to include news,
chat rooms and e-commerce. The site will only solicit user information for
specific, advertised purposes. MPR's Kling say's he's interested in creating
online communities of well-informed listeners. The NPR-Minnesota deal will
capitalize on NPR's production strength and Minnesota's business sense.
[SOURCE: Current (p.1), AUTHOR: Jacqueline Conciatore]
(www.current.org)

DISCUSSION AREAS ON NEW SITES AREN'T JUST FOR RANTS
Issue: Internet/community networks
Napoli spoke with users and managers of online chat rooms and reports on how
they are reshaping news production and reception. A key difference between the
letter to the editor and a new version -- bulletin boards and chat rooms -- is
that readers can talk to each other, instead of just to the editor. Managers
say that dialogues can far outlast the headlines that sparked the discussion.
Many chat sites surged during the Monica Lewinsky affair last year. During the
Henry Hyde controversy, one user started a discussion on the digital magazine
Salon, and said: "Online debates are a different sort of way to find out what
something means to you." Elizabeth Williams, manager of Salon's chat room,
Table Talk, says fears that the unscreened nature of online discussions, as
opposed to call-in radio or television shows, lead to "loose cannons" are
exaggerated. Cliff Figallo, author of "Hosting Web Communities" and director of
Table Talk says it is the site host's responsibility to frame and focus the
discussion. He provides his take on a quality discussion site: "how loyal
people are, the breadth of the conversations." Colby Devitt who manages the
Forums section of New York Times on the Web says there is no absolute way to do
it and a lot of experimentation is going on. The amount of time people spend at
discussion sites is attracting advertisers and corporate interests. Microsoft
is looking into the issue by hiring a sociologist to study how online
communities are formed and functioned. For many online news sites, providing a
framework for discussion is becoming a standard. Although the news site
managers are framing the discussion, a spokesperson for CNN.com says what the
online community brings is "integral to the way the story is told."
[SOURCE: CyberTimes, AUTHOR: Lisa Napoli]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/03/cyber/articles/31forum.html)

ELECTRONIC FINE PRINT IS LIMITING INTERNET CHARITY
Issue: Philanthropy
Americans are not just interested in making material purchases online, they
are also eager to use the Internet to give to their favorite causes. Several
new Web sites - all offering to donate a portion of every purchase to the
charity of your choice -- have sprung up in the past year. While this new
medium holds great potential for charity outreach, there is evidence that
money from these sites might never get to the intended groups. The
e-commerce/charity sites that have sprung up in recent months are all
for-profit businesses, few of which are registered with any state
regulators. One of the main barriers to organizations receiving money is
that most sites require a $10 minimum be donated to each charity before a
check is cut. For one site, Igive, this means that less than half of
the charities named by consumers qualify to receive any funds.
[SOURCE: New York Times (A1), AUTHOR: Reed Abelson]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/03/biztech/articles/31charity.html)

INTEL QUIETLY LAUNCHES ONLINE ART VENTURE
Issue: Art
Intel has launched an online art venture called ArtMuseum.net. Currently,
"Van Gogh's Van Goghs: Masterpieces from the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam" can
be toured on site. According to Ciaran Doyle, director of Intel productions,
ArtMuseum.net "is intended to feature blockbuster art and make it available
to the world at large." Intel, of course, also hopes to benefit from the new
site. The company plans to lure in a demographically desirable audience with
"blockbuster art," and then pitch computers and microprocessors to them.
"This has ominous implications for the art world," said Jamie McKenzie, the
editor of From Now On: The Educational Technology Journal. "It is one thing
to see corporate philanthropy supporting the work of real museum
professionals, quite another to see paintings appear with 'Intel
Inside'....We must be alert to the Disney-fication of information of art."
[SOURCE: CyberTimes, AUTHOR: Matthew Mirapaul]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/03/cyber/articles/31art.html)

INTERNATIONAL

AT&T, BRITISH TELECOM WIN APPROVAL IN EUROPE FOR GLOBAL PHONE OPERATION
Issue: International/Mergers
European regulators have cleared the path for AT&T and British
Telecommunications to embark on a joint venture. The deal would include
offering data and phone service to multi national customers. To meet conditions
of European regulators, AT&T offered to sell its UK operations. The deal still
requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission and the US Justice
department. The European investigation focused on the UK market, and concluded
that, "while companies [British Telecommunications and AT&T] together hold as
much as 50% of the market for global corporate phone services, there are plenty
of competitors, including MCI Worldcom and the Global One alliance and Equant
NV," Nalk and Wolf report.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B6), AUTHOR: Nalk and Wolf]
(http://wsj.com/)
See also:
Attached press releases from European Commission

ENTREPRENEURS TRY TO BRIDGE CHINA'S INTERNET GAP
Issue: Internet/International
Imagine if you will, couch potatoes in China watching WebTV. Lawrence Cheung
is trying to bring the Internet to China with Shanghai WebTV, a company that
is creating Chinese Web sites for Internet novices to surf using only a TV
set, a joystick and a button. Cheung's firm is one of many companies --
small startups and established giants like Microsoft -- that are trying to
eliminate technical, language and political barriers and grab a share of the
Chinese Internet market. The Chinese government is wary of the political
potential for dissent and blocks pornographic and politically dangerous
sites. The government also fears intrusion in the country's information
industry by foreign competitors. Current Chinese users complain about high
access fees and poor service from the service providers. Nevertheless the
Internet is growing here. Jim Jarrett, president of Intel's China Division,
said, "If this trend continues, it's very likely that China will be the
second-largest market in the world in a few years."
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/breaking/merc/docs/008307.htm)

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