BROADBAND
AT&T's Planned Mediaone Deal Poses Test for U.S. Cable Policy (NYT)
Consumer Benefits from National Internet Policy of Unregulation (FCC)
MEDIA & SOCIETY
The Networks' Empty Promises (NYT)
Seeing Is Believing (ChiTrib)
TV Campaign Urges Parental Communication (WP)
Safe Surfing for Web-wary Parents (USA)
TELEVISION
Networks Invest in Personalized TV (SJM)
AOL, TiVo Join on Enhancing TV via Net (SJM)
INTERNET
Advertising: Net Advertising Potential Is Large (NYT)
Microsoft to Publish Specifications for Its Instant-Messaging
Service (WSJ)
Health Sites Are a Second Opinion, Not a Substitute for Doctor's
Care (WSJ)
Asia's Wireless Operators Await A Movement Beyond Just Voices (WSJ)
EDTECH
Online Classes Let Small Colleges Expand Offerings (CyberTimes)
Mentoring With A Twist (USA)
BROADBAND
AT&T'S PLANNED MEDIAONE DEAL POSES TEST FOR U.S. CABLE POLICY
Issue: Broadband/Internet/Cable
"Regulators should never accept a massive concentration in one market as a
condition for increasing local competition in another," Mark Cooper,
director of research at the Consumer Federation of America, said. "This
merger breaks all the rules." The Federal Communications Commission and the
U.S. Department of Justice will review AT&T's bid to purchase Mediaone for
$58 million. AT&T executives say the acquisition is needed to establish a
cable network so vast and powerful that it will provide high-speed Internet
service, cable television and telephone service that can compete with the
regional Bell companies. "This merger will result in inflated cable and
broadband Internet service prices for consumers and thwart the development
of vibrant competition in these markets," wrote three groups -- Consumers
Union, the Consumer Federation of America and the Media Access Project -- in
a letter to the Justice Department on Tuesday. AT&T's response: By growing
so quickly, the company will benefit many millions of telephone customers
nationwide by using the newly acquired cable lines to break into local
telephone markets that have been dominated by a handful of Bell companies
fiercely resistant to competition. "AT&T's proposed acquisition is a blatant
blatant violation of our nation's antitrust laws and our nation's
competition laws,' said Gene Kimmelman, co-director of the Washington office
of Consumers Union.
[SOURCE: New York Times (C1), AUTHOR: Stephen Labaton]
(http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/att-mediaone.html)
See Also:
COALITION OPPOSES AT&T DEAL
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E03), AUTHOR: Shu Shin Luh]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/feed/a12343-1999aug18.htm)
CONSUMER GROUPS URGE AGENCIES TO BLOCK AT&T-MEDIAONE DEAL
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Mark Wingfield]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB934910363292111901.htm)
CONSUMER BENEFITS FROM NATIONAL INTERNET POLICY OF UNREGULATION
Issue: Broadband/Internet/Cable
From News Release: In a case involving the authority of local governments to
regulate Internet access over cable lines, the Federal Communications
Commission today told a federal appeals court that consumers have benefited
from the FCC's 30-year policy of Internet "unregulation" and that its policy
has successfully spurred deployment of new services. The brief asks the
Court to "resolve the dispute presented in a narrow fashion."
FCC Chairman William E. Kennard said, "Internet users want and
expect choice, and as the drivers of the market, they will not be satisfied
unless they get it. Openness and competition will bring it to them. While we
continue to monitor closely this market's dynamics, I believe it is far too
early for any government regulator to move in."
In an amicus brief filed with the United States Court of Appeals for
the Ninth Circuit in the AT&T v. City of Portland case, the Commission said
that it is "the agency charged with implementing federal communications
policy" and that it is "the only agency with jurisdiction over all the
current providers of broadband technology." The brief noted that
inconsistent regulation of different providers of broadband technology
"could undermine the development of intermodal competition" between cable
operators, wireline telephone companies, providers of wireless
telecommunications services and satellite communications firms.
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Miscellaneous/News_Releases/1999/nrmc9060.html)
MEDIA & SOCIETY
THE NETWORKS' EMPTY PROMISES
Issue: Media & Society
[Op-ed] It's deja vu all over again, writes Alexander. The same questions
raised by the NAACP about the amount of minorities on television were raised
in January of 1968 and March of 1969 when he chaired the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission. We're working with outside production firms to
minority talent on screen, ABC promised. We're trying to honesty reflect
contemporary society, said NBC. Alexander ends, "The networks have hired
more minority executives, but not nearly enough. They still act as if they
are accountable only to some misplaced view of what their financial experts
say will attract advertising dollars. Unfortunately, there is little reason
to believe they will fulfill their promises now any more than they did three
decades ago. I would like to be hopeful, but history teaches us that
skepticism rather than optimism is the order of the day."
[SOURCE: New York Times (A25), AUTHOR: Clifford L. Alexander served as
chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from 1967 to 1969.]
(http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/oped/18alex.html)
SEEING IS BELIEVING
Issue: Media & Society
[Op-ed] Murphy's reaction to a New York Times article on the gap between
African-American students' and White students' test scores. Murphy suggests
that standardized, written test do not accurately score people's
intelligence. Murphy also suggests that television and the movies teach kids
that African Americans are inadequate and inferior. He concludes,
"African-American kids should be able to watch television (and movies) and
see the type of black people who exist all over this country: honest,
God-fearing people. Folks who make sacrifices, raise families and grapple
with personal and moral issues. But in trying to raise their children, they
are constantly fighting an uphill battle against images that unconsciously
send the message to their kids that they aren't equal to other children."
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune (Sec1, p.21), AUTHOR: Patrick Murphy, Cook County
(IL) Public Guardian]
(http://chicagotribune.com/news/commentary/printedition/article/0,2669,SAV-9
908180195,FF.html)
TV CAMPAIGN URGES PARENTAL COMMUNICATION
Issue: Advertising/Media &Society
Tonight, TVs around the nation will be carrying messages telling parents to
talk to their children about violence. More than twenty major networks will
air public service announcements in which President Clinton urges viewers,
"Please, talk with your kids." The Ad Council calls the ad campaign - which
will reach millions of viewers tonight alone - an "unprecedented" effort.
The 30-second announcements feature several children talking about
potentially violent incidents at school and urges viewers to call a
toll-free number to receive further information on the issue.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (A4), AUTHOR: Charles Babington]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/daily/aug99/clintons18.htm)
SAFE SURFING FOR WEB-WARY PARENTS
Issue: Internet Content/Media & Society
This article covers different sites for parents to visit such as this.com
and FamilyClick.com to get help supervising their childrens' Web activity.
Various packages are examined to see what materials are blocked and which
packages work best. Organizations are realizing that the Supreme Court will
never allow any legislation that bans pornography so they are coming up with
new ideas for filtering sites for parents.
[SOURCE: USA Today, 1D, AUTHOR: Stephanie Armour]
(http://www.usatoday.com)
TELEVISION
NETWORKS INVEST IN PERSONALIZED TV
Issue: Television
Several television and cable networks are investing in a company that makes
digital video recorders that are expected to one day replace VCR's. Time
Warner, Walt Disney, Showtime, the Tribune Co. and Liberty Media Group,
among others are expected to announce today that they are investing $57
million in Replay Networks, a leading maker of personal video recorders
(PVRs). Essentially, PVRs are set-top boxes that can find and
record many hours of shows that fit an individual viewer's tastes. They also
allow instant replays of live television. One major selling point that
customers won't be hearing much about is a quick-skip feature that allows
viewers to bypass commercials in seconds. With new investment from major
networks, the company may be forced to re-consider the quick-skip feature
altogether, "It's not our goal to destroy an advertising-based business
model," said Replay Networks spokesman Jim Plant "We know there will be
people who want to skip commercials. The goal for us is to find other ways
for companies to deliver their messages."
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Michael Warren (Associated Press)]
(http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/breaking/ap/docs/764597l.htm)
AOL, TIVO JOIN ON ENHANCING TV VIA NET
Issue: Internet/Television
America Online has just announced plans to develop a set-top box that
brings the Internet to TV and helps viewers find and record programs. AOL
is teaming up with TiVo, which makes video recorders that automatically
locate and record shows that match users' tastes. The least expensive TiVo
recorder currently sells for $499 plus a $9.95 monthly service fee. The two
companies will not say how much their combined product will cost. AOL has
plans to offer a variety of set-top boxes that use Internet technology to
enhance TV viewing, including the AOL-TiVo box and one that uses DirecTV
satellite TV service.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Jon Healey]
(http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/indepth/docs/tivo081899.htm)
INTERNET
ADVERTISING: NET ADVERTISING POTENTIAL IS LARGE
Issue: Advertising/Internet
Advertising on the Internet is still seen as long on potential and short on
success stories. But Jupiter Communications an Internet research firm,
projects $11.5 billion in spending for online advertising in 2003, compared
with $2.1 billion in 1998. Within four years, Jupiter predicts, advertising
on the Internet will outrank cable television and magazines and will be
vying for #3 with radio behind broadcast television and newspapers.
Advertisers are recognizing the Internet's potential for branding as opposed
to direct sales. Patrick Keane, an analyst with Jupiter, said, "Advertisers
are going to realize that they have to integrate their campaigns across all
media," instead of merely adding a Web site address to "a TV ad or whatever
else they're doing." Keane explains, "the fragmented nature of media
consumption means marketers will need to hit consumers at multiple media
points." "People have been a little myopic about online advertising, just
looking at the fact that the dollars are smaller," he added. "It's not about
the numbers. It's about how the Internet is reinventing advertising."
[SOURCE: New York Times (C6), AUTHOR: Bob Tedeschi]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/08/biztech/articles/18adco.html)
MICROSOFT TO PUBLISH SPECIFICATIONS FOR ITS INSTANT-MESSAGING SERVICE
Issue: Competition
Microsoft plans to publish the technical specifications for its MSN
Messenger software by the end of this month and is encouraging other
providers of instant-messaging services to adopt its approach in order to
let their users exchange messages with Microsoft's customers. The move is
intended to increase pressure on AOL to allow interconnections between its
service and other systems. The instant messaging technology is expected to
serve as the foundation for a host of more-advanced Internet services,
including audio and video conferencing. AOL has rejected suggestions it make
its technical specifications freely available until an industry-standards
body, the Internet Engineering Task Force, settles on a common approach --
but Rob Bennett, a Microsoft marketing director, said, Prodigy
Communications, Tribal Voice, and PeopleLink have agreed to support
Microsoft's protocols. Microsoft says they are hoping to open up instant
messaging to other competitors and that these standards create
interoperability between the technologies.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: David Bank]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB934939138869281427.htm)
HEALTH SITES ARE A SECOND OPINION, NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR DOCTOR'S CARE
Issue: Health Online
Don't rely any less on your doctor's advice -- some of the material on the
Internet for health information is out of date and rife with multiple
agendas that put product sales before an individual's health interests.
Most general health sites carry medical information, wellness advice or a
mix of both. But MedicaLogic CEO Dr. Mark Leavitt said misdiagnosing an
illness isn't the only concern raised by these sites. "You could miss
something or worry unnecessarily about something you don't have." Theories
about the sudden popularity of health sites are that the Internet has made
it easy to disseminate information that has long been in demand and that
some people question the purity of doctors' motives today. People blame
financial pressure from insurers and health-maintenance organizations on
doctors. Online health sites offer an easily accessed, inexpensive and
understandable second opinion. What surprises physicians is that, so far,
there hasn't been a highly publicized case in which someone has substituted
Web information for a doctor's care, resulting in a misdiagnosis.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: John Dodge]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB934829011827605227.htm)
ASIA'S WIRELESS OPERATORS AWAIT A MOVEMENT BEYOND JUST VOICES
Issue: International/Wireless/Internet
Asia has some of the world's highest mobile phone penetration rates, yet
some of the lowest Internet penetration rates. The low penetration numbers
for the Internet could change very rapidly in the coming months as several
telecommunications companies are introducing the Internet via cellular
phones. Hong Kong's Cable & Wireless HKT, SmarTone, KG Telecom in Taiwan
and Singapore Telecommunications are introducing wireless phones capable of
browsing the Web that will hit the market in the next few months. While
Asians have been slow to embrace the Internet when compared with Americans
and Europeans, they are gadget lovers and often jump on new technologies.
What's more, mobile phones are often seen as status symbols. In addition,
the high cellular-phone penetration in several of Asia's countries also
makes the medium a much quicker way to wire up the large numbers of people
that still aren't online. In the past six months, more than a million
Internet-capable mobile phones have been sold by Japan's NTT Mobile
Communications. "Without a doubt, mobile-phone companies will have to
provide this type of access if they want to retain a competitive edge,"
says Pete Hitchen, an analyst with market-research firm International Data
Corp. Mr. Chau, director of engineering at Smartone Telecommunications, one
of the largest cellular-phone companies in Hong Kong, predicts,
"Eventually, more people [in Asia] will access the Internet with their
mobile phones than with fixed lines and personal computers."
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Connie Ling]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB934907448997008456.htm)
EDTECH
ONLINE CLASSES LET SMALL COLLEGES EXPAND OFFERINGS
Issue: EdTech
The Internet has enabled some smaller colleges to provide their students
with resources and classes previously exclusive to larger schools and
universities. A group of students from small liberal arts colleges in the
South recently took advantage of an online archaeology course that prepared
them for a real archaeological dig in Turkey. None of the schools offered
archaeology classes themselves, but were able to use the Internet to help
meet students' needs. "Technology could really provide them with the
advantages of being able to maintain the virtues of smallness, and get over
some of the defects," said Mary P. McPherson, a vice president of the
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which provides grants to projects exploring
the educational uses of technology. There is little data on either how many
colleges are engaging in such uses of technology, or how effective these
projects are at enhancing learning. "Is technology making education broader,
cheaper and more
effective?" asks Gregory C. Farrington, president of Lehigh University in
Bethlehem, Pa. "Or is it merely glitzy and glittery?"
[SOURCE: CyberTimes, AUTHOR: Pamela Mendels]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/08/cyber/education/18education.html)
MENTORING WITH A TWIST
Issue: EdTech
Employees are now using the Web for e-mentoring. This is where experienced
professions meet via the Web, forming short-term or long-lasting e-mail
connections for career and professional mentoring. Women in Technology
International (WITI) has women in the technology field mentoring others,
answering questions like, "How do I find venture capital." Mighty Mentors is
a e-mentoring service for teachers, where they can find a mentor based on
grade, location and subject taught. E-mentoring is expected to grow into
other industries as more workers look for mentors they can
tap for career advice.
[SOURCE: USA Today, 1B, AUTHOR: Stephanie Armour]
(http://www.usatoday.com)
--------------------------------------------------------------