TELECOM
Phone Companies Challenge FCC Rule
China Cell Phone Users Hit 250 Million
ACTIVISM
Today's Tech-Dependent Activists=20
EDTECH
Technology Cited in Sharp Rise of SAT Scores
INTERNET
Vermont Law Violates First Amendment
TELECOM
PHONE COMPANIES CHALLENGE FCC RULE
The country's largest phone companies, including SBC Communications,
BellSouth and Qwest Communications, filed suit in federal court =
yesterday in
an attempt to throw out the FCC's new telephony rules. The order, =
released
last week, allows state regulators to set the price at which the Baby =
Bells
can lease their networks to competitors. States have been eager to =
minimize
lease prices in order to stimulate competition and lower consumer cost, =
a
practice the incumbents collectively claim costs them $180 million a =
month.
Some 10 million homes are served by companies taking advantage of the =
rules,
such as AT&T and WorldCom, ordering bundled long distance and local =
service
for a flat monthly rate. Incumbents such as Verizon, who filed a =
separate
claim, eventually followed suit. The companies are asking the court to =
force
the FCC to make it more difficult for state regulators to insist that
incumbents provide discounts to their competitors. If the FCC resists, =
the
companies want the court to order the FCC to block their rivals from =
signing
up new customers. Some industry insiders expressed concern that the FCC
would not vigorously defend an order for which its chairman did not =
vote,
but FCC spokesman David Fiske assured the press that the opinion would =
be
"diligently defended."
SOURCE: The Washington Post; AUTHOR: Christopher Stern
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61601-2003Aug28.html
CHINA CELL PHONE USERS HIT 250 MILLION
Already the world's largest market, mobile phone users in China now =
number
over 250 million, the government said Friday. According to a Ministry =
of
Information Industry report, Chinese phone companies signed up roughly =
29
million new members in the first half of 2003 alone. The report also =
noted
that China has 472 million fixed-line phone subscribers. Ministry =
officials
warned that the core mobile technologies remain in the hands of a few
multinational corporations and that Chinese manufacturers would have to
increase the pace of innovation if they plan to capture a larger market
share.
SOURCE: Xinhua News Agency
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-08/29/content_1053785.htm
ACTIVISM
TODAY'S TECH-DEPENDENT ACTIVISTS=20
At next month's meeting of the World Trade Organization in Canc=FAn,
protesters will have at their disposal a number of new, high-tech =
weapons
for communication and mobilization. The Independent Media Center (IMC) =
and
other groups plan to use a peer-to-peer video-sharing service to =
transmit
broadcast-quality video of the protests to television stations and =
other
activists. They will also install wireless networks at the protest =
welcome
center and will stream audio recordings of interviews and speeches over =
the
Internet for rebroadcast on participating radio stations. "Technology =
gives
us the ability to shift the power in the protest to the dissidents," =
said
Rabble, an IMC activist. Only 10 percent of Mexico's population =
regularly
goes online, and the percentage is expected to be lower on the =
Yucat=E1n
peninsula, where Canc=FAn is located, because of poverty in the =
jungle-covered
region. Despite this, organizers say they are confident that the =
available
technologies will allow them to mobilize participants more effectively =
than
ever before. "The Internet has allowed us to have a different kind of
global conversation," said Starhawk, an organizer with the RANT =
Collective.
"Organizing for Canc=FAn wouldn't be as effective without it."
SOURCE: Wired News; AUTHOR: Amit Asaravala=20
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,60180,00.html=20
EDTECH
TECHNOLOGY CITED IN SHARP RISE OF SAT SCORES=20
The nation's high school class of 2003 achieved the highest score on =
the
math section of the SAT in at least 36 years; both the average =
cumulative
score and the average verbal scores increased from 2002 as well. There =
is
disagreement as to the reasons for these improvements. The College =
Board,
owner of the exam, said the higher scores were due to increased
participation in advanced math and science courses. Johnny Lott, =
president
of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, credited teaching
methods that include more real-life applications, such as project-based
learning. Although he cited no supporting data, College Board President
Gaston Caperton said high-tech toys that introduce young children to =
math
and the computer programs, helping them retain their interest in the
subject, have also helped boost math scores. Some critics say higher =
scores
are a reflection of the test being easier than it was a generation ago. =
They
cite the prevalence of the Internet, calculators, and preparation =
courses as
contributing to the higher scores, implying that these aides somehow =
detract
from pure brain power.
SOURCE: eSchool News; AUTHOR: L.A. Lorek=20
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=3D4610=20
INTERNET
VERMONT LAW VIOLATES FIRST AMENDMENT
A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that a Vermont law designed to =
curb
Internet crimes against children violated the First Amendment. The ACLU =
and
Sexual Health Network, both of which post sexual health and like =
content on
their Websites, sought a court order to protect them from the new law. =
The
US Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit ruled that the law was too =
broadly
applied in this instance, and even lawyers for the state of Vermont =
said
that the law was not intended to affect such sites. A lower court =
decision
had ruled the law unconstitutional and struck it down, saying that it
restricted adult speech and had nationwide effects. The 2nd Circuit =
agreed
in part but remanded to the lower court the question of whether or not =
the
law could be otherwise enforced. Vermont Assistant Attorney General =
Joseph
Leon Winn said he is reviewing the decision and will determine wheter =
or not
the state will appeal.
SOURCE: USA Today; AUTHOR: The Associate Press
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-08-28-vt-net-speech_x.=
htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------