EDTECH
Some Push Hard To Get Software; Area School Computer Access Varies
(WP)
PRIVACY
3 Web Firms To Pay Fines For Collecting Data On Children (WP)
TELEPHONY
FCC Ruling Settles Internet Phone Fight (WP)
Ericsson to Slash 12,000 More Jobs (USA)
EDTECH
SOME PUSH HARD TO GET SOFTWARE; AREA SCHOOL COMPUTER ACCESS VARIES
Issue: EdTech
A Washington Post survey of area school districts found that a large digital
divide exists -- even among schools in the same district, where some schools
have a ratio of two students for one computer and other schools labor under
a ratio as big as 11 to 1. Across the nation, most school districts strive
for an average of five to seven students per computer -- the recommendation
from the U.S. Department of Education. Educators across the region and
nationwide give many reasons for the disparity in technology in the
classroom. Schools in the most affluent neighborhoods don't always have the
most computers, according to the Post's survey. Several D.C. schools scored
high on the survey of computers when compared with their counterparts in
suburban Maryland and Virginia. That's because low-income schools can
benefit from Title I and E-rate federal grant programs.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Liz Seymour]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/metro/schools/schoolsurvey01/A34597-20
01Apr18.html)
PRIVACY
3 WEB FIRMS TO PAY FINES FOR COLLECTING DATA ON CHILDREN
Issue: Privacy
The Federal Trade Commission announced yesterday that three online companies
have agreed to pay $100,000 in fines to settle charges that they violated
the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which took effect
exactly one year ago. A study conducted by the Center for Media Education
found that commercial online sites for children generally post privacy
policies for parents and limit the data they collect, but the study said
that most of the 153 Web sites examined did not have obvious links to their
privacy policies, as required by the law, and a majority "did not obtain
prior parental consent or provide parental notice" before collecting data.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Robert O'Harrow Jr.]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39263-2001Apr19.html)
See Also:
CME REPORT FINDS POSITIVE CHANGE BUT MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE
[SOURCE: Center For Media Education]
(http://www.cme.org/press/010419pr.html)
TELEPHONY
FCC RULING SETTLES INTERNET PHONE FIGHT
Issue: Telephony
Settling a dispute among local phone companies, the Federal Communications
Commission yesterday set caps on the rates those carriers pay one another
for carrying Internet-related traffic. The decision will reduce costs for
the former Bell local phone companies, which estimate they pay $2 billion to
$3 billion to their competitors every year. The rate reduction will also
mean diminishing returns for the already ailing competitive local exchange
carriers, as the former
Bells' competitors are known, for whom Internet-related payments have been
an important source of revenue.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Yuki Noguchi]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39243-2001Apr19.html)
ERICSSON TO SLASH 12,000 MORE JOBS
Issue: Telephony
Ericsson, the world's largest maker of mobile phone systems, said today that
it plans to slash an additional 12,000 jobs in an effort to reshape the
telecommunications giant into a more nimble, manageable and profitable
company. Ericsson's planned restructuring takes place against a backdrop of
a world economic slowdown and abruptly reduced demand for telecommunications
equipment and cell phones. The company said the world market for handset
sales this year probably won't top 480 million units. Earlier, Ericsson
projected global sales might reach 540 million.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://www.usatoday.com/hlead.htm)
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