FYI: The President's Advisory Committee on Public Interest Obligations of
Digital television Broadcasters meets today -- listen to the meeting at
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/pubintadvcom/sepmtg/#broadcast
TELEPHONY
Appeals Court Upholds Key Telecom Act Sections (TelecomAm)
INTERNET
The E-Commerce Revolution: The Respective Roles for Industry and
Government (NTIA)
Blind Web Users Campaign to 'See' More of Cyberspace (WSJ)
EMPLOYMENT
SNET Using More Temporary Workers During Strike (TelecomAM)
Technology Affords this Trader Freedom, but also Adds Binds (WSJ)
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TELEPHONY
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APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS KEY TELECOM ACT SECTIONS
Issue: Telephony
On September 4, a federal appeals court reversed a district court decision
that would have allowed the Regional Bell companies to enter the long
distance phone market without winning FCC approval. The U.S. Appeals Court
overturned an earlier decision by that had found Sections 271-275 of the
Telecom Act to be an unconstitutional "bill of attainder." The appeals court
rejected the Bell companies' bill of attainder argument saying that the
sections "are not punitive because they do not impose a perpetual bar" on
the Bell companies' entry into the long distance market. In arguments,
Justice Department Antitrust Chief Joel Klein
argued for the FCC that the sections could not be considered punishment because
the Bells were better off after the Act than they were under the AT&T consent
decree.
[SOURCE: Telecom AM]
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
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INTERNET
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THE E-COMMERCE REVOLUTION: THE RESPECTIVE ROLES FOR INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT
Issue: Electronic Commerce
"I've been asked to speak on the relative roles of government and the
private sector in the area of electronic commerce (or e-commerce). This is,
in my mind, as big a task as summarizing the impact of the of the Industrial
Revolution in a few minutes. And, in fact, the rise of Internet and
e-commerce may have as profound an effect. It has enabled us to take part in
a global economy and accelerated, beyond all previous dreams, the way we do
business and communicate."
[SOURCE: NTIA]
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/speeches/harbin.htm
BLIND WEB USERS CAMPAIGN TO 'SEE' MORE OF CYBERSPACE
Issue: Internet/ Disabilities
"If you're a blind man, [Internet] interface ain't' meant for you," says
Kelly Ford, a blind teacher from Portland Ore. Mr. Ford is one of many
disabled Internet users who are frustrated by the inaccessibility of much
information on the Wold Wide Web. Less than one percent of Web sites have
taken actions to make their pages accessible to users with disabilities.
Design features that are helpful for the blind include alternative text
versions of sites, informational graphics, image maps, and tables formatted
to be understood by text-to-speech or Braille software.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B1, B6), AUTHOR: Nick Wingfield ]
http://wsj.com/
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EMPLOYMENT
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SNET USING MORE TEMPORARY WORKERS DURING STRIKE
Issue: Telephony/Employment
Southern New England Telephone (SNET) is using "several hundred" temporary
workers, retirees and relatives to maintain operator, repair and installation
services during the walkout by Communications Workers of America (CWA)-
affiliated Connecticut Telephone Workers Union (CTWU), now in its third week.
Negotiations failed to resolve differences, despite optimism during talks over
the holiday weekend, both sides said. The walkout by 6,300 technicians in
Connecticut has focused on the two-tier pay structure and health insurance
costs, the union said. The key disagreement is over SNET's practice of paying
the same workers at two different levels, depending on when they were hired.
The company has been forced to roll back its Internet service as it was
swamped with increased demand due the return of colleges classes.
[SOURCE: Telecom AM]
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
TECHNOLOGY AFFORDS THIS TRADER FREEDOM, BUT ALSO ADDS BINDS
Issue: Technology/Employment
For electronic stock trader Abigal Roitman, her computer gives her the
flexibility of leaving work early to be with her 17 month old daughter, but
it also enables her to work -- and experience stress -- at any hour of the
day or night. For many working parents, technology has diminished the
traditional boundaries been work time and family time. While the freedom to
work from home can be a savoir for many families, it can prove difficult to
leave worries at the office for those who never really leave the office.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B1), AUTHOR: Sue Shellenbarger]
http://wsj.com/
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