OWNERSHIP
AOL Time Warner Said to Be Pursuing AT&T's Cable Unit (NYT)
Court Weighs Easing Limits on Big Media (NYT)
INTERNET
Seniors Online: Few, but Fervent (Reuters)
Individuals, Companies Using ".org" Won't be Evicted, Task Force
Decides (SJM)
Kids, Academics Share Internet2 (WIRED)
WIRELESS
Intel to Ship Higher-Speed Wireless Tech (CNET)
Satellite Service Awaits FCC Approval to Offer Ad-Free Radio (USA)
OWNERSHIP
AOL TIME WARNER SAID TO BE PURSUING AT&T'S CABLE UNIT
Issue: Ownership
In an effort to become the nation's largest cable operator, AOL Time Warner
proposed late last week to merge its cable operations with AT&T's,
executives close to the negotiations said yesterday. AOL's proposal may have
been precipitated, in part, by an increasingly relaxed regulatory
environment in Washington. A deal between AOL and AT&T, however, would still
be expected to attract tough scrutiny. The combined company would have more
than 25 million subscribers, dwarfing its next largest competitor, Comcast,
which has 8.5 million subscribers. If AT&T were to agree to a transaction
with AOL, the deal would be a major blow to Microsoft, which wants to play a
bigger role in the cable business and is an investor in Comcast.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Andrew Ross Sorkin And Geraldine Fabrikant]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/10/business/media/10AOL.html)
(requires registration)
COURT WEIGHS EASING LIMITS ON BIG MEDIA
Issue: Ownership
A federal appeals court has signaled its willingness to strike down two
regulations that for decades have prevented the nation's biggest
broadcasters, cable companies and media conglomerates from expanding by
taking over local television stations. All three judges on a panel of the
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, were
troubled by what they called the failure of regulators to justify adequately
a rule that prevents a television network from owning stations that reach
more than 35 percent of the nation's households. The cases come as
administration officials have announced plans to relax or eliminate other
regulations that have also restricted the expansion of the largest media
companies. The F.C.C. has recently announced its intention to begin
proceedings to loosen or repeal the 26-year-old rule that has prevented a
company from owning a television station and a newspaper in the same market.
The losing of ownership regulations reflects the belief of
deregulation-minded policy makers that the rules stand in the way of a
convergence of broadcasting, print and the Internet. But some consumer
groups and Democratic lawmakers have expressed fears that weakening the
rules will give too much power to a few large media conglomerates and limit
the diversity of views on the airwaves.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stephen Labaton]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/08/business/08TRUS.html)
(requires registration)
INTERNET
SENIORS ONLINE: FEW, BUT FERVENT
Issue: Internet
A survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project reveals only 15 percent
of Americans aged 65 and older are Internet savvy. But for those that are,
they are markedly fervent user: sixty-nine percent go online daily compared
to 56 percent for Americans overall. The survey showed that wired seniors
were more likely than their peers to be married, highly educated and
enjoying relatively high retirement incomes. While women outnumber men among
senior citizens, the online population is weighted to men at 60%. Once
online, 93 percent of seniors said they had used e-mail; 58 percent had
found hobby information; 55 percent had read the news; 53 percent had
searched for health and medical information; and 53 percent had browsed the
Internet "just for fun". The full report is available on
www.pewinternet.org.
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Staff Writer]
(http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=internetnews&StoryID=207812)
INDIVIDUALS, COMPANIES USING ".org" WON'T BE EVICTED, TASK FORCE DECIDES
Issue: Internet
A taskforce of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
(ICANN) said Saturday that the group has no plans to restrict the use of the
suffix ".org" to nonprofit groups. ICANN had indicated last spring that
".org" might eventually be restricted to nonprofits. The task force has
since found that ".org" serves a role well beyond noncommercial
organizations, said Milton Mueller, co-chairman of the task force. While the
task force determined that marketing of the ".org" suffix should be targeted
at nonprofits, others wishing to use ".org" will not be turned away, Mueller
said.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury, AUTHOR: Staff Writer]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/svfront/056567.htm)
See Also:
GLOBAL INTERNET BODY FACES CONFLICTING POWER PLAYS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Staff Writer]
(http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=internetnews&StoryID=2086310
KIDS, ACADEMICS SHARE INTERNET2
ISSUE: Broadband
Researcher John Mansfield of the University of Michigan hopes to use the
resource of Internet2 to bring his laboratory resources to the classrooms of
grade school children. One way to do that is to show them how a tile from
the Space Shuttle would look through the University's Scanning Electron
Microscope (SEM). The SEM can be controlled remotely through Internet2 --
providing universal access to schoolchildren around the country. Internet2,
a high-performance research and education network, has opened its previously
closed system to statewide education networks as part of its K20 initiative.
"The opportunity here is to bring in all of the education community into the
next-generation Internet, especially focusing on the innovators that can
help develop the next generation of content, applications and tools," said
Louis Fox, co-director of Internet2's K20 initiative and vice provost at the
University of Washington. "What the commodity Internet has been to
communication, Internet2 could be to collaboration," he said. The Internet2
backbone, named "Abilene" currently connects to state networks in Missouri,
Michigan, Rhode Island, Oregon, California, Oklahoma, Virginia, Georgia,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Indiana and Washington.
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Katie Dean]
(http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,45864,00.html)
WIRELESS
INTEL TO SHIP HIGHER-SPEED WIRELESS TECH
Issue: Wireless
Intel in November plans to ship new wireless networking products built upon
the 802.11a standard, successor to the currently popular 802.11b wireless
standard. 802.11a allows for data transfer rates nearly five times faster
than current technology will allow. At 54 megabits per seconds, the standard
provides enough network bandwidth to connect more computer users to the
network, Intel executives said. The fivefold speed increase will also allow
people to access Web sites faster and exchange bigger files, they said.
Analysts believe 802.11b products will remain the big seller for a few years
before 802.11a becomes popular. The two wireless standards are not
compatible, but the network-equipment makers are building hardware devices
that will allow both standards to coexist.
[SOURCE: CNET News.com, AUTHOR: Wylie Wong]
(http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-7093015.html)
SATELLITE SERVICE AWAITS FCC APPROVAL TO OFFER AD-FREE RADIO
Issue: Radio
XM Satellite Radio hopes to launch its commercial-free service in two cities
Wednesday, but the plans may be sidetracked if the Federal Communications
Commission doesn't approve the use of needed electronic equipment. XM
Satellite, based in Washington, D.C., needs FCC approval to use
''repeaters,'' which boost the satellite radio signal so it can be heard in
cars as they travel between tall buildings and in tunnels.
Telecommunications companies such as BellSouth and AT&T Wireless Services
have asked the FCC to deny XM Satellite's request. They argue that the
repeaters will splatter noise onto frequencies they use or plan to use for
wireless communications. In addition to the cost of the radio unit, which
ranges from $250 to $1,000, XM Satellite charges a $9.99 a month
subscription fee.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Earle Eldridge]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010910/3614894s.htm)
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