FCC Is Expected to Clear Acquisition Of VoiceStream by
Deutsche Telekom (WSJ)
MIT to Make Course Materials Available for Free on the
Web (WSJ)
EU Ministers Agree Not to Veto National Telecom
Decisions (WSJ)
FCC IS EXPECTED TO CLEAR ACQUISITION OF VOICESTREAM BY DEUTSCHE TELEKOM
Issue: Mergers
The Federal Communications Commission is expected to approve as early as
Friday Deutsche Telekom's acquisition of VoiceStream Wireless with few or
no significant changes. At least three of the four current commissioners are
likely to vote in favor of the merger, which has drawn intense scrutiny by
several American lawmakers. While it is possible a vote could be held
Friday, some people suggest the complicated logistics of getting all the
commissioners to vote makes a final decision unlikely before next week. The
vote will be taken using a so-called circular, under which commissioners
cast written votes on the staff recommendation, rather than at a public
meeting. A majority of the four votes is needed to determine the outcome. A
deadlock would end the merger, at least for now. If the merger is approved,
it will mark one of the largest foreign acquisitions in the U.S.
telecommunications market. The deal will also be reviewed for
national-security concerns by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the
U.S., which is managed by the Treasury Department. The committee is also
expected to approve the merger.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: William Boston
And Yochi J. Dreazen]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB986414897482322164.htm)
(requires subscription)
MIT TO MAKE COURSE MATERIALS AVAILABLE FOR FREE ON THE WEB
Issue: EdTech
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology said it will spend up to $100
million over 10 years to make course materials from all of its classes
freely available on the Internet. At a time when many universities have
begun offering online classes for a fee, MIT said it hopes its effort leads
other institutions to offer online educational resources free-of-charge.
University officials said they hope other institutions, particularly in
developing countries, will use the material to develop their own
curriculums. the effort -- dubbed MIT OpenCourseWare -- will encompass
lecture notes, course outlines and reading lists for more than 2,000
courses. "We see it as source material that will support education
world-wide, including innovations in the process of teaching and learning
itself," said MIT President Charles M. Vest.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Robert Tomsho]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB986407872485716755.htm)
(requires subscription)
EU MINISTERS AGREE NOT TO VETO NATIONAL TELECOM DECISIONS
Issue: Regulation
European Union ministers have rejected a bid by the European Commission, the
EU's executive body, for a veto right over regulation of telecommunications
across the 15-nation bloc. Meeting in Luxembourg, the ministers were
debating proposals related to how telecom companies should be regulated and
how competition law will be applied. Industry officials and the European
Parliament had supported strengthening the commission's role to avoid a
scenario where companies might face 15 potentially different regulatory
environments. But member states, led by Germany, Spain and Austria, balked
at creating what could become an EU-level regulator. The ministers also
decided against the commission's recommendation that existing competition
law be used to regulate the
industry, opting instead to adopt a new definition specific to telecoms.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Associated
Press]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB986416236425308564.htm)
(requires subscription)
--------------------------------------------------------------