Universal Service
Telecom AM: Nominations Sought For Universal Service Administrator
Committee
Media Campaigns
NYT: Actor-Director Focusing on Children
Budget Issues
WSJ: Don't Count the Revenue Yet
Arts
WSJ: Taking the Public Out of "Public Art"
Internet Content
NYT: What Vonnegut Didn't Say Is All the Talk on the Internet
Business Ventures
WP: Pepco Plans Phone, Web, Cable Service
WP: MCI and Seattle Company Announce
New Internet Broadcasting System
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* Universal Service *
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Title: Nominations Sought For Universal Service Administrator Committee
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/omaha/am/article/970806.8
Issue: Universal Service
Description: Nominations are due August 22 to the Federal Communications
Commission for membership on the Universal Service Administrator Advisory
Committee (CC Docket 96-45) and August 15 for membership on the board of
directors for three universal service-related entities. The committee will
include representatives of the following: state public utility commissions;
school and library groups; rural health care providers; low-income
consumers; and the telecom industry, including wireless telecom carriers,
incumbent local exchange carriers, competitive local exchange carriers,
interexchange carriers, and private network operators. The administrator
will be appointed for a five-year term. For more information, contact
Frances Downey at 202/418-7371. The FCC also seeks nominations for
membership on the boards of directors (CC Docket Nos. 96-45 and 97-21) of
the Universal Service Administrative Co., the Schools and Libraries Corp.,
and the Rural Health Care Corp., which perform specified functions relating
to administering the universal service support mechanisms. "In order to
minimize controversy surrounding the selection and appointment of board
members and to expedite the appointment process, members of the industry and
non-industry group represented on the USAC, Schools and Libraries Corp., and
Rural Health Care Corp. Boards are encouraged to nominate for each board
seat, a candidate who possesses substantial experience in, and knowledge of,
telecommunications issues," said the FCC. For more information, call
202/418-7391. [For more on universal service see
http://www.benton.org/Policy/Uniserv/]
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* Media Campaigns *
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Title: Actor-Director Focusing on Children
Source: New York Times (A18)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/national/reiner-educ.html
Author: Mary Tabor
Issue: Children
Description: The President's State of the Union Address mentioned nurturing
children from the first days of life. The National Governor's Association's
convention had early child development as a theme. ABC-TV and Newsweek of
done special issues on the subject. Actor-director Rob Reiner and his wife,
Michele Singer Reier, are orchestrating much of this behind the scenes. Mr.
Reiner has put movie making on hold for a year to help run the "I Am Your
Child" campaign. "I now have a power base and a media base and an ability to
reach out to people and get a message across," Mr. Reiner said. "And if I
don't use those capabilities to disseminate this information to the public,
then, I think, that is negligent." [For more information on acting on behalf
of children see http://www.kidscampaigns.org/]
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* Budget Issues *
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Title: Don't Count the Revenue Yet
Source: Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com/ (A14)
Author: James Gattuso, Citizens for a Sound Economy
Issue: Budget Issues/Spectrum
Description: A key element to the balanced budget agreement is a plan to
raise $20 billion on spectrum auctions between now and 2002. But even though
auctions have been successful -- raising revenue for the Treasury and moving
spectrum into the private market quickly -- there have been problems. Some
bidders bit off more than they can chew and are having difficulty paying for
the licenses they won. Some are even facing bankruptcy which could tie up
the spectrum for years. Gattuso suggests that all future winners "Show [the
FCC] the money" before they are declared a license winner. [For more on FCC
spectrum auctions see http://www.fcc.gov/wtb/auctions.html]
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* Arts *
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Title: Taking the Public Out of "Public Art"
Source: Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com/(A14)
Author: Harry Boyte, Humphrey Institute
Nancy Kari, College of St. Catherine
Issue: Arts
Description: In editorial, authors contrast two art openings this year. One
is the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial which, they note, depicts citizens as
passive, waiting to receive government largesse. The other, "A New Deal for
the Arts," celebrates the contributions of "ordinary people" to building the
commonwealth. "We need to retrieve and adapt the idea of commonwealth
democracy...if we are again to have any prospect of productive citizenship
and active democracy."
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* Internet Content *
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Title: What Vonnegut Didn't Say Is All the Talk on the Internet
Source: New York Times (A19)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/080697vonnegut.html
Author: Ian Fisher
Issue: Internet Content
Description: A recent episode "seems to have cemented [Kurt Vonnegut's]
belief that the Internet is not a part of the future worth trusting." An
e-mail message has been circling the globe with Vonnegut's commencement
address at MIT. The author did not write or deliver the speech however, the
text came from Mary Schmich of the Chicago Tribune. "How can I know whether
I'm being kidded or not, or lied to?" Vonnegut asks. "I don't know what the
point is, except how gullible people are on the Internet." (Yeah, but it
makes for great dinner conversation, Kurt)
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* Business Ventures *
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Title: Pepco Plans Phone, Web, Cable Service
Source: Washington Post (A1)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/digest/biz3.htm
Author: Martha Hamilton & Mike Mills
Issue: Competition
Description: While many telecommunications companies are backing off of
competing in local phone and cable TV markets, Potomac Electric Power
Company (Pepco) will soon offer District of Columbia customers phone,
Internet, and cable services. The joint venture will RCN Corp of Princeton,
NJ will invest $300 million to build out Pepco's fiber optic network to
reach area home. Service will begin in the District and surrounding areas
and eventually reach the entire 6.6 million-household Washington-Baltimore
region.
Title: MCI and Seattle Company Announce New Internet Broadcasting System
Source: Washington Post (D11)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-08/06/030l-080697-
idx.html
Author: Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Issue: Info Tech/Internet Content
Description: MCI and Progressive Networks are teaming up to provide better
audio and video transmissions over the Internet. The companies plan to sell
the services to businesses that operate Web sites including cable TV
stations, sports teams, and record companies. Consumers do not have to pay
for the service.
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