Germany's Efforts to Police Web Are Upsetting Business
Libraries Will Get $16 Million In New Aid From Budget Deal
Code Word: Disaster
Florida Phone Firm to buy Local Internet Pioneer
France Telecom Sale on Hold
Microsoft Helps D.C. Libraries Get Connected
Network-TV Sales Head Skyward As Audience Size Remains A Lure
All Eyes Are on Top German Regulator
Internet Porn Could Be A Thorn In Libraries' Side
Congress Considers New Auctions in Budget Reconciliation Plan
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Title: Germany's Efforts to Police Web Are Upsetting Business
Source: New York Times (A1)
Author: Edmund Andrews
Issue: Internet/International
Description: A German woman is in court she maintained a Internet home page
with a link to a left-wing paper called Radikal. The paper includes tips on
making bombs and derailing trains. German authorities are pressing hard to
control content on the Internet. In Germany, it is illegal to run sites with
pornography or offer "youth endangering" material that glorifies violence,
promotes racial hatred or bends morals.
Title: Libraries Will Get $16 Million In New Aid From Budget Deal
Source: New York Times (A34)
Author: Clifford Levy
Issue: Libraries
Description: New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and City Council leaders
agreed to a budget that includes $16 million in new aid for the city's
libraries. Funds are intended to help local branches increase their book
purchases. "This remarkable effort on the part of New York's
leaders...underscores the important role of neighborhood libraries in the
city's initiative to improve reading skills, " said Paul LeClerc, President
of the New York Public Library.
Title: Code Word: Disaster
Source: Washington Post (A27)
Author: James P. Moran
Issue: Encryption
Description: This op-ed by Moran, a Democratic representative from
Virginia, encourages the US to stop regulating encryption policies under the
Arms Control Act and to start letting the Commerce Department make
decisions. Also, the government's prohibitions on the exportation of strong
encryption programs and demand for key recovery programs could have a
devastating effect on the growth of what so far has been a very successful
industry for the US.
Title: Florida Phone Firm to buy Local Internet Pioneer
Source: Washington Post (G1)
Author: Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Issue: Media Mergers
Description: A Beltsville, MD Internet firm, Digex, is being bought by
Intermedia Communications, a Florida phone company, for $150 million.
Title: France Telecom Sale on Hold
Source: Washington Post (G3)
Author: Anne Swardson
Issue: International
Description: France Telecom was planning to "start its first stage of
privatization" next week, but the Socialist party's win in Sunday's
elections may put these plans indefinitely on hold. The new French prime
minister does not believe that profits should be made off public services.
Selling stock was part of France Telecom's way of gearing up for the global
competition when the European market opens on January 1. Most other
European communications companies have privatized partly or completely.
Title: Microsoft Helps D.C. Libraries Get Connected
Source: Washington Post from 6/5/97
Author: Vernon Loeb and Elizabeth Corcoran
Issue: Libraries
Description: Microsoft donated $1 million of computers, software, and
technical expertise to DC's MLK Library as part of an effort to connect the
District's 26 libraries to the Internet in the next 12 months. MLK Library
now has a computer lab with 16 state-of-the-art computers each with an Internet
connection. This gift was very good news for local libraries because the
DC Control Board cut the city's library budget by $1.5 million. Microsoft's gift
was part of the Libraries Online! initiative in partnership with the
American Library Association.
Title: Network-TV Sales Head Skyward As Audience Size Remains A Lure
Source: Wall Street Journal 6/5/97
Author: Sally Goll Beatty
Issue: TV/Advertising
Description: "Advance sales of advertising time on the Big Four broadcast
networks for the 1997-98 season are expected to hit a record $6 billion, up
roughly 6% from $5.6 billion a year ago, even though the network share of
the TV audience keeps shrinking." As one executive put it, advertisers
have many more outlets to reach people, but television is still the best way
to hit a mass audience. "Because of dwindling-audience factors advertisers
in many cases are paying double-digit percentage price increases to reach
the same number of viewers as last year."
Title: All Eyes Are on Top German Regulator
Source: Wall Street Journal (B7B)
Author: Silvia Ascarelli
Issue: International
Description: Germany has passed sweeping telecom legislation that
liberalizes Europe's biggest market. But -- as we know from implementation
of our Telecom Act of 1996 -- legislation is only the first step. The
question now is will Germany's top telecom regulator favor the state-owned
Deutsche Telekom AG over new competitors like AT&T?
Title: Internet Porn Could Be A Thorn In Libraries' Side
Source: Chicago Tribune
Author: Eric Zorn
Issue: Libraries
Description: Columnist Zorn is facilitating online debate Internet access at
public libraries. "Suspend my privileges at Liberalism Lodge if you
must...but I say libraries and librarians are asking for trouble if they
don't act vigorously to restrict minors from highly salty spots in
cyberspace." Trib site includes a follow-up article with a replies from
Chuck Munson, a Washington librarian, and readers.
Title: Congress Considers New Auctions in Budget Reconciliation Plan
Source: Telecommunications Reports Daily
Issue: Spectrum/Budget Issues
Description: Despite the shortcomings and criticisms of recent spectrum
auctions, Congress is considering mandating more to raise revenue for the
Treasury. The House Telecom Subcommittee is considering raising $27 billion
from the federal departments and agencies under its jurisdiction -- mainly
through spectrum auction.
At the FCC
Chairman Hundt's 6/5/97 Speech to the National Catholic Conference
Communications Committee in Washington, D.C.
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