BROADCASTING
Pediatricians Urge Parents to Ban TV for Kids Under 2 (ChiTrib)
FCC Ordered to Justify Its 'Right of Reply' Rules (WSJ)
EDTECH
More Publishers Adapt Textbooks to Digital Era (CyberTimes)
E-COMMERCE
House Passes Bill to Restrict Online Liquor Sales (CyberTimes)
Stores With Doors Not Passe' (USA)
TELEPHONY
Baby Bells Expected to Get Price Flexibility (WSJ)
Unbundled Network Elements (NTIA)
EMPLOYMEMT
Boost In Tech Visas Backed (SJM)
INTERNET
Are Women Resisting the Computer Revolution? (ChiTrib)
Putting D.C. Online (LA Times)
Excite/Athome Denies Yahoo! Merger (SMJ)
AOL-Radiant Plan Will Let Users Check E-mail While They Fill Their
Gas Tanks (WSJ)
The Check is On the Net (USA)
SATELLITES
Even A Sky Can Have Limits (NYT)
BROADCASTING
PEDIATRICIANS URGE PARENTS TO BAN TV FOR KIDS UNDER 2
Issue: Media & Society
Based upon research on early brain development, the American Academy of
Pediatrics released a new policy statement yesterday urging parents to ban
television for children younger than 2. Research shows that babies and
toddlers have a critical need for direct interactions with parents and other
caregivers for healthy brain growth. "Children under 2 should be interacting
with a puzzle or digging in the dirt -- anything that is active," said Dr.
Miriam Baron, assistant professor of pediatrics at Louisiana State
University in New Orleans and the chairwoman of the AAP committee that
forged the policy. AAP officials are also encouraging parents to remove TV
sets, video games and computers from the bedrooms of older children to
create "an electronic media-free environment." "Their bedrooms should be a
sanctuary, a place where kids can reflect on what happened that day, where
they can sit down and read a book," said Baron, who said TV sets and
computers should be placed in the family room or home office.
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune (p.1), AUTHOR: Karen Ann Cullotta]
(http://chicagotribune.com/news/printedition/article/0,2669,SAV-9908040338,F
F.html)
FCC ORDERED TO JUSTIFY ITS 'RIGHT OF REPLY' RULES
Issue: FCC
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia asked the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) to justify its regulations requiring
broadcasters to grant political candidates 'right of reply' air time. One
rules requires TV and radio stations to provide opportunity for political
candidates to respond to editorials that attack them or support opposing
candidates. Another rule requires stations that air attacks on any
individual or group to provide an opportunity to reply. Broadcasters say
that the rules should be nixed because they were based on the Fairness
Doctrine, which is no longer in effect. The court did not find the
broadcasters' argument sufficiently compelling to end the rules, but did
ask the FCC why it had not modified or repealed the 'right of reply' rules
after the Fairness Doctrine was struck down.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Staff Reporter]
(http://www.wsj.com)
EDTECH
MORE PUBLISHERS ADAPT TEXTBOOKS TO DIGITAL ERA
Issue: EdTech
"Essentials of American Government" is one of about 200 college textbooks
being issued in both print and electronic form (a CD-ROM accompanies the
textbook and has links to relevant sources for further research). "We've
got instructors interested in bringing the Web and interactive material
into the classroom," said Patricia Leonard, senior vice president and
general manager of distribution for Pearson Higher Education. "They are
trying to teach the MTV generation. Doing simple 'chalk-and-talk' and
teaching out of textbooks is tried and true, but you've got a new
generation of students quite adept at using technology." Companies are
trying to cater to this new audience and hold onto their franchise in an
electronic age. They are interested in reducing costs for themselves (in
book binding and shipping), but now must worry about monitoring the
copyrighted materials they digitize. How receptive students will be,
however, is still unknown.
[SOURCE: New York Times (CyberTimes), AUTHOR: Pamela Mendels]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/08/cyber/education/04education.html)
E-COMMERCE
HOUSE PASSES BILL TO RESTRICT ONLINE LIQUOR SALES
Issue: E-Commerce
The House passed a bill yesterday that would allow state attorney's
generals to prosecute out-of-state companies for violating state
restrictions on alcohol sales. The Senate has attached similar legislation
to an appropriation bill. The White House has generally opposed any new
regulations on e-commerce, but has not yet stated its official position on
either bill. Originally, the House bill was meant to reduce the
availability of alcohol to minors shopping online. It escalated to an
argument between large liquor distributors and small businesses that have
to fight for limited shelf space in traditional retail outlets. These
budding wineries and breweries are eager to take advantage of the Internet
to market their products online and oppose the bill.
[SOURCE: New York Times (CyberTimes), AUTHOR: Jeri Clausing]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/08/cyber/articles/04liquor.html)
STORES WITH DOORS NOT PASSE'
Issue: E-commerce
Retail stores such as L.L. Bean as still building the old brick and mortar
stores. They feel that people still want to physically try on their
clothes. Internet sales only account for about 1% of all retail sales and
catalog sales were only $52.3 billion v. $2.7 trillion for traditional
stores sales in 1998. Bill Shea, L.L. Bean's retail manager, said that L.L.
Bean's Freeport, Maine store rang up $131 million of their $1 billion
dollars in sales. Richard Feinberg, professor of consumer sciences and
retailing at Purdue University said, "