Communications-related Headlines for 8/29/01

INTERNET
One-Fourth Of '.Info' Addresses May Be Frauds - Study
Half A Billion People Online - Survey (WP)
AOL Ponders Market, and Policies, in China (WP)

BROADBAND
In Capitol, AT&T and Bells Fight to Control Web Access (NYT)

ANTITRUST
Secret Policeman (WP)

INTERNET

HALF A BILLION PEOPLE ONLINE - SURVEY
Issue: Internet
According to figures released by Nielsen/Netratings today, is approaching
half a billion people online worldwide. The survey notes an increase of 30
million people online since the first quarter of 2001, reaching a projected
459 million people globally. The firm claims it now measures 93 percent of
the online universe, after adding Argentina, India, South Africa and Israel
to its latest quarterly survey. The firm already measured 30 nations in
North America, the Middle East, the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America.
The U.S. and Canada together accounted for 40% of the world's online
population; down 1% from June 2001. Europe and the Middle East-Africa region
account for 27 percent of the world's Internet population; the Asia-Pacific
totals 22 percent and Latin America remains almost unchanged at 4 percent.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Kevin Featherly (Newsbytes)]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/media/12164-1.html)

ONE-FOURTH OF '.INFO' ADDRESSES MAY BE FRAUDS - STUDY
Issue: Internet
A study performed by University of Minnesota Professor Robert Connor
estimates that one-fourth of the 50,000 addresses registered thus far in the
nascent ".info" Internet domain may have been obtained fraudulently. His
study looked at a universe of 11,500 addresses purchased during the .info
"sunrise period," which ended on Monday. "Sunrise squatters are a serious
problem, probably affecting between 15 percent (and) 25 percent of Sunrise
registrations," Connor concluded in his report. "Unless these problems can
be thoroughly corrected, use of sunrise periods in future top level domain
names may be in doubt." In an effort to make it easier for trademark holders
to obtain the .info addresses that match their trademarked names, Afilias
set aside the first month of the new domain's operation as a sunrise period,
during which trademark holders were permitted to register their proprietary
names in .info. Shortly after making the database available to the public it
became obvious that some had misrepresented themselves as trademark holders
in order to snatch up the most attractive .info Internet addresses before
they became widely available.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: David McGuire, Newsbytes.com]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/netarch/12179-1.html)

AOL PONDERS MARKET, AND POLICIES, IN CHINA
Issue: Internet
In May, as AOL Time Warner Inc. prepared to unveil a joint venture it hoped
would open the Chinese market for AOL's Internet services, executives
circulated a list of sample media questions that might come up, like: What
would AOL do if the Chinese government demanded names, e-mails or other
records relating to political dissidents? The answer recommended in the
memo was vague. "It is our policy to abide by the laws of the countries in
which we offer services," it said. But human rights groups are trying to
prod AOL - and other U.S. companies - to commit to uphold basic freedoms and
fair labor practices when they do business in the People's Republic of
China, especially because congressional approval of permanent normal trade
relations has all but eliminated the threat of U.S. government sanctions on
Beijing.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Steven Mufson and John Pomfret]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/12180-1.html)

BROADBAND

IN CAPITOL, AT&T AND BELLS FIGHT TO CONTROL WEB ACCESS
Issue: Broadband
Capitol Hill is the site of a fierce battle between the country's regional
Bell telephone companies and the cable giant AT&T over how to best encourage
the deployment of high-speed Internet access into Americans' homes. The
Bells say they need to be unshackled from current regulations that force
them to open all portions of their local networks to competitors. Those
rules, they say, make it uneconomical for them to invest in new high-speed
fiber technologies that would make D.S.L. more reliable and more widely
available. On the other hand, cable companies - lead by AT&T - argue that
the local telephone companies should not be able to wriggle free of
regulations that the Bells themselves agreed to in the Telecommunications
Act of 1996. The two sides have launched full blown lobbying campaigns
around a House bill, sponsored by Billy Tauzin, (R-LA) and, John D. Dingell
(D-MI), that would give the Bells the protections and leeway they are
seeking to justify investments in D.S.L. "I think this is the most intense
lobbying battle I've seen in my career; there are jokes on television about
the commercials," said Representative Chris Cannon, a Utah Republican on the
Judiciary Committee who opposes the legislation.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Lizette Alvarez]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/29/technology/29NET.html)
(requires registration)

ANTITURST

SECRET POLICEMAN
Issue: Antitrust
Dale Hatfield claims that he has been busy in the six months since the
Federal Trade Commission asked him to monitor America Online's $112 billion
merger with Time Warner. Hatfield says that he has investigated aspects
relating to the merger, sometimes at the prompting of AOL Time Warner
critics and sometimes on his own initiative. But he's not particularly
forthcoming with the details of the work: "I'd prefer not to comment," he
says. No comments. No report. Not even a crumb to feed inquiring minds: Has
AOL Time Warner made its staff and files available for Hatfield's
inspection? "I'd care not to comment," he says. "I regard my role a little
like that of a judge. I don't think I should talk about my feelings about
how things are going." The choice of Hatfield, a former chief of the Federal
Communications Commission's Office of Engineering and Technology, was widely
considered a good choice by the companies and their critics. But Hatfield's
work has been mostly below the radar, save confidential reports he makes to
the FTC every 90 days. Andrew Schwartzman, president of the Media Access
Project - a nonprofit, public interest law firm - says he finds the lack of
transparency in Hatfield's progress unsettling but not surprising. In
contrast to the Federal Communications Commission's open regulatory
framework, Schwartzman likens the FTC to a district attorney's office, where
information is privileged. And the FTC isn't talking either: "The
law-enforcement action [related to the merger] is still ongoing," said an
FTC spokesman. "We won't be able to comment on his performance until he's
completed his business. That could be four or five years."
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Alex Daniels]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/12173-1.html)

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