MEDIA OWNERSHIP
FCC Member Warns About Consolidation
INTERNET
Internet Radio Takes Off ... Bit by Bit
Three Email Providers Join Spam Fight
COPYRIGHT
Movie, Music Giants Win One, Lose One
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
FCC MEMBER WARNS ABOUT CONSOLIDATION
Last Friday, FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein warned that the proposed
deregulation of US media ownership rules could lead to the "McDonaldization"
of news. "We're about to consider a profound re-examination of all the rules
concerning media ownership," said Adelstein, who has been touring the
country to raise awareness of the pending decision. "This could mean the
greatest increased concentration in media in this country ever." Adelstein
cited a recent case in Minot, North Dakota: when a train carrying toxic
ammonia derailed nearby, local police called all six of the local radio
stations to get a warning out over the airwaves. But all six stations are
owned by Clear Channel: "Clear Channel had pared down its local operations,"
Adelstein explained, "and no one answered the phone for more than an hour."
Adelstein added that there needed to be ample opportunity for citizens to
chime in on the issue. "There needs to be a public opportunity to comment on
something that has such an effect on people's lives," he said.
[SOURCE: Marin Independent Journal; AUTHOR: Keri Brenner]
http://www.marinij.com/Stories/0,1413,234~24407~1352201,00.html
INTERNET
INTERNET RADIO TAKES OFF ... BIT BY BIT
More than 100 million listeners have sampled the offerings of Internet
radio, with the number of regular listeners tripling in the last three
years, according to radio rating agency Arbitron. Unlike commercial radio on
the airwaves, however, Web listeners are looking for something off the
beaten path, typically searching for music or formats that they cannot find
elsewhere. Internet users can look for their hometown station by searching
www.radio-locator.com, and DJs around the world can create their own
stations via www.Live365.com, whose network of Web stations was rated number
one by Arbitron. For listeners looking for the familiar, however, Yahoo's
Launch music service allows for the creation of customized playlists.
[SOURCE: USA Today; AUTHOR: Reuters]
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2003-04-24-webcasts_x...
THREE EMAIL PROVIDERS JOIN SPAM FIGHT
Email service providers America Online, MSN and Yahoo will announce today a
newly-formed alliance designed to attack spam. The three companies vowed to
work jointly to track down spam emailers while developing standards to
prevent the creation of bulk email. Their hope is that they will lead the
industry toward making spam messages easier for email clients to filter
while also identifying networks that might be seized by spammers in order to
hide the true origin of the message. The three welcome the support of
anti-spam activists, many of whom have already developed information on
spammers which would be useful. Though the Federal Trade Commission and
Congress both intend to hold hearings on the matter shortly, a Yahoo
spokesman said that the alliance was not created to develop or support a
particular piece of legislation.
[SOURCE: The Washington Post; AUTHOR: Jonathan Krim]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45816-2003Apr27.html
COPYRIGHT
MOVIE, MUSIC GIANTS WIN ONE, LOSE ONE
Just a day after a federal judge affirmed a lower court's decision to force
Verizon to reveal the names of suspected illegal file-swappers, the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) faced a surprising court
defeat. The US District Court for Los Angeles ruled Friday that file-sharing
software networks Grokster and Morpheus were not liable for the illegal use
by their customers, since the applications had legitimate, lawful uses.
Judge Stephen Wilson noted that ruling in favor of the RIAA would be
analogous to finding VCR or copy machine companies liable for the
possibility of copyright infringement by users. The Verizon decision, a
clear victory for the RIAA, has caused heartburn for ISPs, civil liberties
organizations and consumer groups that are fighting for the privacy rights
of Web surfers. Some ISPs worry that without significant oversight the wrong
customer could be identified or the information could be used to "wiretap"
Internet users' activities. Some ISPs are considering not keeping records of
which IP address is assigned to whom to ensure compliance with the law by
"now knowing."
[SOURCE: DC.Internet.com; AUTHOR: Alex Goldman and Roy Mark]
http://dc.internet.com/news/article.php/2197311
----------------------------------------------------------------------