Phone Regulation
FCC Halts Ameritech-Qwest Deal While It Reviews Legality
(TelecomAM)
Bell Atlantic to Ask FCC to Declare Internet Traffic
Interstate (TelecomAM)
Internet
Differences Over Privacy On the Internet (NYT)
China and Net Are Odd Bedfellows (CyberTimes)
Nonprofits
A Closer Look at Nonprofits (ChiTrib)
Minorities/Jobs
Testing for Discrimination Gains Wider Acceptance (WSJ)
Computers
A Push for Kid's Computer Literacy (CyberTimes)
Microsoft Delays Release of Windows NT Revamp (WSJ)
Cable
Cable Internet Access Coming to Alexandria (WP)
Advertising
Advertising: Lowe & Partners/SMS Will Promote
Commercials for CBS (NYT)
** Phone Regulation **
Title: FCC Halts Ameritech-Qwest Deal While It Reviews Legality
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Long Distance
Description: The Federal Communications Commission has ordered local phone
giant Ameritech to stop enrolling its customers for Qwest's long distance
service and to cease marketing Qwest's service for 90 days. The FCC will
investigate if the arrangement is legal. The FCC said that said it had to
stop the joint marketing deal "before there are any lasting effects."
Title: Bell Atlantic to Ask FCC to Declare Internet Traffic Interstate
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Internet/Telephone Regulation
Description: Bell Atlantic regulatory officials Ed Young and Thomas Tauke
announced at a news conference yesterday that the local phone giant will ask
the Commission to declare that Internet traffic is interstate, and not
subject to the reciprocal compensation rules of other local traffic. Bell
Atlantic and other Baby Bells content that the current rules favor new
telephone companies: "new local entrants that serve Internet Service
Providers (ISPs) receive more money from incumbents for terminating calls to
the ISPs than they pay for transferring traffic to the incumbents' networks,
because ISPs receive a great deal of traffic but send comparatively little
back to the incumbent," TelecomAm reports. Bell Atlantic reports that it
receives just 1 minute of Internet traffic for every 7 minutes that it sends
to ISPs served by its competitors; it will pay $150 to $200 million more in
reciprocal compensation than it will receive this year. Bell Atlantic argues
that new entrants have less incentive to win local customers because they
would lose the ISP reciprocal compensation and ISPs are discouraged from
using high-speed networks because they are "rewarded" for using the old
network.
** Internet **
Title: Differences Over Privacy On the Internet
Source: New York Times (C1)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/07/biztech/articles/01privacy.html
Author: John Markoff
Issue: Privacy
Description: Growth of electronic commerce over the Internet may be slowed
by differences between European and American governments' approaches to
privacy. The Clinton Administration favors self-regulation of industry while
the European Union is toughening laws which restrict the ability of
businesses to collect personal information without an individual's
permission. After reviewing new Internet browser privacy standards -- the
Privacy Preferences Project (P3P) and the Open Profiling Standard (OPS) --
the EU's Working Party on the Protection of Individuals' Personal Data
issued a report criticizing the technology stating "We believe technology
has a role to play in enhancing privacy protection, but we have some
concerns about seeing technology as the magic bullet." The technology, the
Committee recommends, still needs to be applied within a framework of
enforceable laws.
Title: China and Net Are Odd Bedfellows
Source: New York Times (CyberTimes)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/07/cyber/articles/01china.html
Author: Matt Richtel
Issue: Censorship/Access
Description: The Chinese government is working to portray itself as more
permissive of "expression and the free flow of information these days," and
some outsiders believe that the Internet is partially responsible. They say
that the growth of the Internet has made it almost impossible for the
government to restrict information flow to the degree it has in the past.
But in reality, the Internet has left the Chinese government with conflicted
feelings. "On one hand the government has made it a criminal offense to use
the Internet to access or spread anti-government information, a law that
wields symbolic power, even if it's not easily enforceable. On the other,
China is desperate to participate in the high-tech revolution and is eager
to put the engine of the new economy into citizens' hands." David Brooks,
director of international product strategy for Microsoft Corp., predicts
that "within a couple of years, the aggregate consumption of PC's in China
will be among the highest in the world." But access to the Internet, as in
much of the world, is lagging. In part, this is because China's telephone
infrastructure is sorely lacking and thus creating a serious barrier to
Internet access. For a better idea of China's current infrastructure, here
are some comparative numbers according to the World Competitiveness Report:
for every 1,000 residents in China, there are 55 phone lines, compared to
626 in the United States, 182 in Russia or 451 in South Korea.
** Nonprofits **
Title: A Closer Look at Nonprofits
Source: Chicago Tribune (Sec 1, p.28)
http://chicago.tribune.com/textversion/article/0,1492,SAV-9807010327,00....
Author: Chicago Trib Editorial Staff
Issue: Nonprofits
Description: A new survey of 441 nonprofits in Illinois by the Illinois
Facilities Fund and the Donors Forum finds that half of their income -- more
than $20 billion -- comes from government contracts and grants. The survey
is part of an effort led by Independent Sector, an organization that works
on behalf of the philanthropic community, to encourage more charitable
giving, volunteering, and support for policies that favor nonprofits. Rep
Philip Crane (R-IL) has sponsored the Charitable Giving Relief Act, a bill
that "would allow taxpayers who do not itemize deductions on their tax
returns to deduct 50 percent of their annual charitable contributions in
excess of $500. Supporters estimate that the measure -- which would cost the
U.S. Treasury $12.1 billion over five years -- would generate $16.5 billion
in giving over that time, including $762 million in Illinois. It's a
tradeoff that may be worth considering." Nonprofits are trying to follow
business by streamlining operations and diversifying funding. "Still, these
organizations aren't businesses. Part of their value and appeal is that they
are driven by a sense of mission rather than by money. Their diverse scope
allows citizens of all persuasions an opportunity to act on their ideals and
convictions. Any effort that illuminates their unique contributions and as
well as their needs is valuable."
** Minorities/Jobs **
Title: Testing for Discrimination Gains Wider Acceptance
Source: Wall Street Journal (B1)
http://wsj.com/
Author: Leon E. Wynter
Issue: Minorities/Jobs
Description: The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has
launched a pilot project to compare how two -- so-called matched-pair
testers -- investigators of differing skin colors and posing as consumers
are treated. The project will monitor hiring in Washington D.C. and Chicago.
Critics say that setting up fake encounters, rather than looking at
statistical data, is equivalent to entrapment. "In many ways, testing is a
more intrusive approach in that you have people going into the workplace,
initiating the process, without any intention of working for you," says
William Milani, an attorney with Epstein Becker & Green, New York. "That's
what employers find troublesome." But the EEOC says it is counting on the
cooperation of most businesses. "We're hopeful that a responsible testing
program will support the companies that do what they can to avoid
discrimination and help us find those who are not," says action EEOC
Chairman Paul Igasaki.
** Computers **
Title: A Push for Kid's Computer Literacy
Source: New York Times (CyberTimes)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/07/cyber/education/01education.html
Author: Rebecca Mendels
Issue: Computer Literacy
Description: A panel of experts in technology and education have suggested a
new set of standards on what young students should know about computers and
other devices. The group is recommending that children as young as four
years old being to learn such high-tech basics as how to use a keyboard and
a mouse. Critics of the proposal say that children have plenty of time later
in their academic life to learn about technology and that early exposure may
do more harm than good. The new guidelines were recently published by the
International Society for Technology in Education, a professional
organization of about 44,000 technology teachers, school district technology
coordinators and education professors. The suggested standards are part of a
larger, ongoing project, the National Educational Technology Standards
Project, which will eventually develop guidelines on related issues such as
how teachers can "weave" technology use into their curriculum. You can
access the International Society for Technology In Education's Web site at:
http://www.iste.org/
Title: Microsoft Delays Release of Windows NT Revamp
Source: Wall Street Journal (A3,A6)
http://wsj.com/
Author: David Bank
Issue: Software
Description: The Microsoft Corp said it would postpone delivery of a second
test version of its Windows NT operating system, a product said to be
pivotal in shaping Microsoft's success in taking over big corporate
computing jobs. The software giant wouldn't disclose a date for shipping the
final product, but analysts predict that the decision would delay shipment
from three to six months.
** Cable **
Title: Cable Internet Access Coming to Alexandria
Source: Washington Post (C11,C14)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-07/01/055l-070198-idx.html
Author: Mike Mills
Issue: Cable
Description: At Home Corp., a Redwood City, Calif.-based company owned by
Tele-Communications Inc., which is being acquired by AT&T Corp., announced
Tuesday that it would bring high-speed Internet access and "proprietary"
news and information service to Alexandria, VA cable TV subscribers later
this year. During yesterday's announcement, At Home Chief Executive Thomas
A. Jermoluk had harsh words for America Online Chairman Steve Case, who
suggested last week that cable operators be required to let competitors hook
into their networks, similar to local phone companies. Steve Case said he
was "confident that under AT&T's ownership, TCI's cable infrastructure will
be opened up so we and others can purchase broadband connectivity wholesale
and make it available to our online customers." Case added: "We look forward
to entering into a broadband reseller agreement with AT&T once the merger
with TCI is complete." Case'e comments "certainly do nothing but [anger]
cable operators such as ourselves," said Thomas Jermoluk. "If he expects up
to put in all this plant and upgrade our capacity and provide broadband
high-speed access to him without him sharing any of his revenue with us,
he's nuts. Nobody wants to become a dumb pipe in this equation." The higher
speeds offered by At Home will allow it to provide the customer with
something AOL cannot: custom video and audio services, including TV - and
radio - like updates from Bloomberg News and CNN.
** Advertising **
Title: Advertising: Lowe & Partners/SMS Will Promote Commercials for CBS
Source: New York Times (C4)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/brands-ad-column.html
Author: Stuart Elliott
Issue: Advertising
Description: Out to gain a younger audience, CBS launched a new series of
promotional commercials over the last two weeks. The ads are to convince
viewers that CBS loves television as much as any other network. One ad
depicts make-believe mobsters caught on surveillance camera outside a
"Goodfellas"-type social club discussing how much they like CBS programs.
Disney's ABC is dropping last year's campaign "TV is good" for a less
cynical "We love TV" for this season.
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Altogether now: "TV is GOOD and WE LOVE IT!"