INTERNET
Internet Firms Woo Hispanics
Surfing with Seniors and Boomers
Internet Attack Exposes Security Flaws
SPECTRUM
FCC Expected to Extend Satellite Operators' Reach
INTERNET
INTERNET FIRMS WOO HISPANICS
The Census Bureau estimates that the United States' Hispanic population
increased by 4.7% between 2000-2001. As they become the largest minority
group in the US, Latinos have also become increasingly Web-savvy, and
Internet companies are taking notice. According to a poll taken by AOL and
RoperASW, nearly half of 300 Hispanics polled reported that they have used
the Internet for the first time since 2000, a figure twice the national
average. This could signal a boon for Internet retailers and service
providers, who have positioned themselves to capitalize on the market
estimated at $1 trillion by 2007. Several companies such as AOL, Yahoo and
Lycos have tailored portions of their online services to the needs of Latino
users.
[SOURCE: USA Today, AUTHOR: Jon Swartz]
(http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2003-01-26-hispanics2_x.
htm)
SURFING WITH SENIORS AND BOOMERS
Middle-aged and senior population groups will see swells in their numbers
over the next four years, and various studies suggest that a corresponding
change in Web user demographics is imminent. According to work performed by
Jupiter Research, people 50 years of age and older will account for a
quarter of all online purchases by 2007. Books and travel tend to dominate
the purchases made by older online adults. Additionally, research by
SeniorNet reveals that 94% of this age group uses email to stay in touch
with family and friends.
[SOURCE: CyberAtlas, AUTHOR: Robyn Greenspan]
(http://cyberatlas.com/big_picture/demographics/article/0,,5901_1573621,00.h
tml)
INTERNET ATTACK EXPOSES SECURITY FLAWS
This weekend's Internet attacks might have been prevented with some
diligence on the part of network administrators nationwide, according to
security experts. "There was a lot that could have been done between July
and now,'' said Bush administration cybersecurity advisor Howard A. Schmidt
of the worm, which exploited a weakness in Microsoft's SQL Server 2000 that
was discovered last summer. This was not the first instance in which a patch
was available to administrators prior to an attack, but a report out of
Carnegie Mellon University revealed that more than 4,000 new vulnerabilities
were reported last year, more than enough to overwhelm technical staff.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Internet-Attack.html)
SPECTRUM
FCC EXPECTED TO EXTEND SATELLITE OPERATORS' REACH
Federal Communications Commission is expected to announce this week that it
will allow satellite voice and data companies to use some of their allotted
spectrum for land-based networks to extend their voice and data services
into urban areas and indoor locations where satellite signals are
obstructed. The conventional wireless companies have argued that the
satellite companies have no right to operate on land without first buying
spectrum for such services, just as the land-based companies were required
to do. But analysts expect the FCC to conclude that the satellite operators
cannot succeed financially unless they can supplement their services with
land-based wireless networks. If enacted, the new rules could be a part of
FCC Chairman Michael Powell's efforts to foster more flexible and efficient
use of the radio spectrum.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Barnaby J. Feder]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/27/technology/27BIRD.html)
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