TELEPHONY
Don't Demonize the Bells (USA)
Financial Woes Entangle Telecoms (USA)
EDTECH
Online Courses to Improve Teacher Technology Skills (NYT)
E-GOVERNMENT
Politicals, Tech Execs Discuss Area Improvements (WP)
TELEPHONY
DON'T DEMONIZE THE BELLS
Issue: Telephony
[Op-Ed] Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce
Committee, feels that the Baby Bells are subjected to a great deal of unfair
criticism these days because they still control more than 90% the local
telephone-exchange market in the United States five years after the passage
of the historic Telecommunications Act. Rep. Tauzin claims that the Bells'
competitors are only interested in competing for the high-dollar commercial
customers, which is why they control about 17% of the phone lines of large
businesses and 75% of the high-speed broadband market, but only 3% of the
local telephone market for homes and small businesses. "Rather than demonize
the Bells for their control of certain markets and shackle them with
unnecessary regulations," he suggests, "Congress should set these companies
free to accelerate their deployment of broadband services."
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La), chairman of the House
Energy and Commerce Committee.]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010425/3262912s.htm)
FINANCIAL WOES ENTANGLE TELECOMS
Issue: Telephony
In the past 5 months, telecom carriers and equipment makers have axed more
than 130,000 jobs worldwide, with tens of thousands of the cuts in the USA.
After 5-years of non-stop growth, spending and investment, the
telecommunications industry has hit its first lull of the Internet Age.
Dealmaking and investment have slowed to a crawl. This year, telecom mergers
and acquisitions totaled $6.6 billion -- down from the quarterly average of
$60 billion for the past 3 years. At the bottom of the food chain are
customers. And they're being hit, too. When financially ailing NorthPoint
Communications shut down last month, stranding 100,000 customers, thousands
of businesses lost the super-fast Internet access it provided -- and that
cost them in productivity.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Andrew Backover]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010425/3262994s.htm)
EDTECH
ONLINE COURSES TO IMPROVE TEACHER TECHNOLOGY SKILLS
Issue: EdTech
Teachers who what to improve their technology skills can choose from a
variety of online offerings ranging from three-week skill boosting courses
to labor-intensive master's degrees. Since the quality of these programs can
vary widely, education experts suggest that teachers shop around and ask
questions first. "You have to look for courses that provide an opportunity
to have collaborative interaction with peers and provide the kind of
technology you would use in the classroom," said Lajean Thomas, a professor
of education at Louisiana Tech University and representative of the
International Society for Technology in Education's (ISTE) representative.
"We in education would like to think the ideal way for teachers to learn how
to use technology is by using it in their content area."
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Rebecca S. Weiner]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/25/technology/25EDUCATION.html)
(requires registration)
E-GOVERNMENT
POLITICALS, TECH EXECS DISCUSS AREA IMPROVEMENTS
Issue: E-Government
Washington, DC area politicians and technology executives gathered this week
to swap ideas about how to leverage the high-tech community to improve the
region's economy. The conference was organized by the Democratic Leadership
Council, a political organization of centrist Democrats. On a panel to
discuss "Digital Government," D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams, Montgomery County
Executive Douglas Duncan and Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley explained how
their respective governments were adopting information technology to improve
services "Bringing technology into government is about improving quality of
life for our citizens," said Duncan, who said Montgomery County residents
could renew library cards, pay for parking tickets and apply for county jobs
online. "The question isn't about bigger or smaller government. It's about
how to make it a better government."
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Terence Chea]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/9277-1.html)
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