Digital TV
FCC: An Era of Opportunity
WSJ: In HDTV Age, Successor To VCR Is a Long Way Off
NYT: 1st Stations to Make Digital Switch
Publishing
NYT: Smithsonian Shuts Down Book and Record Units
NYT: Creating 'the Last Book' To Hold All the Others
InfoTech
WSJ: Microsoft, Sony Agree to Work Together To Link
Consumer-Electronics Devices
WP: Windows' Little Brother Is Growing
Internet
TelecomAM: Internet Group: FCC Should Consider Conditional
Relief For Bells
NYT: For Bishops, Net is a Tool, Both Useful and Worrisome
Long Distance
TelecomAM: Bell Atlantic Expects to Seek Long Distance Entry September 1
TelecomAM: Klein Praises Bell Atlantic Agreement With New York PSC Chairman
TelecomAM: New York PSC Releases Bell Atlantic Long Distance 'Road Map'
International
NYT: Germany Won't Charge for Phone Swap
NYT: Cellular License Is Sold by Brazil
** Digital TV **
Title: An Era of Opportunity
Source: FCC
http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Kennard/spwek811.txt
Author: Chairman Bill Kennard
Issue: Digital TV
Description: "...I am committed to having a dialogue with you and the
American people on the public interest standard in the digital era. I
believe that as we progress to digital, now is an appropriate time to pause
and define a standard that has meaning for all broadcasters, not just those
who elect to serve the public interest. I plan an inquiry on the public
interest that will explore how we can ensure that all broadcasters give
meaning to the public interest standard. And that inquiry should explore
what the public expects from broadcasters and how we can improve the
political dialogue on our airwaves and how we can improve our political
broadcasting rules so they work better for the public, candidates and
broadcasters. I hope that I can count on you to participate in this
process, so that this isn't a proceeding that we do to the broadcast
industry, but one that we do with the broadcast industry."
Title: In HDTV Age, Successor To VCR Is a Long Way Off
Source: Wall Street Journal (B1)
http://wsj.com/
Author: Evan Ramstead
Issue: HDTV/Standards
Description: The first high-definition TV sets are slated to hit the stores
in the fall, and TV stations in major markets such as New York, Chicago and
L.A. are expected to begin digital broadcasts. However, VCR manufacturers
aren't sure what home-video technology will look like in TV's digital age.
The shift may take place as an upgrade in technology, but could involve
something akin to a computer's magnetic hard-drive. The results of this
shift could escalate into another standards war, like the one that took
place between VHS and Beta formats in home-video's infancy. The
programs that will be in high-definition will contain far more picture-data
than today's analog devices can handle. But image quality on tape isn't
nearly as good as it is on disk, so for the long term manufacturers are
betting that technology based on disks will prevail.
Title: 1st Stations to Make Digital Switch
Source: New York Times (AP-Tech Index)
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/f/AP-Road-to-Digital-List.html
Author: The Associated Press
Issue: Digital Television
Description: Twenty-six television stations have pledged the Federal
Communications Commission to begin digital broadcasting by November of this
year. They will use a different channel than the one they currently use.
These stations are: NYC - WCBS; CBS affiliate, LA - KNBC; NBC affiliate,
KTLA; Warner Brothers Network affiliate, KABC - ABC affiliate, Chicago -
WMAQ; NBC affiliate, Philadelphia - KYW; CBS affiliate, WPVI; ABC affiliate,
WCAU; NBC affiliate, WTXF; Fox affiliate, San Francisco/Oakland - KRON; NBC
affiliate, KPIX; CBS affiliate, KGO; ABC affiliate, Boston - WGBH; PBS
affiliate, WCVB; ABC affiliate, Manchester NH - WMUR; ABC affiliate,
Washington - WRC; NBC affiliate, WJLA; ABC affiliate, WUSA; CBS affiliate,
WETA; PBS affiliate, Dallas/Fort Worth - KDFW; Fox affiliate, KXAS; NBC
affiliate, WFAA; ABC affiliate, Detroit - WJBK; Fox affiliate, WWJ; CBS
affiliate, Atlanta - WSB; ABC affiliate, WXIA; NBC affiliate.
** Publishing **
Title: Smithsonian Shuts Down Book and Record Units
Source: New York Times (B1,B4)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/arts/smithsonian-books.html
Author: Peter Applebome
Issue: Publishing/Arts
Description: The Smithsonian Institute has shut down three divisions
producing books, records and videos. The most notable of the three is the
Smithsonian Collection of Recordings, which has been an invaluable resource
for scholars and the public for the past quarter century, and has issued
widely praised recordings of jazz and popular music. The Smithsonian
recordings have received two Grammy awards and been nominated for 11 others.
"I think it's unwise, and it surprised me quite a bit," Dan Morgenstern,
director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers Univ., said of the
decision. "They had a certain cachet, and did some very good things. I can't
believe the Smithsonian, which is the closest thing we have in this country
to a national museum, is so poverty stricken they can't keep this going."
Officials said the three divisions that are closing are all part of the
Smithsonian Press/Smithsonian Productions, which has lost $10.8 million over
the last two years and is expecting to lose another $2-million this year.
Linda St. Thomas, a Smithsonian Institution spokesperson, said yesterday
that the Smithsonian would like to find a way to continue some of the
recording functions, but it was too early to tell in what form and to what
degree that would occur.
Title: Creating 'the Last Book' To Hold All the Others
Source: New York Times (B1,B2)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/arts/040898book.html
Author: Christopher Lehmann-Haupt
Issue: Publishing/InfoTechnology
Description: Joseph Jacobsen, an assistant professor at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, is developing something called electronic ink, or
e-ink in the MIT Media Laboratory, which can be applied to the page of a
book from within instead of by a press. With the backing of Things That
Think and News in the Future, two business consortia of around 75 companies,
this e-ink "consists of microscopic spheres, each about 40 microns in
diameter, or about half the thickness of a piece of paper. Each sphere is
half black and half white. These spheres can be applied by the millions to
paper and then flipped over electronically to either their black sides or
their white sides to produce what looks like a traditionally printed page.
As envisioned at the Media Lab, the book pages will each have fine wires
carrying electricity to flip the dots in the direction of a computer
concealed in the book binding. The user will scroll through a list of book
titles displayed on the book's spine. If the user selects "Ulysses," the
computer will make the text appear on the book's pages by flipping the
appropriate spheres to their black or white sides. As the capacity of the
book's memory grows, whole libraries may be installed." A user might be able
to assemble a particular group of books to fit a specific need,
illustrations may be animated or it may become possible to receive
broadcasts that typecast themselves to create an instant newspaper.
Jacobson even foresees being able to store the more that 17 million volumes
of the entire Library of Congress. Yet unlike a computer, you would be able
to unplug the book and take it with you anywhere, the display would be
designed to sense the presence of a pen or stylus so you can mark or write
on the pages, and you may even be able to "dogear" the book. How soon will
this book be available? "A prototype with just a few pages could be put
together in two or three years, with one of 400 pages taking a year or two
longer," Jacobson said.
** InfoTech **
Title: Microsoft, Sony Agree to Work Together To Link Consumer-Electronics
Devices
Source: Wall Street Journal (B6)
http://wsj.com/
Author: Don Clark & David Bank
Issue: Compatability
Description: Microsoft and Sony are endorsing a technology favored by Sony
that can connect videocassette recorders, camcorders, personal computers and
other devices. Microsoft said it will license software from Sony used with
the networking technology, and use the software with versions of an
operating system called Windows CE. Sony, in turn, said it will license
Windows CE for use in certain products it didn't specify. They are already
expected to use the operating system with a coming version of WebTV. The
alliance is very likely to accelerate the creation of home networks using a
high-speed communications standard known by number 1394. This technology,
for example, could more easily plug a camcorder to a PC or TV set-top box
for sending video mail to friends over the 'Net, said Craig Mundie, a
Microsoft VP involved in the negotiations with Sony.
Title: Windows' Little Brother Is Growing
Source: Washington Post (C13)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-04/08/091l-040898-idx.html
Author: Elizabeth Corcoran
Issue: Microsoft
Description: A program called Windows CE that gives computer intelligence to
consumer electronics products, is gaining momentum. By early May, Japan's
Casio and Taiwan's Everex plan to sell PalmPCs that rely on Windows CE to
manage electronic calendars and mail, handwritten and typed notes, and audio
messages. Today, Sony and Microsoft announced an agreement to cross-license
each other's technology and work closely to fuse Windows CE with Sony's
audio and visual technology standards. In addition, Intel said it plans to
work more closely with Microsoft to create what they call in-car computing
technology.
** Internet **
Title: Internet Group: FCC Should Consider Conditional Relief For Bells
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Internet Regulation/Universal Service
Description: In comments filed with the FCC on 3 Bell companies' petitions
for forbearance under Section 706 of the Telecom Act, the Internet Access
Coalition (IAC) urged the FCC to "investigate regulatory changes that may
serve to accelerate deployment" of network infrastructure, while considering
mechanisms such as "specific...commitments measurable by objective criteria"
to ensure that the companies fulfill their stated purpose of increasing
general access to advanced
technology. But the IAC, composed of ISPs, computer companies and other
members of the information technology industry, said the Commission
shouldn't lose sight of the need to ensure that competitive local carriers
"have a level playing field... to compete."
Title: For Bishops, Net is a Tool, Both Useful and Worrisome
Source: New York Times (CyberTimes)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/04/cyber/articles/08catholic.html
Author: Matt Richtel
Issue: Religion/Internet Content
Description: The Catholic Church just held its first conference on
information technology in Denver, CO. Bishop Pierre Domain, serving in Santa
Clara County, said the conference confirmed the group's desire to fully use
technology while also touching on important and deep issues for the church.
"The attending bishops, cardinals and representatives of the Vatican said
the technology revolution invokes pressing philosophical and moral questions
down to such basic issues how to create a church intranet and what
resolution to make the images on the Vatican Library's Web site. They
concluded that technology can be a powerful tool for the church." There was
discussion about whether the Internet poses an entirely new set of moral
questions or merely repackages them into a new, widely acceptable medium.
But Bishop DuMaine and other conferees said the message of the day was
carried by Neil Postman, chairman of New York Univ.'s dept. of culture and
communications, who said, "I doubt that the 21st century will pose for us
problems that are more stunning, disorienting, or complex than those we
faced in this century, or the 19th, 18th, 17th, or, for that matter, many of
the centuries before that." Bishop DuMaine added that while the ethical
issues may not have changed, the Internet has made them more glaring in some
ways. "It's a matter of scope and scale we haven't talked about before," he
said. But he added that the overall feeling of the conference was very
positive. "We are very enthusiastic, and we just need to be very focused."
** Long Distance **
Title: Bell Atlantic Expects to Seek Long Distance Entry September 1
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Long Distance
Description: Bell Atlantic expects to file with the FCC for long distance
entry Sept. 1 and begin offering LD service everywhere in the state (none
specified) next year. Bell Atlantic Telecom Group President Jim Cullen said
the company will finish complying with the deal's requirements in Aug. He
said the 44-page agreement "goes far beyond the Telecom Act's Section 271
requirements." But the deal is a "good first step," said Cronan O'Connell,
the VP of industry affairs for the Assoc. for Local Telecom Services. But
MCI Regional Executive-Public Policy Donna Sorgi called it "a blow to the
development of local phone competition."
Title: Klein Praises Bell Atlantic Agreement With New York PSC Chairman
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Long Distance
Description: The N.Y. local phone market likely will meet the Justice
Department's standard for approval of Bell company long distance
applications if Bell Atlantic "fully and properly" implements its agreement
with the state's top regulatory official, Asst. Attorney General-Antitrust
Joel Klein said. In a letter to the New York PSC, Chairman John O'Mara
praised the deal for including provisions on how competitors will gain
access to unbundled elements of Bell Atlantic's network, including
combinations of elements and performance testing of Bell Atlantic's OSSs.
Title: New York PSC Releases Bell Atlantic Long Distance 'Road Map'
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Long Distance
Description: The N.Y. PSC released its "road map" that Bell Atlantic must
follow for entry into long distance. Bell Atlantic must: 1) follow certain
procedures in its interaction with CLECs; 2) provide recombined unbundled
network elements for no charge on residential lines and $2 to $6 for
business lines for most competitors; 3) allow interconnection; 4) pass a test of
its OSSs, which is to be supervised by the PSC and Justice Dept. and
administered by an independent 3rd party; and 5) give price discounts to CLECs
if it fails to provide adequate service.
** International **
Title: Germany Won't Charge for Phone Swap
Source: New York Times (AP-Bus Index)
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/f/AP-Germany-Telekom.html
Author: The Associated Press
Issue: International/Telephony
Description: German government regulators rejected a fee yesterday that
former monopoly Deutsche Telekom wanted to charge customers who switch to
another firm. Deutsche Telekom had proposed charging customers who wanted to
switch to a new company but keep their phone number a one time fee of
49-marks ($26.75). Klaus-Dieter Scheuerle, head of the telecommunications
regulatory agency, rejected the request saying that customers have the right
to keep their phone number the same way they are entitled to use their
street address. Deutsche Telekom is expected to challenge the ruling in court.
Title: Cellular License Is Sold by Brazil
Source: New York Times (D8)
http://www.nytimes.com/
Author: Bloomberg News
Issue: International/Telephony
Description: A group led by Suzano de Papel a Celulose S.A. of Brazil and
the DDI Corporation of Japan bought a license today to provide mobile phone
service in Brazil's southern states for 913 million reais ($802 million).
The license will give the winners the right to operate in Santa Catarina and
Parana, two of Brazils most prosperous rural states.
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