A service of the Benton Foundation (http://www.benton.org)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Berlusconi Media Law Starts Senate Journey in Italy
US and UK Fight Media Battles
DIGITAL DIVIDE
Former FCC Chairman's Plan: Broadband in Every Home
India Leads in Internet Kiosks
PHILANTHROPY
Knowledge Management Comes to Philanthropy
ACCESSIBILITY
FCC Seeks Hearing Aid Friendly Phones
Disabilities Act Should Apply to Commercial and Private Websites,
Says National Council
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
BERLUSCONI MEDIA LAW STARTS SENATE JOURNEY IN ITALY
The Italian Senate has begun debate regarding a controversial new law that
would consolidate the media holdings of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
The law would allow Berlusconi to retain his three private TV channels while
adding radio and pay-per-view services. A vote is expected next Thursday
after the Senate considers the 5,000 amendments introduced by the bill's
opposition, which calls the measure "the mother of all conflicts of
interest." The proposal would relax limits on how much of the media one
company could own; under the current rules, Berlusconi has influence over 90
percent of the country's TV market via his family's holdings as well as the
state-controlled network Rai.
SOURCE: BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3051989.stm
US AND UK FIGHT MEDIA BATTLES
On both sides of the Atlantic, policymakers are wrestling with the issue of
media consolidation and ownership regulations. While the US debate began in
the executive branch, the British Parliament has seen most of the early
action in the UK. Activists in both countries fear the loss of localism and
diversity, with the British particularly concerned about the influence of
American media companies on the programming they see. Opponents of
consolidation scored a victory this week when it pushed through an amendment
to the Communications Bill requiring regulatory body OfCom the duty to
promote the interests of citizens, not just consumers. The language will
still require some wrangling, and the government may still reverse the
measure since OfCom chairman Lord Currie is opposed to it.
SOURCE: BBC News; AUTHOR: Nick Higham
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3050878.stm
DIGITAL DIVIDE
FORMER FCC CHAIRMAN'S PLAN: BROADBAND IN EVERY HOME
Former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt proposed a plan Tuesday to speed up the
build-out of broadband Internet access, and he hopes that US taxpayers will
foot the bill directly. Speaking at the Supernova technology conference in
Washington, DC, Hundt suggested that high-speed Internet is as crucial to
economic development today as roadways were in the previous century,
justifying the investment. "There are some things you should throw money
at," he said. Hundt's plan, which he plans to detail further in a
forthcoming paper, would seek a subsidy from taxpayers amounting to roughly
$20 per household per month to invest in a fiber-optic network that would
bring 10-100 mBps into 100 million homes. He estimates a $50 billion price
tag for the effort, to be alleviated immediately through an elimination of
the universal service phone subsidies, which would be unnecessary once voice
was carried as data over fiber lines.
SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News; AUTHOR: Dan Gillmor
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/business/6263548.htm
INDIA LEADS IN INTERNET KIOSKS
Research conducted by Digital Partners shows that India leads other
countries and regions in the development and use of Internet kiosks,
particularly in e-governnment initiatives and commercial projects. The
report, entitled "ICT Kiosks: A Comparative Study," attempts to identify
best practices among various kiosk business models in India, Latin America
and Africa. One reason for India's success is the wide availability of
technically skilled workers; the report found that support and maintenance
of equipment is one of the biggest sustainability issues, particularly for
kiosks located in rural areas. Another issue is uncertainty about the role
of government. In Africa, it was found that government support is critical,
as market forces alone could not bring service to the less profitable rural
areas. In Latin America, commercial Internet centers are a healthy business,
but they don't often succeed in reaching the poor.
SOURCE: Cyber India Online; AUTHOR: Nanda Kasabe
http://www.ciol.com/content/news/2003/103071005.asp
PHILANTHROPY
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT COMES TO PHILANTHROPY
In interviews at 20 leading foundations, McKinsey & Company found that few
executives had strategically considered knowledge management, though they
recognized its importance. Better knowledge management can help a foundation
improve long-term effectiveness of grants, lower administration costs and
identify more effective strategies for social change. The Annie E. Casey
Foundation serves as a case study for foundations wishing to improve their
knowledge management and build institutional memory. When the Casey
Foundation hired new staff and redefined the role of its program officers,
two challenges emerged. Programs officers needed more information from
colleagues to do their work successfully, and there was a danger of losing
the organizational knowledge already in existence. In response, Casey began
developing processes to capture the foundation's intellectual capital, such
as templates to record insights gathered when visiting grant recipients. By
thinking carefully about knowledge management, Casey saved money by
streamlining its technology spending and began building institutional memory
to support its future work.
SOURCE: Forbes; AUTHOR: The McKinsey Quarterly
http://www.forbes.com/2003/07/11/0711mckinsey.html
ACCESSIBILITY
FCC SEEKS HEARING AID FRIENDLY PHONES
The FCC voted 5-0 to require most cell phone manufacturers and service
providers to offer at least two handset models that won't interfere with
hearing aids and cochlear implants by February 2008. In the United States,
about one in 10 people have some degree of hearing loss, and the proportion
is expected to increase as the population ages. "This action will result in
members of the hearing disabled community having dramatically increased
access to digital wireless phones -- access that will improve their lives
and promote their safety,'' Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy said. The cell
phone industry, though, said the FCC decision does more harm than good. Tom
Wheeler, president of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet
Association, said that today's FCC mandate "will unnecessarily complicate"
the cooperation between the wireless industry, hearing aid industry and
consumer groups, and will "constrain innovative solutions." He added that
the new standard should apply to hearing aids as well as cell phones.
SOURCE: New York Times; AUTHOR: Associated Press
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-FCC-Hearing-Aids.html
DISABILITIES ACT SHOULD APPLY TO COMMERCIAL & PRIVATE WEBSITES, SAYS
NATIONAL COUNCIL
Yesterday. the National Council on Disability released a policy paper that
concludes that the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to
commercial and other private websites The ADA provides equal opportunity in
employment, public accommodations, transportation, government services and
telecommunications for individuals with disabilities. The law, which
requires government websites to be accessible to people with disabilities,
should be equally applicable to commercial and private websites, the report
argues. The paper also recommends strategies for implementing website
accessibility without disruption and with benefit to consumers and
businesses alike.
SOURCE: U.S. Newswire; CONTACT: Mark S. Quigley
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=136-07102003
The policy paper is available at:
http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/adainternet.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------