V-CHIP
Study Finds TV Networks Fail In Alert to Sex and Violence (NYT)
Study: TV Ratings Often Incomplete (ChiTrib)
LAW & THE INTERNET
Senate Panel Debates Children's Online Privacy (CyberTimes)
Annoy.com Can Be Indecent, but not Obscene (CyberTimes)
Can a Web Link Break Copyright Laws? (CyberTimes)
ADVANCED TELECOM SERVICES
Advanced Services Technical Roundtables (FCC)
INTERNET
Investors Bid Up Shares of Online Auction Firm (WP)
Search for Pez Launched Web's Newest Mogul (WSJ)
ANTITRUST
Ejected Adviser May Return (WP)
COMPETITION
Cirrus to Reduce Chip Manufacturing by 70%, Lay off 400 to 500
Employees (WSJ)
Intel and Microsoft Remain Allied Despite Squabbles (WSJ)
TECHNOLOGY
Video Discontent (WP)
AtHome's Speed in Providing Internet Access Proves Popular with Some
Big Tech Investors (WSJ)
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V-CHIP
======
STUDY FINDS TV NETWORKS FAIL IN ALERT TO SEX AND VIOLENCE
STUDY: TV RATINGS OFTEN INCOMPLETE
Issue: V-Chip
A year after television adopted content labels to add to their age labels, a
new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation reports that networks are not
regularly adding the codes. 96% of shows have an age-group rating, but some
92% of shows with some sexual content did not carry the "S" label; 79% of
shows with violence did not have the "V" label; 81% of children's shows with
violence did not have the "FV" label for fantasy violence. "If the ratings
are misleading or not being applied accurately, then the system won't work
for parents," said Kathryn C. Montgomery, president of the Center for Media
Education, a Washington group concerned with how the media influence
children. "We need some close scrutiny from the monitoring board." The
monitoring board -- made up of members of the industry and family advocacy
groups -- will meet in November. [See the Kaiser Family Fund release at
http://www.kff.org/homepage/]
[SOURCE: New York Times (A17), AUTHOR: Lawrie Mifflin]
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/national/tv-ratings-backslide.html/
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune (Sec 1, p.3), AUTHOR: Associated Press]
http://chicagotribune.com/textversion/article/0,1492,SAV-9809250131,00.html
==================
LAW & THE INTERNET
==================
SENATE PANEL DEBATES CHILDREN'S ONLINE PRIVACY
Issue: Privacy
Arthur B. Sackler, vice president for law and public policy of Time Warner
Inc. and a member of the Direct Marketing Association, told the
communications subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee that
legislation to protect children's privacy online could destroy the
spontaneous nature that makes the Internet unique. "For example, a child's
e-mail address is necessary in order to respond to inquiries such as updates
on Mark McGuire's and Sammy Sosa's home run figures this year or updates of
an online magazine," said Mr. Sackler. "In this context, a standard of
reasonable efforts to provide parental notification, rather than obtaining
parental consent, is the only standard that will work if the legislation is
not to eliminate all spontaneous interactivity for children." The
subcommittee is considering the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d105:s.02326:, which was drafted
on the recommendation of the Federal Trade Commission. The bill would
require the FTC to right privacy rules for commercial websites.
[SOURCE: New York Times (CyberTimes), AUTHOR: Jeri Clausing
jeri( at )nytimes.com]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/09/cyber/articles/24privacy.html
ANNOY.COM CAN BE INDECENT, BUT NOT OBSCENE
Issue: First Amendment
Annoy.com http://www.annoy.com/ challenged portions of the
Telecommunications Act of 1996 that outlaws the use of a "telecommunications
device" to transmit comments that are "obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy or
indecent" when the intent is "to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another
person." Annoy's parent company, ApolloMedia, did not object to the bans on
obscenity, harassment, abuse or threats, but argued that the law would also
criminalize online communication that is both "indecent" and meant to
"annoy." Annoy.com enables visitors to send unvarnished opinions to
political and other figures in the news and feared the law could put them
out of business. The United States District Court for the Northern District
of California in San Francisco ruled that the statute really proscribes only
obscenity, which, unlike indecent speech, receives no First Amendment
protection.
[SOURCE: New York Times (CyberTimes), AUTHOR: Pamela Mendels
mendels( at )nytimes.com ]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/09/cyber/articles/25annoy.html
CAN A WEB LINK BREAK COPYRIGHT LAWS?
Issue: Copyright
So your web site links to another site that in turn links to a site with
illegally reproduced images. Are you in trouble? That was the question
raised in a recently dropped lawsuit. But legal experts expect that someday
the issue will be decided in court. The lawsuit was "fascinating and also
really scary," said Jessica Litman, a copyright expert and law professor at
Wayne State University. "If people are going to be liable when they link to
material that they have no reason to think is infringing, then everyone,
everyone who links, will be dragged into court all the time. That doesn't
make good policy sense."
[SOURCE: New York Times (CyberTimes), AUTHOR: Carl S. Kaplan
kaplanc( at )nytimes.com]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/09/cyber/cyberlaw/25law.html
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ADVANCED TELECOM SERVICES
=========================
ADVANCED SERVICES TECHNICAL ROUNDTABLES
Issue: Bandwidth
The Commission's Bandwidth Task Force and Common Carrier Bureau will host
three roundtables to discuss technical issues related to deployment of
advanced services. The first roundtable, "Technical Issues Relating to the
Provision of Advanced Services Over the Local Loop: Loop Qualification and
Subloop Unbundling," will address, for example, the technical issues of
providing advanced services, like xDSL, through digital loop
carrier-provisioned loops; access to remote terminals; access to information
on loop capabilities; and loop administration and maintenance. The second
roundtable, "Technical Issues Relating to the Use of Different Advanced
Services Technologies: Spectrum Interference in the Copper Loop," will
address, for example, spectrum management issues; standards setting; and
subfrequency unbundling viability. The third roundtable, "Technical Issues
Relating to the Collocation of Equipment used to Provide Advanced Services,"
will address, for example, remote terminal collocation; equipment safety
standards; and switching collocation. These roundtables will permit
representatives from different segments of the telecommunications industry
to address the technical issues with respect to each of these topics.
[SOURCE: FCC]
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Public_Notices/1998/da981944.html
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INTERNET
========
INVESTORS BID UP SHARES OF ONLINE AUCTION FIRM (WP)
SEARCH FOR PEZ LAUNCHED WEB'S NEWEST MOGUL (WSJ)
Issue: Internet
The initial public offering for three-year-old Internet auctioneer eBay Inc.
was a big hit on Wall Street yesterday. The initial offering price of $18
ended the day at more than $47. Analysts said the valuation reflect
consumer excitement over online auctions and the fact that eBay is the
leader in consumer auctions. More than 2 million people visited eBay's site
last month. More that 200 auction sites are now on the Internet.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (F1), AUTHOR: Leslie Walker]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/washtech/daily/sept98/auction092598...
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B1), AUTHOR: George Anders]
http://www.wsj.com
=========
ANTITRUST
=========
EJECTED ADVISER MAY RETURN
Issue: Antitrust
Harvard University law professor Lawrence Lessig may be asked to write a
brief as a "friend of the court" for the Microsoft antitrust case. U.S.
District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson has told lawyers for both sides he is
considering the action. Lessig was rejected from a role in the case last
December when Microsoft objected to his being named as a "special master" to
report on technical issues arising from the question of whether Microsoft
violated federal antitrust laws by including Internet-browsing technology in
its Windows 98 operating system software.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (F1), AUTHOR: Rajiv Chandrasekaran]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/longterm/microsoft/micro.htm
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COMPETITION
===========
CIRRUS TO REDUCE CHIP MANUFACTURING BY 70%, LAY OFF 400 TO 500 EMPLOYEES
Issue: Competition
Cirrus Logic Inc., a California computer-chip maker, announced layoffs for
400 to 500 employees as the company restructures and phases out certain
businesses. The changes will mean reduced chip manufacturing of 70 per
cent. The new focus of the business will be on production of linear and
mixed-signal chips for personal computer storage and audio products. Cirrus
was the No. 1 graphics chip maker at one time but has lost market share.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B5), AUTHOR: Dean Takahashi]
http://www.wsj.com
INTEL AND MICROSOFT REMAIN ALLIED DESPITE SQUABBLES
Issue: Competition/Antitrust
Wintel, the computer development alliance between computer software giant
Microsoft and microchip giant Intel continues but is contentious. There is
little chance the alliance will split because of a shared goal of growth in
the PC market. However, Microsoft is supporting small computers with
non-Intel chips and has supported graphics technology from a rival of Intel.
Intel, on the other hand, has supported Unix software that competes with
Microsoft's Windows NT. The alliance continues under tight scrutiny because
of the possibility of anti competitive tactics that could add fire for the
antitrust case against Microsoft.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B5), AUTHOR: Dean Takahashi]
http://www.wsj.com
==========
TECHNOLOGY
==========
VIDEO DISCONTENT
Issue: Technology
The race to replace the VHS videotape and the VCR gains a new entrant as
Divx is added in the next few weeks to the variety of digital video disc
(DVD) options. Divx (or Digital Video Express) uses a pay-per-view approach
and is being supported by Hollywood for its copy protection capability.
Divx players will be able to play DVD discs but DVD players will not play
Divx discs. Divx players will cost more than DVD players but Divx discs
will cost less. Divx players must be connected to a telephone line.
Monthly usage of Divx discs is reported to a remote site which charges for
each time the disc is played.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (Weekend42), AUTHOR: Daniel Greenberg]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/tech/septpullout/feature.htm
ATHOME'S SPEED IN PROVIDING INTERNET ACCESS PROVES POPULAR WITH SOME BIG
TECH INVESTORS
Issue: Technology
Internet access provider AtHome has worked out an arrangement with six large
cable companies to provide Web access via cable television wires. Service
now to parts of 35 markets is expected to expand. Cable connections can
speed Internet access by 20 times over regular phone line hookups. Also the
connection will not tie up phone lines for residential users and is a
simpler process for routine connection. Because it has exclusive contracts
with major cable companies through the year 2002, financial analysts believe
the service will have a chance to expand and develop.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (C2), AUTHOR: Susan Pulliam]
http://www.wsj.com
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Cubs fans, catch Kevin at the Astrodome Saturday and Sunday; he promises to
return Sammy's record-setting 68th homer after snagging it in right field on
Sunday afternoon.