DIGITAL DIVIDE
Digital Divide Policy Unplugged: Where Do We Go From Here?
CompuMentor Helps Non-Profits Get Wired
OWNERSHIP
F.C.C. Rules on Ownership Under Review
Leo Kirch's Efforts at Media Survival May Put Murdoch in German
Picture
INTELLECUAL PROPERTY
Judge Won't Dismiss Digital Copyright Suit
DIGITAL DIVIDE
DIGITAL DIVIDE POLICY UNPLUGGED: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
[Op-Ed] According to Benton Foundation Senior Associate, Norris Dickard, the
elimination of two critical digital opportunity programs from the 2003
budget, signals the Bush administration's retreat from the national fight to
bridge the digital divide. The administration has proposed cutting both the
U.S. Department of Education's Community Technology Centers (CTC) program
and the U.S. Department of Commerce's Technology Opportunities Program
(TOP). "The unequivocal message of the president's fiscal year 2003 budget
is that the digital divide is no longer a national priority," writes
Dickard. He says that the need for "smart, strategic, public-private
partnerships to bridge the digital divide is more important than ever."
[SOURCE: Eschool News, AUTHOR: Norris Dickard (Senior Associate, Benton
Foundation)]
(http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=3635)
COMPUMENTOR HELPS NON-PROFITS GET WIRED
CompuMentor, a nonprofit created 15 years ago to bring together tech
volunteers and charities has since grown to 54 employees, a $5 million
budget, and status as a leading national technology broker for non-profits.
The San Francisco organization's services include face-to-face consulting
and TechSoup.org, an online resource portal filled with technology advice,
resource lists and articles. CompuMentor's newest endeavor is DiscounTech,
an online store offering computers and software to non-profits at 10 percent
of the products' retail value. Microsoft, CompuMentor's largest corporate
supporter, will be donating $25 million of software in fiscal year 2002 to
be offered through the store. CompuMentor executive director Phil
Ferrante-Roseberry said, "Non-profits are desperately in need of technology
but they can't afford it...Tech companies see their philanthropic
opportunities as donating products. Its what they do, its what they know,
and frankly, it's cheaper for them than giving cash."
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: John Boudreau]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/2986805.htm)
OWNERSHIP
F.C.C. RULES ON OWNERSHIP UNDER REVIEW
Yesterday, a federal court in Washington ordered the Federal Communications
Commission to reconsider its rule that, in practice, prevents a single
company from owning more than one television station in a small or
medium-size market. Media experts said that the ruling could allow
additional acquisition of local television stations by media giants
including the News Corporation and Viacom, as well as by smaller
station-owning companies like the Sinclair Broadcast Group, which filed the
lawsuit that led to yesterday's decision. Even as the court has sent many
rules back to the F.C.C. for reconsideration, the commission has not
appeared especially eager to preserve them Michael K. Powell, chairman of
the F.C.C., has spoken out against curbs on media consolidation. In a
statement, David Smith, the president of Sinclair, expressed the sentiment
of many other media executives. "The court's decision validates what we have
been saying all along," he said, "that the rules governing television
ownership are outdated, without basis, and anticompetitive in today's media
environment." The ruling drew criticism from consumer advocates. "We're very
concerned about it because this opens the door to one broadcast company
owning multiple local stations and possibly owning the dominant newspaper
and the cable company, given the entire series of court rulings overturning
ownership limits," said Gene Kimmelman, director of the Washington office of
Consumers Union.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Seth Schiesel]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/03/business/media/03VOIC.html)
(requires registration)
See Also:
MAP ISSUES STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO DC CIRCUIT DECISION
[SOURCE: Media Access Project]
(http://www.mediaaccess.org/press/sinclair4202.pdf)
LEO KIRCH'S EFFORTS AT MEDIA SURVIVIAL MAY PUT MURDOCH IN GERMAN PICTURE
Leo Kirch, the primary shareholder of Kirch Group, is negotiating with
creditor banks and shareholders led by News Corp. to pull his company out of
at least $6.5 billion in debt. If the deal were completed, it would be the
first time a foreign company has controlled a major broadcaster in the
world's second-largest media market. Many Germans including regional
politicians and top executives has expressed concern over the deal for fear
an international media company would bring cutthroat competition and tabloid
journalism to the television market. Monika Griefhan, head of the
parliamentary committee for media and culture has warned that Germany must
not "slide into a media dictatorship," and has requested the government buy
a minority stake in Kirch Group to have veto power over board decisions.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Matthew Karnitschnig (Associated
Press)]
(http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1017777498978779960,00.html?mod=europe%5
Fbusiness%5Ffeatured%5Farticles)
INTELLECUAL PROPERTY
JUDGE WON'T DISMISS DIGITAL COPYRIGHT SUIT
A federal court refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed against ElcomSoft, a
Russian company accused of violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
(DMCA). The company has been accused of violating the law by selling
software allowing users to copy and transfer Adobe eBooks to computers to be
read out loud. ElcomSoft's lawyer argued that since the sales occurred
online it was outside of the U.S. court's jurisdiction. In his ruling last
Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Ronald White stated that there was
sufficient activity in the U.S., "The conduct which underlies the indictment
includes ElcomSoft's offering its AEBPR program for sale over the Internet,
from a computer server physically located in the United States." Civil
rights advocates and software programmers who believe the DMCA provides
copyright owners excessive protections limiting legitimate consumer use have
closely watched this case.
[SOURCE: USA Today, AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2002/04/02/russian-programmer.htm)
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