Universal Service
TelecomAM: Rockefeller Urges End of ISP Exemption, IDT Allows Free Protest
Television
NYT: Networks Turn to Affiliates To Defray Program Costs
B&C: CBS, NBC affils team for news
Cable
WSJ: Microsoft Co-Founder Puts Huge Bet on Cable-TV
NYT: Microsoft Billionaire Buys Dallas Cable-TV Operator
Long Distance
NYT: Bell Atlantic Wins Backing for New Plan
WSJ: Bell Atlantic Gets a Boost in Plan To Sell
Long Distance in New York
Microsoft
NYT: Proposals Made to Shrink Power of Microsoft
WSJ: Microsoft Tries To Broaden Reach Of Windows CE
WSJ: Microsoft, Others Invest in Accel's Fund for Start-Ups
InfoTech
NYT: A Single PC Chip That Almost Does It All
Electronic Commerce
NYT: To Solve Distribution Dilemma, E-Commerce Goes Postal
Arts
NYT: Six Simultaneous Premiers for One Piece of Music
** Universal Service **
Title: Rockefeller Urges End of ISP Exemption, IDT Allows Free Protest
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Internet Regulation/Universal Service
Description: April 10 is the deadline for the Federal Communications
Commission to deliver a report on universal service to Congress. Some
reports say that FCC may recommend that Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
should contribute to the universal service fund when they facilitate voice
"phone" calls. Wall Street analysts have told Congress that the telecom
industry will "game the system" and move calls to the packet-switching
network to avoid universal service payments. Support of the local phone
network would be left to those "not smart enough to take advantage of new
definitions." Bear Stearns analyst James Henry predicts that voice calls
will move to the Internet because it is more efficient than the traditional
phone network. He also predicts that the FCC will make a change because it
is impossible to keep "two services that offer the same
functionality...under different regulatory cost structures."
** Television **
Title: Networks Turn to Affiliates To Defray Program Costs
Source: New York Times (D4)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/tv-networks.html
Author: Bill Carter
Issue: Television Economics
Description: Since the earliest days of radio broadcasting, networks have
paid affiliated stations to carry their programs. Now, executives at several
television networks are working to redefine that relationship in what would
be a "fundamental" restructuring of the economics of TV broadcasting. Top
executives for ABC and NBC have argued in interviews over the past week that
the current system is "anachronistic and increasingly unrealistic" since
program costs continue to escalate and network profits are falling. In
addition to asking stations to help defray the costs in specific programs
like the NFL games, executives are proposing selling prime-time commercial
slots that are currently owned by the networks and ending exclusivity
arrangements with affiliated stations so networks can sell more programs to
smaller buyers, like cable channels. Any actions along these lines will most
likely result in conflict between the networks and their affiliates, whose
executives have resisted any change to the current system of paying fees,
called compensation, for carrying network programs.
Title: CBS, NBC affils team for news
Source: Broadcasting&Cable (p.92)
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/
Author: Dan Trigoboff
Issue: Journalism
Description: A CBS affiliate and a NBC affiliate in Scranton, PA will share
a news director and facilities. Under the "shared services agreement" WYOU's
news staff will be employed by rival station WBRE. "I think we're setting up
a new business model," said WBRE Vice President and General Manager Arthur
Daube. A similar arrangement exists in Fort Myers, Florida between stations
WBBH and WZVN, NBC and ABC affiliates.
** Cable **
Title: Microsoft Co-Founder Puts Huge Bet on Cable-TV
Source: Wall Street Journal (B6)
http://wsj.com/
Author: Kara Swisher & Leslie Cauley
Issue: Cable
Description: Paul Allen, Microsoft's co-founder, invested $2.78 billion to
acquire control of Marcus Cable. The billionaire signaled his conviction
that the cable infrastructure will most quickly deliver interactive services
to consumers, including educational materials, Internet access,
entertainment and sports content. Mr. Allen said, "Right now, cable is the
leading vehicle, that's not to say there will not be others, but right now
cable is in the lead position." The deal for Marcus cable also calls for the
assumption of about $1.2 billion in debt. The purchase marks the second
billion-dollar bet on the industry by a computer-industry player, following
Microsoft's $1 billion investment in Comcast Corp.
Title: Microsoft Billionaire Buys Dallas Cable-TV Operator
Source: New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/04/biztech/articles/07cable.html
Author: Seth Schiesel
Issue: Merger
Description: Paul Allen, co-founder of the Microsoft Corp., announced
yesterday that he had agreed to purchase Marcus Cable Co., the nation's 10th
largest cable TV operator, for an estimated $1.3 billion. Allen has
"parlayed" his wealth into an entertainment and high-technology business
since retiring from Microsoft in 1983. This acquisition will provide Allen
with a major link directly into people's homes. "For years I've been talking
about his idea of the wired world," said Allen. "Now I have an investment in
some actual wires. Cable will be a key method for distributing digital data."
** Long Distance **
Title: Bell Atlantic Wins Backing for New Plan
Source: New York Times (A25)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/national/ny-bell-atlantic-local.html
Author: Seth Schiesel
Issue: Long-Distance
Description: The Justice Department's antitrust chief and New York State's
top utility regulator gave conditional support yesterday to the Bell
Atlantic Corporation's bid to sell long-distance telephone service. Monday's
announcements appear to give the company the "inside track" toward becoming
the first Bell local telephone company to sell long-distance since 1984 when
the companies were "pried away" from the AT&T Corporation. "This agreement
means that New York consumers will receive the benefit of the opportunity to
choose their provider of local telecommunications services," said John F.
O'Mara, chairman of the New York State Public Service Commission, in an
interview. "As a result of the competition in the market, we will see lower
local prices and as a result of Bell Atlantic getting into the long-distance
market, we will see lower long-distance prices."
Title: Bell Atlantic Gets a Boost in Plan To Sell Long Distance in New York
Source: Wall Street Journal (B7)
http://wsj.com/
Author: Stephanie N. Mehta
Issue: Long Distance
Description: State and federal regulators signaled conditional approval of a
Bell Atlantic plan to offer long-distance services in New York state. John
O'Mara, chairman of the New York State Public Service Commission, agreed to
endorse Bell Atlantic's application to enter the long-distance business if
the company takes additional steps to open its local-phone market to
competitors. The Justice Dept. followed O'Mara's action with a letter from
antitrust chief Joel Klein, who indicated that if those conditions, if met,
would probably meet the department's open-competition requirements. This
support from O'Mara and the Justice Dept. is an important win for Bell
Atlantic, who will be the first Baby Bell to sell long distance in the region.
** Microsoft **
Title: Proposals Made to Shrink Power of Microsoft
Source: New York Times (D1,D3)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/04/biztech/articles/07microsoft.html
Author: John Markoff
Issue: Antitrust
Description: Computer-industry executives concerned about Microsoft have
approached the Justice Department with a set of 10 proposed wide-ranging
remedies for what they believe would help reign in the monopoly power of the
Microsoft Corp. The proposals include "forcing Microsoft to divest its
applications business from its operating-system business and establishing a
monitoring system to track Microsoft's business practices." Microsoft
officials dismissed the proposed remedies saying that they had previously
responded to many of the points. "This is a wish list from Microsoft
competitors with no basis in the facts of this industry or the laws of this
country," said Mark Murray, a Microsoft spokesman. With the Justice
Department recently turning up the heat in its investigation, the issue of
Microsoft's dominance in the industry also has "sharpened."
Title: Microsoft Tries To Broaden Reach Of Windows CE
Source: Wall Street Journal (B12)
http://wsj.com/
Author: Don Clark
Issue: Microsoft
Description: Microsoft said it will upgrade its Windows CE operating systems
next year for a range of markets -- factories, retail outlets, cars, and
office equipment -- outside the computer industry, adding capabilities that
help machines control and schedule sequences of tasks. This announcement
puts it in more direct competition with several companies that supply what
are called "real-time" operating systems, including Wind River Systems,
Integrated Systems, and Microware Systems.
Title: Microsoft, Others Invest in Accel's Fund for Start-Ups
Source: Wall Street Journal (B5)
http://wsj.com/
Author: Don Clark
Issue: Investment
Description: Accel Partners, Microsoft, Lucent Tech., and Northern Telecom
are collectively putting a total of $35 million into Accel's $310 million
fund, which is aimed at nurturing new Internet-related businesses. Though
the investments are relatively small, the arrangement illustrates how big
companies are experimenting with ways to nurture start-ups. Accel expects to
establish informal relationships between start-ups and the four companies,
which will be an attraction for entrepreneurs eager to draw on the larger
firms for advice.
** InfoTech **
Title: A Single PC Chip That Almost Does It All
Source: New York Times (D2)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/04/biztech/articles/07chip.html
Author: Matt Richtel
Issue: InfoTechnology
Description: The National Semiconductor Corp. announced yesterday that it
would offer the industry's first microprocessor that contains most PC
functions on a single chip. National Semiconductor plans to start production
of the chip by the end of the year. The chip is meant for widespread use of
low-cost microprocessors in household appliances and to help pave the way
for high-performance PCs, priced below $1,000. The chip will help to reduce
the cost for personal computers by eliminating the need for PC makers to
include separate audio, graphics, video and communications hardware. The
only main PC function that the chip lacks is memory. "You're going to start
to see personal computers in all sorts of things where you wouldn't have
thought of them before," said Nathan Brookwood, a chip analyst for
Dataquest, a San Jose-based market research firm.
** Electronic Commerce **
Title: To Solve Distribution Dilemma, E-Commerce Goes Postal
Source: New York Times (CyberTimes)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/04/cyber/eurobytes/07euro.html
Author: Bruno Guissani
Issue: Electronic Commerce/International
Description: Le Shop, based in Nyon, Switzerland, is the first nationwide
online store of its kind to open in Europe. Primarily aimed at the Swiss
market, it mainly sells packages food and personal and home-care products.
But what makes Le Shop a "phenomenon" for businesses and online-marketers in
Europe to watch is that if an order is placed before 4:30 PM, the company
guarantees overnight home delivery -- "which virtually no one else does."
Another interesting aspect is the fact that Le Shop does not own a warehouse
or manage its stock. "The logistics for the entire distribution have been
handed over to the Swiss Post Office, which is a partner in the venture."
Once a customer has completed an order and it has been validated against
that customer's purchasing record, the order is transmitted electronically
to a center in Lausanne where postal employees pack the requested products
into one of Le Shop's yellow boxes and then put it directly into the
traditional postal circuit, only a floor away. "Logistics are crucial for an
online shop to be successful, yet they are often overlooked," said Christian
Wanner, Le Shop's head of marketing. "Instead of trying to compete on prices
as many others are doing, we've implemented a new model based on speed and
reliability."
** Arts **
Title: Six Simultaneous Premiers for One Piece of Music
Source: New York Times (CyberTimes)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/04/cyber/articles/07horn.html
Author: Matthew Mirapaul
Issue: Arts
Description: A new concerto by the composer David Maslanka will premier
tonight in six different locations, played simultaneously, but
independently, by six different ensembles. Five of the performances will be
available over the Internet. The concerto, titled "Sea Dreams," is a
32-minute, three-movement piece, for two horns and wind orchestra. It was
jointly commissioned by 10 schools at the prompting of the hornist Thomas
Bacon, a professor of music at Arizona State Univ. in Tempe. Streaming audio
-- and video, from at least one site -- will be transmitted live from all
performances except Florida State's. Online observers will be able to switch
back and forth between the broadcasts. The cybercasts also will be archived
on the Web for the next month so listeners can compare the interpretations.
You can access the performances at: http://concerto.inre.asu.edu/
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