BROADBAND
Special Interests Killing Broadband's Future
DIGITAL DIVIDE
Branching Out In Monticello
Computer Lifeline for Refugees
EDTECH
Educational Shipments Of iBooks Arriving In Maine
INTERNET
Rising Costs Of Free Web Email
FCC Schedules Open Commission Meeting
BROADBAND
SPECIAL INTERESTS KILLING BROADBAND'S FUTURE
[Commentary] Sue Ashdown, executive director of the American ISP
Association, criticizes the Tauzin-Dingell bill as a special-interest
bill that would allow the regional Baby Bells to extend their local
phone service monopoly into broadband. The bill proposes easing current
regulations that require the Baby Bells allow competitors access to
their broadband infrastructure. She contends that if the Baby Bells
gain control over broadband services, local ISPs could face obstacles to
continuing to offer broadband services. She also believes that without a
competitive environment and ongoing accountability, the Baby Bells will
not focus on extending high-speed connectivity to rural areas. Ashdown
supports a bill that passed the U.S. Senate offering funding to anyone
who can "furnish, improve or extend a broadband service" to a rural
area. Instead of easing regulatory oversight of the Baby Bells, the
Senate bill will encourage new investment in broadband services from a
variety of sources.
[SOURCE: ZDNet, AUTHOR, Sue Ashdown]
(http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1107-880647.html)
DIGITAL DIVIDE
BRANCHING OUT IN MONTICELLO
Jefferson County, Florida's first branch library has been designed to serve
double duty as a community technology center. The library branch will
be housed in the Jefferson County Youth Council and Teen Center and
include five flat-screen computers plus 1,000 books. The Jefferson
County Main library often has a line of patrons waiting to use the eight
Internet-ready PCs. Verna Brock, director of the Jefferson Country library,
said, "In our county, a lot of people can't afford their own computers
and Internet. We provide a place for them to train and become more
familiar with technology. This (branch) will help bridge the digital
divide in Jefferson County."
[SOURCE: Tallahassee Democrat, AUTHOR: Gerald Ensley]
(http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/local/3046769.htm)
COMPUTER LIFELINE FOR REFUGEES
Refugees in Belgium, mostly from the former Soviet republics, Iran and
Afghanistan, are being offered training in computer skills. The program,
offered at a refugee reception center in Kapellen, is run by volunteers
and relies on donated computers. "Experience with computers can open new
opportunities for the person, whether it is to continue with language
learning or with computer skills, or simply to be able to access the
Internet for news," said a representative for the center, Rudi De
Bleser. The project began in 1999 with two computers donated by Oxfam
and has since grown to include 27 computers and a volunteer staff of
computer experts to provide training to the 450 migrants who await
answers to requests for asylum. "We offer the opportunity to acquire
skills that may be useful to [the refugees] in Belgium as well as in any
other country, since only 20 percent gets a positive result to their
asylum request," said Bleser.
[SOURCE: BBC News; Alfred Hermida]
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1917000/1917441.stm)
EDTECH
EDUCATIONAL SHIPMENTS OF iBOOKS ARRIVING IN MAINE
Nine Maine middle schools have received their first shipments of 675 iBooks.
The program is part of the Maine Learning Technology Wireless Classroom
Solution to help Maine students "become one of the most digitally
capable groups in the world." In a contract that runs through 2006,
Apple will provide 36,000 iBooks to all seventh and eighth
grade students and teachers in Maine. Laptops will be shipped to seventh
grade students and teachers by fall 2002 and to eight graders in 2003.
The nine schools that are receiving their shipments early have been
selected to be Demonstration/Exploration Schools. They will serve as
laboratories and teacher training sites and share information about
their experiences at conferences.
[SOURCE: MacCentral, AUTHOR: Dennis Sellers]
(http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=77&ncid=77&e=8&u=/mc/200204
10/tc_mc/educational_shipments_of_ibooks_arriving_in_maine)
INTERNET
RISING COSTS OF FREE WEB EMAIL
The time is soon coming when everything but the most rudimentary of
email services will cost a buck or two. As more free email services
feel the pinch of advertising slumps, customers are "not-so-gently"
nudged to pay for premium features. Both Yahoo and Hotmail, the two
largest free email services, continue to increase the number of fee-based
premium services available at their sites. Both services are likely to
start charging for speedier and more reliable services, for better
anti-spam systems and for technical support. Interestingly enough,
email service providers are finding that customers do want premium
services. TerraLycos, Oddpost and Another.com are just a few of the
companies trying to capture premium subscribers. According to Ethan
Diamond and Iain Lamb, creators of Oddpost, once people have decided to
pay for email, they are likely to say that they want a service of more
apparent quality than Yahoo or Hotmail. Yahoo and Hotmail insist that
their premium services are more than satisafactory for paying customers.
Given that Yahoo and Hotmail combined have hundreds of millions of
users, companies like Oddpost may not have quite the leverage needed to
compete against these email giants.
[SOURCE: Wired News; AUTHOR: Farhad Manjoo]
(http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,51701,00.html)
FCC SCHEDULES OPEN COMMISSION MEETING
The Federal Communications Commission will hold an Open Meeting on
Thursday, April 18, 2002. Included in the agenda are reports on the
FCC's role in the recent ITU World Telecommunications Development
Conference, establishment of policies and services for a new service
capable of providing broadband Internet access via satellite facilities
and consideration of improved Internet protocol relay services for
individuals with hearing and speech disabilities. Further information is
available at the FCC Web site.
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Miscellaneous/Public_Notices/Agenda/2002/ag02041
8.html)
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