INFORMATION FLOW
Flow of Info (ChiTrib)
Iran Closes a Leading Newspaper and Arrests Top Editors (NYT)
Primakov Curbs Access By Media (WP)
MINORITIES
NAACP Urges Boycott of Alltell, Airtouch and Frontier (TelecomAM)
ARTS
Funding American Creativity: NEA's Ivey Pushes for Support (WP)
JOBS
SNET's Labor Union Votes to Approve New Contract (TelecomAM
INFRASTRUCTURE
Network Solutions, Group Reach Pack on Key Internet Functions (WP)
The President's Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Program
(NTIA)
THE FCC'S BIG DAY
FCC Offers Guidelines for Simpler Bills,
Merging Forms (TelecomAM)
FCC Edges Toward Plan for Clearer Phone Bills (ChiTrib)
Heeding the Calls on Phone Bill Confusion (WP)
Plus links to recently released FCC docs including:
modem speed, closed captioning and so much more!
================
INFORMATION FLOW
================
FLOW OF INFO
Issue: Copyright
A look at the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, legislation that
would set rules for information flo across the Internet. The proponents of
the bill are movie studios, record companies, book publishers and the
software industry -- with a combined total worth around $300 billion.
Opponents include 40,000 librarians, colleges and universities, some
consumer groups and academic experts. The proponents believe that the
legislation will unleash digital commerce by tightening prohibitions against
pirating movies and other data from the Internet. Critics don't argue with
that, but claim the new rules would restrict the free flow of information
and create a "pay-for-use" world.
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune (Sec 1, p.29), AUTHOR: Robert Samuelson, Washington
Post Writers Group]
http://chicagotribune.com/textversion/article/0,1492,SAV-9809180002,00.html
IRAN CLOSES A LEADING NEWSPAPER AND ARRESTS TOP EDITORS
Issue: International/Censorship
Iran has shut down the leading daily newspaper and arrested its top editors
for printing articles detrimental "to the country's national interests and
security." The newspaper, Tous, has challenged accepted policy, infuriating
conservatives. The paper has survived two earlier attempts to close it, but
Iranian political experts believe this incident could mark a permanent shut
down.
[SOURCE: New York Times (A12), AUTHOR: Douglas Jehl]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/mideast/091898iran-press.html
PRIMAKOV CURBS ACCESS TO THE MEDIA
Issue: International/Censorship
Officials under the new Russian prime minister, Yevgeny Primakov, have begun
new restrictions for media coverage and media access. Restrictions include
requiring all government interviews to be cleared by a central office and
tightening access to the government's headquarters by reporters. One
Russian reporter called the steps "an absolutely Soviet approach."
Primakov's chief of staff said "the government cannot allow leaks of
classified information containing state secrets" but said that charges that
the government is curbing media freedoms as untrue. Newspaper and
television organizations in Russia are not independent media, but are
largely arms of corporations who use the information for their financial
interests. Press coverage of the Primakov government was not positive prior
to the imposition of the restrictions.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (A25), AUTHOR:Daniel Williams ]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-09/18/141l-091898-idx.html
==========
MINORITIES
==========
NAACP URGES BOYCOTT OF ALLTEL, AIRTOUCH AND FRONTIER
Issue: Minorities
The NAACP has completed its first Telecom Report Card and Consumer Choice
Guide and some companies did not do too well. NAACP CEO Kweisi Mfume is
urging consumers to boycott AllTel, AirTouch and Frontier for receiving
failing grades in the industry review. TelecomAM Reports: The NAACP
evaluated the companies on employment, ad and marketing spending, service
deployment, vendor spending, and charitable giving. The NAACP must be even
more committed to acting as a "watchdog" over the "reciprocal relationship"
between the industry and consumers because of the "mega-mergers... sweeping"
through the telecom industry that could suppress competition, Mfume
said.
[SOURCE: Telecom AM]
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
====
ARTS
====
FUNDING AMERICA'S CREATIVITY: NEA'S IVEY PUSHES FOR SUPPORT
Issue: Arts
Bill Ivey, chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts, said that he
needs more money to "fund the creative genius that is America" by reviving
support for individual artists. "There's no more important investment in our
nation than fostering individual creativity," said Ivey in his first
national speech since he took leadership of the NEA in June. In the early
1990s, while the agency was under extreme fire, Congress eliminated most of
its ability to fund individual artists. But now, with the Senate on the
verge of approving the first increase in NEA funding in over 8 years, Ivey
is hopeful that the agency can "get back to the business of supporting those
living artists who have demonstrated excellence in their work."
[SOURCE: Washington Post (C7), AUTHOR: Jacquline Trescott]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-09/18/087l-091898-idx.html
====
JOBS
====
SNET'S LABOR UNION VOTES TO APPROVE NEW CONTACT
Issue: jOBS
Members of the Connecticut Union of Telephone Workers will return to work
today after agreeing to a new 2.5 year contract with Southern New England
Telephone (SNET). Over the life of the contract, workers will receive six
general wage increases totaling 10.9 percent.
[SOURCE: Telecom AM]
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
==============
INFRASTRUCTURE
==============
NETWORK SOLUTIONS, GROUP REACH PACT ON KEY INTERNET FUNCTIONS
Issue: Internet
Two Internet-related groups have reached basic agreement on a structure for
the private sector to take over assignments of the world's Internet
addresses. The U.S. government presently contracts one of the two groups,
Network Solutions, to handle address assignments but in June expressed a
desire to move authority to a private international consortium. Network
Solutions and the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority of the University of
Southern California, a research organization, have agreed that a nonprofit
corporation will assume many of the Internet's most critical administrative
functions. A final agreement will have additional input from other Internet
groups and will have to be approved by the Clinton Administration.
Contentious issues in the proposed change include the makeup of the board of
the new corporation and how it is to be selected.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (F03), AUTHOR: Rajiv Chandrasekaran]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-09/18/206l-091898-idx.html
THE PRESIDENT'S CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION (CIP) PROGRAM
Issue: Infrastructure
In recently establishing the CIP program, the President called for a
public/private partnership to address the Nation's need for protection of
its critical physical and cyber infrastructures. The President assigned the
Commerce Department as the lead agency with responsibility for the
information and communications (I&C) sectors. Commerce Secretary William
Daley assigned NTIA the lead agency responsibilities under the Presidential
decision directive for the CIP program. Assistant Secretary Larry Irving
will hold a public briefing on the efforts of the U.S. Department of
Commerce and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA) to implement the President's Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP)
program. The meeting will take place: Friday, September 25, 1998; 2:00 -
3:00 p.m. (See URL for more details)
[SOURCE: NTIA]
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/newitems/cipinv2.htm
=================
THE FCC'S BIG DAY
=================
FCC OFFERS GUIDELINES FOR SIMPLER BILLS, MERGING FORMS
FCC EDGES TOWARD PLAN FOR CLEARER PHONE BILLS
Issue: Telephone Regulation
The Federal Communications Commission released a Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking outlining new rules that are aimed at making phone bills easier
to understand for consumers. Bills would have to: 1) be clearly organized
and highlight new changes and charges; 2) include a full and
"non-misleading" description of charges and service providers; 3)
prominently display a company name and phone number that consumers can call
if they have questions. A long list of recently released FCC documents
appear below.
[SOURCE: Telecom AM]
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune (Sec 3,p.1), AUTHOR: Frank James & Jon Van]
http://chicagotribune.com/textversion/article/0,1492,SAV-9809180389,00.html
HEEDING THE CALLS ON PHONE BILL CONFUSION
Issue: Telephony
"Phone bills are too confusing - it's as simple as that ," said Federal
Communication Commission (FCC) Chairman William E. Kennard in proposing new
rules to revamp the format of telephone bills. The FCC has made several
suggestions including separate categories for separate services, names of
all service providers and descriptions of what consumers are paying for, and
a highlight of any change in service since previous month. The proposal for
changes in the design of phone bills comes as a result of increased consumer
concern over often hard to spot unauthorized fees ("cramming") and general
frustration over interpreting monthly charges.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (F1), AUTHOR: Mike Mills]
FCC Proposes to Make Telephone Bills Clearer, More helpful to Consumers (CC
Docket No. 98-170).
[News Release
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/News_Releases/1998/nrcc8063.html
] 9/17/98
FCC Proposes to Eliminate Barrier to Modem Speed (FCC 98-221, CC Docket No.
98-163). [ WordPerfect
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Notices/1998/fcc98221.wp | News
Release
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/News_Releases/1998/nrcc8062.html
] 9/17/98
Commission Adopts Modifications to Closed Captioning Rules for Video
Programming. [News Release
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Cable/News_Releases/1998/nrcb8021.html ] 9/17/98
Commission Proposes to Streamline Reporting Requirements for
Telecommunications Carriers (CC Docket No. 98-171). [News Release
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/News_Releases/1998/nrcc8064.html
] 9/17/98
Commission Adopts Rules to Implement Universal Licensing System For Wireless
Services. [News Release
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Wireless/News_Releases/1998/nrwl8040.html] 9/17/98
Two-Way Digital ITFS and MDS Communications Approved; New Services, Faster
Internet Access Available for Consumers. [News Release
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Mass_Media/News_Releases/1998/nrmm8030.html ]
9/17/98
Commission Proposes to Redesignate Portions of the 18 GHZ Band; Allow
Blanket Licensing of Fixed Satellite Service Earth Stations in the Ka-band;
and Allocate Additional Spectrum for the Broadcast Satellite Service. [News
Release
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/International/News_Releases/1998/nrin8033.html]
9/17/98
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
...and we are outta here. Have a great weekend and GO CUBS!