OWNERSHIP
Quality Is No Issue
Should Limits on Broadcast Ownership Change?
DIGITAL DIVIDE
Rural Phone Lines Visionary
Microsoft Loses Showdown in Houston
INTERNET
Web Consortium Captures Captioning
OWNERSHIP
QUALITY IS NO ISSUE
[Commentary] Overshadowed by the threat of terrorism and war, the FCC's
impending deregulation of media ownership restrictions has received far less
attention than an issue of its magnitude deserves. Companies that benefited
from the Telecommunications Act of 1996 stand to further inflate profits at
the expense of journalistic diversity while FCC Chairman Michael Powell
dismissed such concerns as "melodramatic." Somewhat paradoxically, Powell's
disinterest in a diverse media marketplace doesn't seem to bother most media
outlets, which appear to be letting potential profits prevent them from
operating in the public interest.
[SOURCE: Newsday, AUTHOR: Marvin Kalb (Senior Fellow at the Shorenstein
Center on Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of
Government)]
(http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/ny-vpkal193094136jan1
9,0,2505425.story)
SHOULD LIMITS ON BROADCAST OWNERSHIP CHANGE?
[Commentary] In this editorial, FCC Chairman Michael Powell argues for the
deregulation of media ownership, claiming that the antiquated rules no
longer reflect the robust state of competition in TV, cable and radio along
with the Internet. He cites data indicating that the number of media outlets
has increased more than 250% over the last 40 years, even in small towns,
and that news programming is far more available than ever. Powell also
discusses the FCC's attempts to justify the existing rules in federal court,
where the Commission has faced defeat on five different rules. He concludes
by requesting hard factual evidence to "enable [the FCC] to craft
broadcast-ownership restrictions that ensure a diverse and vibrant media
marketplace for the 21st century."
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Michael K. Powell (FCC Chairman)]
(http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2003-01-21-powell_x.htm)
DIGITAL DIVIDE
RURAL PHONE LINES VISIONARY
Before the introduction of the cell phone, Kenya was among the least
"connected" countries in the world, with only 5 telephone lines per 1,000
people. Even with cellular technology, which is concentrated in the
country's few urban areas, the great majority of Kenyans remain underserved.
Thus the government's announcement of a Sh14.4 billion plan to extend
telephony into rural Kenya over the next five years is most welcome.
Onlookers hope that a connected rural populace can use the technology to
communicate with in-town relatives "with obvious social and economic
advantages."
[SOURCE: AllAfrica.com, AUTHOR: Editorial, The Nation (Nairobi)]
(http://allafrica.com/stories/200301210814.html)
MICROSOFT LOSES SHOWDOWN IN HOUSTON
When Microsoft approached the City of Houston with an ultimatum - sign a new
$12 million license agreement or face a potentially costly audit - the
company encountered unexpected the results. Instead of complying, the city
chose to invest in a relatively untested suite of office programs that so
far has proven to be lighter, cheaper and more accessible. The SimDesk suite
allows users to access and edit documents from anywhere using the Web, since
the program is server-based rather than installed on individual PCs.
Currently, the software is available to half of all city employees as well
as in the public libraries, giving Houstonians access to the free software.
Chicago is seeking grants to extend SimDesk to libraries and schools.
Proposals for similar rollouts exist in Denver and New York.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Byron Acohido]
(http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2003-01-21-simdesk-cove
r_x.htm)
INTERNET
WEB CONSORTIUM CAPTURES CAPTIONING
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has commissioned a working group to
develop standards for text captioning of streaming video. The Timed Text
Working Group will base the standards on XML and hopes to further bridge the
gap for disabled individuals seeking to use the multimedia features of the
Web. "This is not just for the slacker in the office, but for people with
disabilities to capture the information in the audio stream," said W3C
representative Janet Daly.
[SOURCE: CNET News, AUTHOR: Paul Festa]
(http://news.com.com/2100-1023-981491.html?tag=fd_top)
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