FCC
Media Ownership Deregulation Debate Heats Up
FCC Proposal Would Let Schools Sell Spectrum Rights
DIGITAL DIVIDE
E-stonia: From Iron Curtain Obscurity to Wired Wonderland
Libraries Turn to Taxpayers for Help
Sultanate of Oman Seeks to Establish "Knowledge Oasis"
INTERNET
A New Wave of Wireless
PRIVACY
Local Officials Rise Up to Defy The Patriot Act
FCC
MEDIA-OWNERSHIP DEREGULATION DEBATE HEATS UP
Members of Congress continue to express their opinions regarding the current
review of media ownership rules by the FCC. "It is time for the commission
to amend all of its broadcast ownership rules and bring them into alignment
with the realities of today's media marketplace," said Rep. Billy Tauzin
(R-LA.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, in a letter to
FCC Commissioner Michael Powell. Opponents of the deregulation decry the
proposal, warning that such measures could quash the diversity of voices in
local media. "Existing rules have been put in place to ensure that local
communities have access to varying viewpoints on local issues," said Rep.
Janice Schakowsky (D-IL). "These rules must be maintained and should be
strengthened, instead of weakened." Schakowsky singled out radio station
conglomerate Clear Channel, owner of 20 percent of US radio stations, which
used its ownership power to block anti-war commercials while promoting
pro-war rallies.
[SOURCE: Newark Star-Ledger; AUTHOR: Bruce Alpert]
http://www.nj.com/business/ledger/index.ssf?/base/business-4/10509062722...
0.xml
FCC PROPOSAL WOULD LET SCHOOLS SELL SPECTRUM RIGHTS
An FCC proposal to utilize the Instructional Television Fixed Service (ITFS)
bandwidth more efficiently has drawn criticism for a provision that would
allow schools to auction off unused parts of the spectrum to private
companies. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks comment on how best to
use this bandwidth, which has been a distance learning tool for educators
and students since the 1960s. While some suggested solutions include a
geographic licensing approach that would allow for unlicensed use by schools
in a region, the private commercial auction option is far less favorable.
Critics contend that the opportunity for cash-strapped schools to sell their
licenses to the highest bidder might be too enticing, sounding the death
knell for "the last place on the spectrum reserved specifically for
education." FCC Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy notes that "unused spectrum
has little value," adding that the FCC must inquire as to how the unused
bandwidth might best be used.
[SOURCE: eSchool News, AUTHOR: Corey Murray]
(http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/K12unreg.cfm?ArticleID=4362&ul=%2Fnews%2Fsh
owStory%2Ecfm%3FArticleID%3D4362)
DIGITAL DIVIDE
E-STONIA: FROM IRON CURTAIN OBSCURITY TO WIRED WONDERLAND
A country with almost no home telephone lines and only a handful of personal
computers as recently as a decade ago, Estonia has become one of the world's
most wired nations. A recent World Economics Forum report ranks "E-stonia"
8th out of 82 nations surveyed in terms of putting the Web to practical use.
About half of the country's 1.4 million people bank online, placing the
nation among the world's leaders in that industry. Furthermore, the national
government has made revolutionary strides in e-governance, offering citizens
the opportunity to "vote" on particular issues online and streamlining
internal government processes. The speed at which cultural adoption of IT
has occurred is most impressive -- Estonia was so low-tech at the time of
its independence from Soviet rule that it may have been even easier to
leapfrog to the latest technology.
[SOURCE: USA Today, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://www.usatoday.com/tech/world/2003-04-21-estonia_x.htm)
LIBRARIES TURN TO TAXPAYERS FOR HELP
Library districts in and around the city of Cleveland, Ohio are asking local
voters to pass new levies that would increase the amount of property taxes
collected for library services. As citizens rely increasingly on libraries
as community technology centers, the cost of maintaining these information
technology services has placed an additional financial burden on these
institutions. "We need [funding] very badly," said Phyllis Cettomai,
director of Reed Memorial Library. "We've been busting at the seams for 10
years now." The Cleveland Public Library, for example, says it needs to
public to pass a levy that would generate about $31.5 million a year. The
levy would raise the library services tax a homeowner of a $100,000 home
would pay from $93 to $193 per year. Along with covering technology
expenses, the levies would cover the loss of funds cut from the state
budget, among other expenses.
[SOURCE: Cleveland Plain Dealer; AUTHOR: Tom Breckenridge]
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/10509...
2125941.xml
SULTANATE OF OMAN SEEKS TO ESTABLISH "KNOWLEDGE OASIS"
Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidi, Undersecretary of Oman's Ministry of Commerce and
Industry, recently gathered together policymakers and business leaders to
tout the development of Knowledge Oasis Muscat, a cutting-edge information
technology park being developed to raise Oman's profile as an emerging
player in the information economy marketplace. The Knowledge Oasis, a
68-hectare campus 30 minutes outside of Muscat, has already attracted two
technical universities; Siemens, Omantel, Gulf Air and other corporations
are also setting up shop. With more bandwidth than had been previously
available in the sultanate, the oasis is part of a national strategy to
attract information economy businesses to Oman and increase opportunities
for Omanis to develop IT skills.
[SOURCE: The Times of Oman; AUTHOR: John Lopez]
http://www.timesofoman.com/newsdetails.asp?newsid=29901&pn=business
INTERNET
A NEW WAVE OF WIRELESS
Once considered merely a simple alternative to Ethernet networking, Wi-Fi
technology has become "a tool to expand the boundaries of the Internet."
Wireless "hotspots" have quadrupled in number over the last year,
particularly fee-based access points in restaurants, hotels and coffee
shops. Small local companies have seized the opportunity to provide
high-speed Internet access to communities that lack alternatives to dial-up,
some installing wireless antennae and offering the service from their homes.
A glaring deficiency, though, is the general lack of public access networks;
many (but certainly not all) establishments charge a fee.
[SOURCE: The Washington Post, AUTHOR: Yuki Noguchi]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54030-2003Apr18.html)
PRIVACY
LOCAL OFFICIALS RISE UP TO DEFY THE PATRIOT ACT
Arcata, California (pop. 16,000) has become the first US locality to pass an
ordinance outlawing voluntary compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001.
Local librarians and bookstore owners around the country object to
provisions in the Act requiring them to turn over information about patrons'
reading or Web use habits upon request. Federal law supercedes state law and
local ordinances in this case, but the people of Arcata are ready to fight
-- and so are 89 other cities that have passed resolutions condemning the
Act and may follow Arcata's lead in outlawing local compliance. Meanwhile,
on Capitol Hill, members of Congress have requested that Attorney General
John Ashcroft provide detailed reports of how the Justice Department has
used its powers under the Act to date, as well as its plans for the future,
including the yet-to-be-proposed "PATRIOT Act II."
[SOURCE: The Washington Post, AUTHOR: Evelyn Nieves]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64173-2003Apr20.html)
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