BROADBAND
Free-Space Optics Offer Fast Data Option
BROADCAST
FCC Statement and Order on NBC's Proposed Acquisition of Telemundo
Communications Group
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Professor Says Disney, Other Firms Typify What's Wrong With
Copyrights
INTERNET
Connectivity Kings: Oh Canada
Minnesota Poised to Clamp Down on Internet Privacy
Copyright Office Threatens Internet Radio Privacy
RADIO
Radio Close To Increased Digital Transmissions
BROADBAND
FREE-SPACE OPTICS OFFER FAST DATA OPTION
In the 1990s, telecom industries laid fiber-optic lines across the country
leaving an estimated 75% of U.S. businesses within one mile of a fiber-optic
artery. Unfortunately, only 5% of those businesses can access the high-speed
lines, and it is becoming clear that the costs to extend the cables the
"last mile" are prohibitive for telecom companies. A new technology, called
free-space optics (FSO) is becoming one way to remove this bottleneck and
reduce the need to lay more cable. Instead of waiting months to get
high-speed service, FSO technology allows companies to get access in just
weeks. Companies use laser beams to relay data from building to building.
Drawbacks to the technology are that it requires a clear line of sight
between buildings, and bad weather and obstructions can interfere with data
transmission. Nonetheless, according to Lindsay Schroth, an analyst at the
Yankee Group, "...it is cheap, easy to deploy and offers extremely high
capacity. It will be another viable option in the broadband portfolio."
[SOURCE: USA Today, AUTHOR: Brian Acohido]
(http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2002/04/11/terabeam.htm)
BROADCAST
FCC Statement and order on NBC's Proposed Acquisition of Telemundo
Communications Group
In a memorandum opinion and order released yesterday, the FCC granted
transfer of Telemundo Communications Group stations to the National
Broadcasting Company (NBC). In November, 2001, NBC filed applications
seeking consent to acquire the licenses of Telemundo's 11 full power
television stations and 17 low-power and translator stations. The
acquisition was challenged by a coalition of Hispanic Groups and by Paxson
Communication Corporation for, respectively, not being in the public
interest and for violating the FCC local multiple ownership rules. The FCC,
however, has found NBC's pledge to continue Spanish-language programming
satisfactory fulfillment of public interest concerns. The FCC has also given
NBC 12 months to comply with the television duopoly rule, which limits the
number of stations any single party may own in a single market. The complete
FCC memorandum and a statement by Commissioner Michael J. Copps may be found
at http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-02-113A1.txt.
[SOURCE: FCC]
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
PROFESSOR SAYS DISNEY, OTHER FIRMS TYPIFY WHAT'S WRONG WITH COPYRIGHTS
Lawrence Lessig, the Stanford law professor who was named one of the 25 most
influential people in electronic business by Business Week, is fighting to
alter copyright laws and challenge the rights of Congress to extend
copyright terms. In the year 1790, copyrights lasted 14 years, but in 1988
the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act passed and copyright terms were
extended to 70 years after the creator's death and 95 years for works owned
by corporations. Lessig contends that extending copyrights gives
corporations too much power over new film works, computers code, and music
distribution. As an example he points to a public television documentary
that was stalled by attorneys who demanded a large licensing fee for two
seconds of "The Simpsons" appearing in a background shot. Lessig believes
that copyrights should exist and artists deserve compensation, but extending
copyrights will damage society. "If copyright is perpetual and there are
perpetual copyright controls, the creative process dramatically decreases."
He points out that Disney built its empire on the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales
after they entered the public domain and stresses that without copyright
reform, "there will never be anyone who can do what Disney did, ever again."
[SOURCE: Dallas Morning News, AUTHOR: Doug Bedell]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/3034892.htm)
INTERNET
CONNECTIVITY KINGS: OH CANADA
Fast Forward 3.0, a report from the Canadian E-Business Opportunities
Roundtable, has revealed that Canadians are leading the U.S. in wired homes,
with 60% of Canadians online compared to 52% of Americans. In other
comparisons, funding from the Canadian venture capital community dropped
only 27%, while in the U.S. disbursements dropped 65%. Despite the large
online population, only 17% of Canadians shop online, compared to 27% in the
United States. Analysts point to several reasons for the disparity,
including population diversity, cultural differences, and problems shopping
online at U.S.-based companies. According to Shirley-Ann George, government
program executive with IBM Canada and a member of the roundtable support
team, "There are a lot of obstacles to purchasing over the Internet in
Canada that don't apply to Americans."
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Charles Mandel]
(http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,51678,00.html)
Minnesota Poised to Clamp Down on Internet Privacy
Minnesota may be the first state to regulate the way Internet service
providers must handle consumers' private data. A pair of consumer
protection bills working their way through Minnesota's House and Senate
would restrict the sale of sensitive consumer information. The difference
between the two bills, is that the House sponsored bill favors an "opt-out"
measure while the Senate version supports an "opt-in" measure. The Internet
industry disagrees with the bills, arguing that the law would have such
unintended consequences as provoking massive class-action lawsuits and would
discriminate against e-commerce companies by burdening them with unwieldy
regulation. Another concern from the industry is that other states will
follow Minnesota's lead, resulting in a patchwork of dissimilar Internet
regulations around the country.
[SOURCE: Newsbytes; AUTHOR: Kevin Featherly]
(http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/175807.htm)
COPYRIGHT OFFICE THREATENS INTERNET RADIO PRIVACY
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is asking the U.S. Copyright office to
modify proposed webcasting regulations requiring webcasters to gather and
report information about individual listeners. The new regulations would
require webcasters to collect information that would include each listener's
country of origin, local time zone, and a unique user identifier. EFF
Senior Intellectual Property Attorney Fred von Lohmann said, "The Copyright
Office's policy will drive smaller web casters off the Internet by enforcing
the expense of tracking 25 pieces of information for every song they
broadcast. The same policy establishes an unprecedented violation of
listener privacy by tracking and providing to copyright holders a 'unique
identifier' for each listener."
[SOURCE: Electronic Frontier Foundation, AUTHOR: EFF]
(http://www.eff.org/IP/Audio/20020410_joint_co_comments_pr.html)
RADIO
RADIO CLOSE TO INCREASED DIGITAL TRANSMISSIONS
A new technology will allow radio stations to supplement analog signals with
digital transmissions by the end of this year. This will allow AM stations
to achieve the same sound quality as FM, and FM stations will approach CD
clarity. iBiquity Digital CEO Bob Struble unveiled the digital radio
technology, saying "Static, hiss and pops all go away...You're talking about
a diametrical upgrade in audio quality." Radio World news editor Leslie
Stimson thinks the new technology, "...could revitalize AM radio. A lot of
AM stations have been forced into adopting talk formats." FM stations will
begin using the iBiquity technology in November. AM stations will use it
during the daytime until tests have confirmed that night use will not cause
interference.
[SOURCE: USA Today. AUTHOR: David Lieberman]
(http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2002-04-11-ibiquity.htm)
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