EDTECH
Bush 2004 Budget Calls for 144.5 Million in Cuts for Edtech
BROADCASTING/OWNERSHIP
CDD, CU, CFA and MAP File Reply Comments
Bush Plan Cuts Pubcast Funding
Prime-Time Shows are Getting Sexier
BROADBAND
High-Speed Net Finds Way to Small-Town USA
EDTECH
BUSH 2004 BUDGET CALLS FOR $144.5 MILLION IN CUTS FOR ED TECH
President Bush's proposed 2004 budget calls for a $2.4 billion increase for
the US Department of Education, but the increase is paired with cuts in
technology-related programming totaling almost $145 million. Programs slated
for cuts include Community Technology Centers ($32.5 million), Preparing
Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology, or PT3($62.5 million), Ready to Teach
($12 million), Regional Technology in Education Consortia ($10 million), and
Star Schools ($27.5 million) - all programs that Bush proposed cutting in FY
2003. "In these times of tight budgets and accountability, we can no longer
continue to fund programs that simply are not helping students achieve,"
argued Education Secretary Rod Paige.
[SOURCE: eSchool News]
(http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=4242&ref=wo)
BROADCASTING/OWNERSHIP
CDD, CU, CFA AND MAP FILE REPLY COMMENTS IN MEDIA OWNERSHIP PROCEEDING
The Center for Digital Democracy, Consumers Union, the Consumer Federation
of America and the Media Access Project filed a reply today with the FCC in
response to comments submitted by major media companies regarding media
ownership deregulation. The coalition argued that the industry comments
"share a legal and analytical approach that we believe is fundamentally
flawed and cannot support the repeal or relaxation of the current rules on
media ownership." The filing examines empirical evidence presented by the
industry and discusses how media companies have attempted to obscure the
current level of market concentration.
[SOURCE: Center for Digital Democracy]
Link to the Filing (requires Adobe Acrobat):
(http://www.democraticmedia.org/resources/filings/CFACUmediareplies020303.pd
f)
BUSH PLAN CUTS PUBCAST FUNDING
The president's budget proposal includes a $10 million cut for the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a move that could cripple its ability
to provide services. CPB President Robert Coonrod stated that CPB can ill
afford budget reductions if public stations are to convert to digital while
continuing to provide content as required by law. Bush's proposal would
require any broadcaster using the analog spectrum after Congress' 2006
deadline for digital conversion to pay the FCC $500 million for use of the
spectrum.
[SOURCE: Yahoo! News, AUTHOR: Craig Linder, States New Service]
(http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/bpihw/20030204/en_bpihw/bus
h_plan_cuts_pubcast_funding)
See Also:
CORPORATE FUNDING SQUEEZING PUBLIC TELEVISION
[SOURCE: The Ledger Online, AUTHOR: Elizabeth Jensen, Los Angeles Times]
(www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2003302050310&Profile=102
PRIME-TIME SHOWS ARE GETTING SEXIER
According to a Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation study, one in seven shows
features either latent or implied sexual intercourse, doubling the figures
from a similar study four years ago. Two-thirds of all shows from 7 a.m. to
11 p.m. have some sexual content, ranging from talk to actual depictions;
this figure is also nearly twice the mark observed four years ago. As
parents' groups and health professionals call for change, the FCC's media
ownership review takes on a new twist. "Is there a relationship between the
rising tide of indecency on the airwaves and the rising tide of industry
consolidation?" asks FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps, suggesting that
localism gives stations more control of the content they design and carry.
[SOURCE: The New York Times, AUTHOR: Alessandra Stanley]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/05/arts/television/05WATC.html)
BROADBAND
HIGH-SPEED NET FINDS WAY TO SMALL-TOWN USA
Despite being left out of the tech investment boom of the late 1990s, there
is some hope for rural US residents yearning for high-speed Internet. The
Department of Agriculture's plan to pump $1.5 billion into loans for
high-speed infrastructure start-ups, as well as Senator John McCain's
prioritization of rural broadband access, both signal the federal
government's interest in bridging the gap. Additionally, venture capitalists
have shown interest in supporting rural start-ups, who boast less expensive
technology and a focus on lower margins to sell the service where the larger
companies would not go.
[SOURCE: USA Today, AUTHOR: Jim Hopkins]
(http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-02-04-ruralnet_x.htm)
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