MEDIA OWNERSHIP
FCC Chairman's Star a Little Dimmer
DIGITAL DIVIDE
Portugal Takes Steps to Boost Wireless Internet Use
TELEPHONY
China Calling With Cell-Phone Standard
INTERNET
SBC Targeted in Antitrust Lawsuit
Lawmaker Slams Bulk Email Ruling
How the Big Names Tame Email
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MEDIA OWNERSHIP
FCC CHAIRMAN'S STAR A LITTLE DIMMER
Michael Powell's ascent to the chair of the FCC in 2000 was met with
considerable enthusiasm from the Republican Party as well as the media
lobby, both of whom cheered his deregulatory agenda and judicious approach.
Since March, however, his favored status seems to have slipped, particularly
in recent weeks as the media ownership debate has escaped his control. This
week's 400-21 vote by the House to approve a spending bill that would knock
out the commission's new broadcast ownership rule was noteworthy for its
quickness. "Never before have I seen an FCC chairman's decision repudiated
by the House of Representatives so quickly and so emphatically," observed
Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA). A source close to Powell suggests that he
takes a legalistic approach to policymaking at the expense of politics, as
evidenced by his rifts with fellow commissioners and his apparent disregard
for public opinion on the media issue. Despite his recent troubles, sources
inside the FCC deny rumors circulated earlier this week that Powell had
plans to step down.
SOURCE: The Washington Post; AUTHOR: Christopher Stern
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43044-2003Jul24.html
DIGITAL DIVIDE
PORTUGAL TAKES STEPS TO BOOST WIRELESS INTERNET USE
Portugal's center-right government has made upgrading technological
infrastructure a key component of its efforts to increase the country's
economic competitiveness. As part of the plan, all of Portugal's 150,000
university students and professors will be eligible to purchase a discounted
laptop and secure special interest rates if they cannot afford to purchase
the laptop all at once. Students will not be required to have a laptop with
high-speed wireless Internet access, but all universities will have wi-fi
hotspots to provide free wireless Internet service. "We hope through the
students to touch the rest of society," said Diogo Vasconcelos of UMIC, the
government body in charge of promoting the use of new technologies. The
government has announced its intent to provide wi-fi access points at half
of all firms with more than nine employees and half of all homes by 2005. It
also intends to put more public services and civil servants online. More
than half of Portugal's 10 million people subscribe to Internet services,
but only five percent have high-speed access, according to
telecommunications regulator ANACOM.
SOURCE: Yahoo News
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=1509&u=/afp/20030723/tc_afp/p...
gal_internet_030723183035
TELEPHONY
CHINA CALLING WITH CELL-PHONE STANDARD
To the chagrin of Western phone companies, China announced plans to develop
its own standard for third-generation (3G) cellular telephony. This strategy
is a marked departure from the last decade, in which China invested some $10
billion to build a national mobile network -- and foreign companies reaped
the windfall. By developing its own 3G standard, China will not only save
hundreds of millions in royalty payments to foreign firms but may even be
able to collect royalties if their standard catches on abroad. The move,
along with the government's push for a homegrown HDTV standard, suggests
that China is seeking to leverage its size and intellectual property against
foreign competitors. In doing so, the government may create a wealth of
opportunities for domestic firms.
SOURCE: The Washington Post; AUTHOR: Peter S. Goodman
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43008-2003Jul24.html
INTERNET
SBC TARGETED IN ANTITRUST LAWSUIT
Four Internet service providers have filed suit in federal court against SBC
Communications, alleging that the company "unfairly inflated" its wholesale
prices for high-speed DSL service. Linkline Communications, Inreach
Internet, Om Networks and Red Shift Internet Services claim that the prices
charged to them were too high for them to resell the service profitably and
are seeking $40 million in damages and an injunction of SBC's pricing
scheme. "Otherwise, (small ISPs) are doomed in the DSL business in long run,
and SBC will acquire a complete monopoly of it," said Maxwell Blecher, an
attorney with Blecher & Collins. SBC sees the issue as old hat, however. A
spokesperson called the suit "nothing more than a rehash of issues" brought
before the Public Utilities Commission two years ago by the California
Internet Service Providers Association, a matter that was settled
"amicably." The suit reflects the ongoing battle between the Baby Bells, who
argue that their ability to deploy broadband Web access to underserved
communities as well as their competitive stance against cable broadband
providers has been weakened by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and the
smaller ISPs that the Act intended to benefit.
SOURCE: CNET News; AUTHOR: Jim Hu
http://news.com.com/2100-1034_3-5053604.html
LAWMAKER SLAMS BULK EMAIL RULING
After being fired by Intel, Ken Hamidi sent bulk email to thousands of
current employees, accusing Intel of unfair labor practices. On June 30, the
California Supreme Court ruled that Hamidi's email did not constitute
trespassing, because it did not damage or impair Intel's computer system.
Representative Chris Cox (R-CA) plans to introduce legislation to "correct
this injustice." "Trespassing is trespassing, whether it's on land or on a
computer server," he said. In a legal commentary, attorney Laura Hodes notes
the crucial distinction between an Intranet and the Internet. Intel's
Intranet could be viewed as a virtual office, akin to real property like
land. Instead the court viewed Intel's computer system as "personal
property" and thus required that damage or disruption be shown. Intel argued
that trespassing in cyberspace should require only entry, not damage. The
court feared that treating cyberspace like land could lead to a "substantial
reduction in the freedom of electronic communication." But according to
Hodes, if Intel had won its case with a suitably limited ruling, company
Intranets would have been protected and Internet openness would remain
unaffected.
SOURCE: ZDNet; AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-1024339.html
Hodes' commentary can be viewed at:
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/commentary/20030717_hodes.html
HOW THE BIG NAMES TAME EMAIL
Celebrities, CEOs and US Senators have developed various means of dealing
with the hundreds of emails they receive each day. One method is simply not
to read them. Bernie Ebbers, deposed CEO of WorldCom, refused to read or
answer email. There are better options, however. Venture capitalist John
Doerr has his assistant respond to strangers, delete spam, schedule meetings
and move personal email to a special folder. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates
and Dell CEO Michael Dell use an email filter: if an email address is not on
their "white list," it will get bounced to an assistant. Senate Majority
Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) has separate email addresses, one for constituents
and one for senators, family and friends. He also uses a BlackBerry, a
wireless handheld device with email and scheduling functions. He has made
all Republican senators get BlackBerrys. Demi Moore, Arnold Schwarzenegger
and Sarah Jessica Parker use them, too. Although the crush of email can be a
burden for high-profile people, it has become central to how many work and
manage their lives.
SOURCE: USA Today; AUTHOR: Kevin Maney
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-07-23-email_x.htm
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