Universal Service
Telecom AM: Senators Urge Colleagues to Say No to Budget Gimmick
Telecom AM: Arkansas Asks FCC for School Discount Waiver, Citing
Lack of Authority
Telecom AM: Virginia Seeks Comment on Updating Nonpayment
Disconnection Policies
Content Regulations
NYT: The Ratings: Too Much for Parents or Not Enough?
WP: CompuServ Restricting Access To Content Aimed at Adults
FCC: "WILL THE FCC EVER BE CONTENT WITH CONTENT?"
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* Universal Service *
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Title: Senators Urge Colleagues to Say No to Budget Gimmick
Source: Telecom AM http://www.telecommunications.com/omaha/am/article/970730.5
Issue: Universal Service
Description: Sixteen senators -- including John McCain (R-AZ), Conrad Burns
(R-MT), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), and Ernest Hollings (D-SC) -- sent a letter to
their colleagues urging them to reject a proposal to use Universal Service
Funds to balance the budget. "This unprecedented raid on universal service
could not only drive local phone rates up but it will also renege on the
commitment made under the Telecommunications Act to provide schools,
libraries, and rural health facilities with discounted services," the
senators wrote. "This gimmick is the plug designed to fill the gap for
shortfalls in the revenue projections from other provisions in the
reconciliation bill. What is really outrageous about this is that universal
service revenues never touch the federal treasury, yet this support system
would be used to reach a balanced budget through an interest-free loan to
the federal government."
Title: Arkansas Asks FCC for School Discount Waiver, Citing Lack of Authority
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/omaha/am/article/970730.10
Issue: Universal service
Description: Arkansas has joined North Dakota in asking the Federal
Communications Commission for a waiver of the requirement that the state
establish "universal service discount rates for intrastate telecom services
provided to schools and libraries this year." The Arkansas Public Service
Commission says it lacks authority to set rates of local service providers.
APSC believes the Arkansas legislature could remedy this, but it will not
meet again until January 1999.
Title: Virginia Seeks Comment on Updating Nonpayment Disconnection Policies
Source: Telecom AM http://www.telecommunications.com/omaha/am/article/970730.8
Issue: Universal Service
Description: The Virginia Corporation Commission will review its 10 year-old
policies on disconnection of local service due to nonpayment of toll
charges. Comments are due September 5 in Case PUC-970113 on "whether current
policies need to be expanded to include disconnections by competitive local
exchange providers, and the short-haul toll services provided by each local
provider."
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* Content Regulations *
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Title: The Ratings: Too Much for Parents or Not Enough?
Source: New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/arts/tv-kids-ratings.html(B8)
Author: Walter Goodman
Issue: V-Chip
Description: The commotion over the new TV ratings is whether they ask too
much or too little for parents. Children who have attentive parents may
benefit, but will there be benefits for children of parents who are absent,
too busy or simply don't care? Its hard to argue will giving people more
information, but there's no telling how they will use it.
Title: CompuServ Restricting Access To Content Aimed at Adults
Source: Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-07/30/038l-073097-idx.html
(D9)
Author: Associated Press
Issue: Online Services
Description: CompuServ -- with 5.4 million subscribers worldwide -- will
password protect adult-themed content in a new Adult Community section
starting next week. The content protected will only be CompuServ content,
not that found on the Internet.
At the FCC http://www.fcc.gov
"WILL THE FCC EVER BE CONTENT WITH CONTENT?"
Commissioner Chong Issues Call to Action to California Broadcasters
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Miscellaneous/News_Releases/1997/nrmc7054.html
Speaking to the California Broadcasters Association in Monterey, California,
on July 28, FCC Commissioner Rachelle Chong issued a "call to action to end
the trend of increased government intrusion" into broadcast program content.
Chong cited examples of continuing attempts to impose greater government
control over television content including quantitative guidelines for
children's educational television, calls for free advertising time for
political candidates, TV content ratings and proposed government mandates
for counter-advertising and public service announcements. She urged
broadcasters to "begin speaking out strongly and firmly about why the First
Amendment must be protected for our democracy to stand."
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Thanks for the survey replies -- please keep them coming!!