DIGITAL DIVIDE
E-Rate and the Digital Divide (Urban Institute)
MEDIA & SOCIETY
Violence In Media Is Aimed At Young, F.T.C. Study Says (NYT)
Advertising: Big Brand Names Steer Clear of 'Dr. Laura' (NYT)
Newsman's Survey Uncovers TV Racism (USA)
POLITICAL DISCOURSE
Democrats See, and Smell, Rats in G.O.P. Ad (NYT)
MERGERS
AT&T Rethinks Pledge to Divest (WP)
PRIVACY
Why Does Amazon Think It Owns My Privacy? (USA)
Many government Web Sites Violate Privacy Rules,
Charges GAO Study (WSJ)
TELEPHONY
Markup Session: Telephone Legislation (House)
LIFESTYLES
Web Sites Offers Cartoons That Interact, With Feelings (NYT)
DIGITAL DIVIDE
E-RATE AND THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Issue: Digital Divide/EdTech
This publication looks at how access to telecommunications and the Internet
in schools and communities is changing American education. The report is
based on an analysis of E-Rate administrative records covering the first two
years of program operation that were linked to detailed national data on all
public and private schools and libraries in the U.S. (a combined total of
nearly one million records). The full report is available in PDF . The text
of the report (without graphics and appendices) is available in Word. See
reactions at
(http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Kennard/Statements/2000/stwek072.html),
(http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Ness/States/2000/stsn026.html) and
(http://www.ed.gov/Speeches/09-2000/000911.html).
[SOURCE: Urban Institute]
(http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/eval/elem.html#technology)
MICROSOFT TO HELP NON-PROFITS WITH TECHNOLOGICAL KNOW-HOW
Issue: Nonprofits/Digital Divide
Microsoft is expected to announce the creation of a $25 million, five-year
national program to help non-profit groups catch up with technological
advances and become more efficient. This effort is the company's largest
cash gift ever $10 million and $15 million in software. It is a nationwide
expansion of NPower, formed in the spring of 1999 to assist 200 non-profits
in Microsoft's home, Seattle, by not only providing software but assistance
in using it. Organizations in as many as 12 cities could participate. Groups
in New York City and Dallas are to be the first cities to receive NPower
assistance. Microsoft gave more than $34 million in cash and $200 million
in software to nearly 5,000 non-profit groups last year, but with NPower the
emphasis is on technological know-how. "If it's not the largest, it's one of
the largest programs focused on this kind of endeavor by one company," said
Bruce Brooks, director of company community affairs. The announcement is
part of Microsoft's 25th anniversary celebration.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: John Boudreau]
(http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/front/docs/msoft091200.htm)
MEDIA & SOCIETY
VIOLENCE IN MEDIA IS AIMED AT YOUNG, F.T.C. STUDY SAYS
Issue: Media & Society
Despite repeated denials from entertainment industry executives, a report
released by the Federal Trade Commission yesterday provides evidence of
"pervasive and aggressive marketing" of violent entertainment to children as
young as 12. Jack Valenti, chairman of the Motion Picture Association of
America, declined to discuss the report. But studio executives acknowledged
privately today that the report had some validity. "Everyone's hands are
dirty," one executive said. R-rated films are marketed to 12-18 year-olds;
the primary audience for M-rated video games is males 12-17. Film studio
executives said the advertising was sometimes blurry. R-rated films are
promoted, they pointed out, on teenage shows like "Dawson's Creek." About 25
percent of the audience for that show is 17 or younger. The issue becomes
even more complicated in television shows where, for example, 60 percent of
the audience is 17 or younger. "The question is, where do you draw the
line," the marketing chief of one film company said. Another marketing
executive said that studios traditionally sought to tap into male audiences
by advertising R-rated films on shows like "World Wide Wrestling" and sports
programs that children watch, as well as on MTV. "You are within your
boundaries when you advertise," said one studio marketing executive, "but
what do you do when 8-year-olds are watching wrestling and you're
advertising an R-rated movie?"
[SOURCE: New York Times (A1), AUTHOR: David Rosenbaum]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/12/politics/12VIOL.html)
(requires registration)
See Also:
MARKETING VIOLENCE TO CHILDREN
Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation, and Senator Fritz Hollings (D-SC), Ranking Democrat,
announced the witnesses for the Full Committee hearing on Marketing
Violence to Children. Members of the Committee will examine a report to be
released by the Federal Trade Commission that reviews self regulation and
industry practices in the motion picture, music recording and electronic
game industries.
The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, September 13, at 9:30 a.m. in room
253 of the Russell Senate Office Building. Senator McCain will preside.
[See the URL below for the long witness list]
[SOURCE: US Senate]
UNWORTHY PANDERING FROM MR. GORE
[Editorial] The Times takes aim at Vice President Gore and his proposal to
seek punitive legislation for deceptive advertising by the entertainment
industry. Saying Gore's proposal is advocating government censorship, the
editorial notes that Gore has broken a Democratic party tradition of
protecting free expression. "To seek the votes of cultural conservatives by
advocating new legal restrictions on commercial speech is a dangerous
assault on civil liberties and the Constitution." The editorial concludes
with two points: 1) Barring the marketing of R movies on television shows
that have a large teenage audience would violate the rights of other viewers
of these shows who are 18 and older. 2) The proper place for enforcing the
rating ban against unaccompanied teenagers going to R-rated movies is at the
movie theater.
[SOURCE: New York Times (A30), AUTHOR: NYT Editorial Staff]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/12/opinion/12TUE2.html)
(requires registration)
FTC MAY PURSUE FIRMS MARKETING VIOLENCE TO TEENS
[SOURCE: Washington Post (A13), AUTHOR: Christopher Stern]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52733-2000Sep11.html)
ADVERTISING: BIG BRAND NAMES STEER CLEAR OF 'DR. LAURA'
Issue: Advertising/Media & Society
Big name advertisers were notably absent during the premiere episode of the
Dr Laura Schlessinger syndicated television series. Complaining of remarks
made on her radio show, gay and lesbian activists protested the show this
summer. The paucity of well-known advertisers and the predominance of local
sponsors was evident in many markets. That made the first "Dr. Laura" seem
more like late-night local cable fare than a nationally syndicated talk show
meant to appear on broadcast network stations during daytime hours. "This is
not the first time a controversial talk show debuted with mainstream
advertisers staying out," Joe Mandese, editor of The Myers Report, an
industry newsletter, said yesterday after being read a list of the sponsors.
"But this is not a good sign at launch." Mr. Mandese said: "Controversy
generates a lot of awareness. And if you can leverage that, the advertising
community will follow -- not the mainstream, but the `bottom-feeders'
looking for efficiencies." Activists against the show orchestrated their
efforts through a Web site (www .stopdrlaura.com). The volunteers who put up
the site persuaded a long list of mainstream advertisers to declare they
would not advertise on "Dr. Laura" or would stop advertising on her radio
show. Among them: Geico, Motel 6, Priceline.com and Procter & Gamble, the
largest packaged-goods marketer. "They're walking away because they realize
hateful programming is bad business," said John Aravosis, a co-founder of
the Web site, adding that Paramount and Viacom were "suffering as a result
of her own rhetoric."
[SOURCE: New York Times (C10), AUTHOR: Stuart Elliott]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/12/business/12ADCO.html)
(requires registration)
NEWSMAN'S SURVEY UNCOVERS TV RACISM
Issue: Television/Journalism
Av Westin, who once ran the news show 20/20 and is now a fellow at the
Freedom Forum, recently surveyed network news colleagues about the reality
of producing television news. Westin was particularly disturbed by two
findings: 1) That racism is alive and well in TV news and 2) Local station
managers often kill stories under pressure from advertisers. According to
Westin, TV journalists told him that their producers will often choose to
profile a white family instead of a black one, because they feel whites
appeal more to viewers. "My bosses have essentially made it clear: 'We do
not feature black people. I mean it's said. Actually, they whisper it, 'Is
she white?'" one source told Westin. In the past 10 years or so, Westin
says, the business of television news has superseded the journalism of TV
news. Westin's findings were compiled into a report entitled "Best Practices
in Television Journalism," which the Freedom Forum is
distributing to television newsrooms across the country.
[SOURCE: USAToday (4D), AUTHOR: Peter Johnson]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20000912/2632214s.htm)
POLITICAL DISCOURSE
DEMOCRATS SEE, AND SMELL, RATS IN G.O.P. AD
Issue: Political Discourse
Careful scrutiny of Republican television ad on prescription drugs found the
word 'RATS' popping up in one frame. Although the ad's producer, Alex
Castellanos, insisted that the use of the word was "purely accidental,"
saying, "We don't play ball that way. I'm not that clever," advertising
professionals say that given the technology by which commercials are
assembled frame by frame, it was virtually impossible for a producer not to
know the word was there. "There is no way that anything Alex Castellanos
does is an accident," said Greg Stevens, a veteran Republican admaker. Bobby
Baker, chief of the office of political programming at the Federal
Communications Commission, said that if the word had been deliberately
inserted in the commercial that would be "an extraordinary development" and
reflect "reckless" behavior. While he said the commission did not prohibit
subliminal advertising, Mr. Baker explained that "we have policy statements
and public notices that indicate they are inherently intended to be
deceptive and might be contrary to the public interest." The Republican
party has spent an estimated $2.5 million on the commercial, which has run
roughly 4,000 times.
[SOURCE: New York Times (A1), AUTHOR: Richard Berke]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/12/politics/12ELEC.html)
(requires registration)
MERGERS
AT&T RETHINKS PLEDGE TO DIVEST
Issue: Mergers
Just three months after agreeing to sell off assets to gain approval for its
purchase of cable giant MediaOne Group, AT&T is lobbying for a last-minute
congressional reprieve from the requirement to sell. The reprieve, it seems,
would take the form of an amendment to an appropriations bill. The Post
reports that AT&T's efforts have already landed the support of Sen. Ted
Stevens (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Stevens
is preparing the amendment that would effectively lift the federal rules
limiting how many cable systems a single company may own. The amendment
would ultimately allow AT&T to retain its MediaOne cable purchase without
selling any of its holdings. "This would give AT&T leverage over cable
systems serving more than half of all customers in the nation, enabling them
to artificially force up prices and dominate the new high-speed Internet
market without facing competition," said Gene Kimmelman, co-director of the
Washington office of Consumers Union. The national advocacy organization has
been among the sharpest critics of the AT&T-MediaOne merger. "This is the
height of arrogance," he said. AT&T General Counsel James Cicconi
rejected suggestions that AT&T is seeking to relieve itself of the
conditions imposed on its MediaOne purchase. AT&T has said that if it is not
relieved of the conditions, it would be forced to sell off rural and
inner-city cable holdings to comply with the rules, thereby exacerbating the
so-called "digital divide." In the last two years, AT&T has spent more than
$100 billion buying up cable systems nationwide. Its $58 billion MediaOne
purchase brought 5 million new customers.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E1), AUTHOR: Peter S. Goodman]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51778-2000Sep11.html)
PRIVACY
WHY DOES AMAZON THINK IT OWNS MY PRIVACY?
Issue: Privacy
[Op-Ed] Alcestis Oberg was outraged to read a recent notice posted on
Amazon.com that
informed customers' that their personal information was considered a
"transferable asset" of the company to be passed around and shared with
various corporate allies. Oberg argues that Americans should not be required
by any corporate or government entity to give up their right to privacy in
order to have access to Internet commerce and information. "I think it's
high time Congress stopped holding long-winded hearings about Internet
privacy and just pass some clear, no-nonsense legislation protecting
consumer-privacy rights on the Internet," writes Oberg. He goes on to
suggest that laws should define all personal information as a kind of
personal property and privacy a civil right.
[SOURCE: USAToday (A29), AUTHOR: Alcestis "Cooky" Oberg]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20000912/2632373s.htm)
MANY GOVERNMENT WEB SITES VIOLATE PRIVACY RULES, CHARGES GAO STUDY
Issue: Internet / Privacy
In a study of 65 government sites to be released Tuesday, the GAO found
that only 3% met the Federal Trade Commission's "fair information
principles" for e-commerce. One site that didn't meet the FTC standards
was the FTC's. However, federal officials contend that the FTC rules were
never meant to apply to government agencies, which follow a different set of
regulations issued by the Office of Management and Budget. In addition,
federal sites are governed by the 1974 Privacy Act, which has fewer
restrictions and doesn't apply to business. Republicans in Congress who
requested the report say it vindicates their contention that the
government's privacy standards for e-commerce are unreasonable.
Investigators found that the IRS site didn't pass the FTC tests for security
and consumer access to data collected about them. "Which worries you more:
the IRS disclosing your personal financial information or Gap.com knowing
how many pairs of jeans you've bought this year?" asked House Majority
Leader Richard Armey (R-TX)).
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (), AUTHOR: Glenn R. Simpson]
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB968714413963559452.htm
(requires subscription)
TELEPHONY
MARKUP SESSION: TELEPHONE LEGISLATION
Issue: Telephony
Wednesday, September 13, 2000, 20 minutes following the conclusion of the
Subcommittee on Health and Environment hearing in 2123 Rayburn House Office
Building
The Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection will
meet in an open markup session on Wednesday, September 13, 2000, and
subsequent days if necessary, 20 minutes following the conclusion of the
Subcommittee on Health and Environment's hearing in 2123 Rayburn House
Office Building to consider the following:
H.R. 3011, the Truth in Telephone Billing Act of 1999; and
H.R. 4445, the Reciprocal Compensation Adjustment Act of 2000.
[SOURCE: House of Representatives]
(http://com-notes.house.gov/schedule.htm)
LIFESTYLES
WEB SITES OFFERS CARTOONS THAT INTERACT, WITH FEELINGS
Issue: Lifestyles!
Seeking to create a new medium of interactive entertainment parallel to
television, Zoesis Studios is launching www.thelivingletters.com today, a
Web site of interactive cartoon characters that mimic human behavior. The
free service will offer young Web surfers [let's stress young -- so back to
work, Headlines subscribers] two cartoon characters, Otto and Iris, with
whom they can interact with using their mouse. "It's not clear what will
make this more compelling than sitcoms, but certainly if you have character
and story you're in the right ballpark," said Joseph Bates, a Carnegie
Mellon University computer scientist who develops interactive dramas, an
area of artificial intelligence research that tries to create fantasy worlds
and characters with whom humans can interact.
[SOURCE: New York Times (C6), AUTHOR: John Markoff]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/12/technology/12ANIM.html)
(requires registration)
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