AT&T and AOL: The Merger That Didn't Happen
AT&T Seeks Broad Marketing, Technology Alliance With AOL
(WSJ)
America Online Announces It Will Remain Independent (NYT)
AOL Shares Soar on Report (WP)
AT&T-America Online Merger Rumor Pushes AOL Stock Up 5 Percent
(TelecomAM)
Electronic Commerce
House Committee Endorses Internet Tax Moratorium (CyberTimes)
House Judiciary Committee Ready to Pass Internet
Tax Freedom Act (TelecomAM)
Internet Demographics
The Web Reflects A Wider World (NYT)
Study Pokes Holes in Theory Of How Women Use the Net (NYT)
In Sex-Role Tangle, a Woman's Search (NYT)
Internet Content
A Web Site to Fight Censorship (NYT)
At Heart of a Cyberstudy, the Human Essence (NYT)
Personal Polls Help the Nosy Sate Curiosity (NYT)
Ed Tech
Virtual-Classes Trend Alarms Professors (NYT)
Long Distance
Qwest Is Seeking to Support Bells in Two Lawsuits (WSJ)
Advertising
Reshaping Perceptions of Advertising (NYT)
Spectrum
FCC Says Many Wireless Bidders, Short of Cash,
to Return Licenses (WSJ)
FCC Radio Licensing Authority (FCC)
Arts
Omnizone Tries to Map the Unmappable (NYT)
** AT&T and AOL: The Merger That Didn't Happen **
Title: AT&T Seeks Broad Marketing, Technology Alliance With AOL
Source: Wall Street Journal (B6)
http://wsj.com/
Author: Jared Sandberg
Issue: Mergers
Description: AT&T has contacted America Online Inc. about entering into a
"broad-based" marketing and technology alliance, according to people close
to the situation. The giant telecommunications company has also considered
making an offer to buy AOL, but no formal offer has been made. AOL sent an
email to all employees yesterday stating that the company plans to stay
independent. AOL Chairman Steve Cast and Chief Executive Bob Pittman noted
that AOL is "eager to establish alliances with a wide range of
telecommunications, media and technology companies."
Title: America Online Announces It Will Remain Independent
Source: New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/yr/mo/biztech/articles/18aol.html
Author: Laura Holson & Seth Schiesel
Issue: Mergers
Description: America Online has announced that it will remain independent --
cooling merger talks with the largest long distance company, AT&T. "We are
committed to remaining an independent company, as that is the best course
for our customers, shareholders and employees," Stephen Case, the company's
chairman,and Robert Pittman, its president, said in an e-mail message to
employees. "We continue to be eager to establish alliances with a wide range
of telecommunications, media and technology companies." For AT&T, the talks
show how the company wants to make a big impact in the Internet. AOL's
market value is ~$20.3 billion.
Title: AOL Shares Soar on Report
Source: Washington Post (E1,E5)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-06/18/219l-061898-idx.html
Author: Mike Mills & Mark Leibovich
Issue: Mergers
Description: Following a report that America Online Inc. rejected a buyout
bid by AT&T Corp., shares of AOL gained 5 percent. Shares of other
Internet-related companies also rose on the speculation that they too may be
facing possible takeover bids. Neither AOL or AT&T would comment on the
report. But AOL Chief Executive Steve Case and President Bob Pittman
addressed the report in a memo addressed to employees yesterday. "Ever since
AOL went public six years ago, we have been the target of various takeover
rumors, the memo said. "Our strategy has also been consistent; we are
committed to remaining an independent company."
Title: AT&T-America Online Merger Rumor Pushes AOL Stock Up 5 Percent
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Mergers
Description: The Financial Times reported that AT&T Chairman and CEO Michael
Armstrong approached America Online several weeks ago with a takeover offer.
AOL CEO Steve Case and COO Robert Pittman rejected the offer several days
ago, according to the Financial Times. In heavy trading, AOL's stock rose
nearly $5 to $93.31; AT&T's stock rose 62.5 cents to $62.56.
** Electronic Commerce **
Title: House Committee Endorses Internet Tax Moratorium
Source: New York Times (CyberTimes)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/06/cyber/articles/18tax.html
Author: Jeri Clausing
Issue: Internet Regulation
Description: The House Judiciary Committee endorsed legislation yesterday
that would place a moratorium on new taxes that specifically target the
Internet. Their decision moves the Internet Tax Freedom Act toward a full
House vote. Negotiations continue however over whether or not Congress
should outlaw current state Internet taxes.
Title: House Judiciary Committee Ready to Pass Internet Tax Freedom Act
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Electronic Commerce
Description: The House Judiciary Committee appears ready to pass legislation
(HR-3529 and HR-3849) that will put a three year moratorium on some Internet
taxes. One version of the legislation was introduced to the Committee by
Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) and the other is a Commerce Committee version. The
Judiciary Committee seemed poised to pass both; the two bills would then be
combined and put before the entire House. TelecomAM reports, "Hill aides
said they hope to have the bill before the full House next week on a
suspension calendar, which is generally reserved for popular bills to be
debated with no amendments."
** Internet Demographics **
Title: The Web Reflects A Wider World
Source: New York Times (D1)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/06/circuits/articles/18engl.html
Author: Michel Marriott
Issue: Internet Demographics
Description: More and more non-English speakers are getting on the World
Wide Web [hence the name] and adding content in their native tongues.
Non-English speakers are the fastest-growing group of new Internet users. By
the end of this year, the number of users outside the US should start to
outnumber the users inside the US. Currently there are ~107 million people
online [OK, not this very moment]. "The increase in the number of people
preferring to use languages other than English on line could have profound
implications for how the Internet is used and developed, some analysts say.
If the Internet in the next century becomes more of a global mass medium,
the way commerce, news, research and entertainment are presented on the
Internet will have to be rethought."
Title: Study Pokes Holes in Theory Of How Women Use the Net
Source: New York Times (D3)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/06/circuits/articles/18geek.html
Author: Katie Hafner
Issue: Internet Demographics
Description: There are several widespread beliefs about women and online
services: "women go on the Net seeking relationships; women are
uncomfortable with technology; women love to shop and are drawn to the Web
by cosmetics and clothing, and women don't use on-line financial services or
products." [Hey, I don't write this stuff, I just report it] A new study,
"Conventional Wisdoms about Women and Internet Use: Refuting Traditional
Perceptions," from Vanderbilt's Project 2000
http://www2000.ogsm.vanderbilt.edu finds little data to support these
stereotypes. "Although there has been some corroborating research that
indicates that women are interested in relationship aspects of the on-line
experience," the authors wrote, "there is little in existing studies to
suggest that relationships are as important as popular belief holds." The
biggest draw for women to the Net may be the 24-hour convenience.
Title: In Sex-Role Tangle, a Woman's Search
Source: New York Times (Circuits-D11)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/06/circuits/computing/18comp.html
Author: Michelle Slatalla
Issue: Gender/Internet
Description: LookSmart, a Web search site, has attracted a higher percentage
of women than the other top search sites during the first five months of
1998. These statistics were compiled by Craig Ruskin, a research analyst
with Relevant Knowledge, which measures Web traffic. The site was designed
by Evan Thornley and Tracey Ellery three years ago, who say they were not
trying to specifically target women. "We started out to target progessional
families, busy people, a highly educated group of folks," said Ellery. "Our
vision was to reach a mainstream audience on the Web. It turned out that a
large proportion of that audience is women." Thornly believes that one of
the reasons LookSmart appeals more to women than other search engines is
because women investigate in a more browsing context where men tend to
search for a specific item. "It's important not to overstate the
generalizations," Thornley cautioned. "But what we appear to see is that on
average, women are more disposed toward a category approach to searches."
LookSmart offers more of this approach while most search engines rely on
software to sort sites automatically. You can access LookSmart's site at:
http://www.looksmart.com
** Internet Content **
Title: A Web Site to Fight Censorship
Source: New York Times (Circuits-D13)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/06/circuits/articles/18turk.html
Author: Michael Pollak
Issue: Censorship
Description: Banned Books Online offers links to the texts of 30 different
books and plays that have been -- or are currently -- banned in the United
States. The site was created by John Mark Ockerbloom, who recently received
a doctorate in computer science at Carnegie Mellon Univ.in Pittsburgh. The
Banned Books site also is linked to a variety of other anti-censorship
resources. Censorship endangers democracy, said Dr. Ockerbloom. "It really
narrows the range of discussion in the interest of whoever's in power," he
said. In regards to his own work, he said, "what I'm hoping the effect will
be is a lot more kids will go out and read 'Huckleberry Finn.'" You can
access Banned Books Online at:
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/People/spok/banned-books.html
Title: At Heart of a Cyberstudy, the Human Essence
Source: New York Times (Circuits-D9)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/06/circuits/articles/18turk.html
Author: Katie Hafner
Issue: Identity
Description: Sherry Turkle, a professor of the sociology of science at MIT
and a licensed clinical psychologist, has been studying the interaction of
humans with computers since the late 1970's. Dr. Turkle is particularly
known for her specialty of interviewing people about their experiences with
computers and the Internet. Her first book, "The Second Self: Computers and
the Human Spirit," was published in 1984. Her second book on the topic,
"Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet," was published by
Simon & Schuster in 1995. It was the product of years of interviews with
people who spend a great deal of time on the Internet. Dr. Turkle was an
early proponent of the idea that "identity of the Internet is fluid."
Title: Personal Polls Help the Nosy Sate Curiosity
Source: New York Times (D8)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/06/circuits/articles/18poll.html
Author: Pamela LiCalzi O'Connell
Issue: Internet Content
Description: Survey Central http://www.apocalyse.org/~bill/survey allows
users to create online polls on any subject they like.The site handles
coding and tabulation and breaks down answers by sex and age group. "People
are tired of being part of a mass-media audience, mere fish in the Nielsen
and Arbitron oceans, of seeing public opinion represented in national polls
in which they're never asked to participate," said James Beniger, a
professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of
Southern California and past president of the American Association for
Public Opinion Research. "With the technological capabilities inherent in
the Internet to monitor, store, tabulate and calculate, the idea of every
man as his own pollster could hardly come as a surprise. There's an
empowerment aspect." See also Open Debate www.opendebate.com and Internet
Voice www.virtua.com.
** Ed Tech **
Title: Virtual-Classes Trend Alarms Professors
Source: New York Times (D8)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/06/circuits/articles/18wash.html
Author: Tina Kelley
Issue: Ed Tech
Description: 850 professors at the University of Washington have signed an
open letter to Gov Gary Locke expressing their fear about his enthusiasm for
instruction via CD-ROM's and the Internet. The professors are responding to
findings from a roundtable of university presidents and professors brought
together by a financial services company last July: "instructional software
could easily substitute for campus-based instruction or at least be a
substantial part of the delivery system" and the creation of only 25 online
courses could serve about 80 percent of the undergraduate enrollment in core
courses. A Gov Locke policy advisor recently said about adults returning to
school: "Technology is likely to be the much more common method of
delivering the learning they need, at home or in the workplace for them,
simply because they're place-bound." Earlier this year, Gov Locke created
the 2020 Commission "to rethink and re-invent higher education from the
ground up." The recommendations are due in September.
** Long Distance **
Title: Qwest Is Seeking to Support Bells in Two Lawsuits
Source: Wall Street Journal (B2)
http://wsj.com/
Author: Stephanie N. Mehta
Issue: Long-Distance
Description: Qwest Communications International has filed motions to
intervene in two lawsuits that are seeking to block marketing agreements it
forged with Baby Bell telephone companies. The lawsuits filed by AT&T, MCI
and others, argue that US West and Ameritech Corp. "violated
telecommunications law by attempting to market Qwest's long-distance
services." Qwest has not been named in either lawsuit.
** Advertising **
Title: Advertising: Reshaping Perceptions of Advertising
Source: New York Times (C6)
http://www.nytimes.com/
Author: Stuart Elliott
Issue: Advertising
Description: The American Advertising Federation will announce a multi-year
push to promote and demonstrate the importance of advertising to consumers
and marketers. "Advertising: A Brand New Business" will have three phases:
"a survey assessing attitudes about advertising, a campaign aimed at
corporate executives and even a speakers' bureau to place advertising topics
on the agendas of business conferences," the NYT reports. The effort comes
at a time when ad agencies are fending off management consulting companies
for brand and marketing strategy services.
** Spectrum **
Title: FCC Says Many Wireless Bidders, Short of Cash, to Return Licenses
Source: Wall Street Journal (B12)
http://wsj.com/
Author: Scott Ritter
Issue: Auctions/Spectrum
Description: A large portion of the wireless-communications licenses awarded
in a government auction will remain unused at least until 1999 because
"cash-strapped" bidders have returned hundreds of permits to the Federal
Communications Commission.
Title: FCC Radio Licensing Authority
Source: FCC
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Compliance/News_Releases/1998/nrci8011.html
Issue: Spectrum/Radio
Description: "The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
California yesterday issued a permanent injunction against unlicensed
broadcaster Stephen Dunifer ("Free Radio Berkeley"). The 18-page decision
reaffirms the FCC's authority to require a license before any person can
broadcast on the public airwaves....The Court's opinion also upheld the
constitutionality of the FCC's broadcast licensing procedures. It said, 'The
Court finds that the regulatory scheme here withstands constitutional
scrutiny because it specifies procedures which the FCC must follow and it
provides for judicial review of any improper FCC ruling. Thus, Mr. Dunifer's
claims that the regulations are unconstitutional in every conceivable
application and that they are overbroad must fail.'"
** Arts **
Title: Omnizone Tries to Map the Unmappable
Source: New York Times (CyberTimes)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/06/cyber/artsatlarge/18artsatlarg...
Author: Matthew Mirapaul
Issue: Art
Description: Omnizone is a collection of essays and digital art from two
dozen or so contributors whose mission is to map the terrain of cyberspace.
But instead of approaching this task from a hierarchial or linear structure,
the site is concerned with delinearing the contours of digital culture.
"What this process reveals is the impossibility of mapping digital culture,"
says Stephen Pusey, an artist and writer who is organizing this project with
Yu Yeon Kim, an independent curator. Pusey asserts that as the project
evolves it will yield its own type of creative outcome: "a profile of the
organic composition of cyberspace by artists, critics, programmers and
scientists." He explained: "The Internet is very much the fractal edge of
human consciousness, an area which is never defined and never structured. To
me, [the Internet] represents the ultimate portrait of humanity and the
hopes of man. We're trying to convey a sense of the dynamics of digital
culture -- and by not setting a very direct course through it." You can
access Omnizone at: http://www.plexus.org/omnizone/
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