A service of the Benton Foundation (http://www.benton.org)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FCC
FCC to Hold Open Hearing July 10th
CABLE
FCC Releases Report on 2002 Cable Industry Prices
SECURITY
To Help Turn Off Crime, Police are Logging On
TELECOM
Calling Via Internet Has Suddenly Arrived
DIGITAL DIVIDE
Recycling Program a Tough Cell
Information On-Ramp Crosses a Digital Divide
FCC
FCC TO HOLD OPEN HEARING JULY 10TH
The FCC is scheduled to hold a public hearing this Thursday, July 10th, at
9:30 AM in Room TW-C305 of its headquarters in Washington, DC. The
Commission will hear presentation from its International Bureau on the
outcome of this year's World Radio Conference, consider a Report and Order
from the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau regarding the compatibility of
digital wireless telephones and hearing aids, and receive an update from the
Enforcement Bureau's Homeland Security Policy Council. The hearing will be
broadcast live over the Internet at www.fcc.gov/realaudio.
SOURCE: FCC
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-236175A1.doc
CABLE
FCC RELEASES REPORT ON 2002 CABLE INDUSTRY PRICES
The FCC today released it report on the change in cable industry process for
the 12-month period ending July 1, 2002. The report indicates that the
overall average monthly charges rose 8.2% during that period, a figure above
the compound average growth rate of 7.1% from 1997-2002. The bulk of the
increase comes from the average monthly prices of expanded basic (up 10.8%)
and equipment costs (up 12%). The FCC also found that the per-channel price,
when adjusted for inflation, actually decreased by .2% thanks to an increase
in the average number of channels offered. Finally, comparing competitive
cable prices to those companies not facing effective competition, the
Commission noted that on average non-competitive companies charge 6.4% more
per month and 4.6% more per channel. Commissioner Michael Copps dissented to
the approval of the report, stating that the FCC failed to adequately
examine the industry's justification for rate increases. "The operators
attributed over 60 percent of their rate increases to programming costs, yet
the Commission does not conduct even minimal audits to assure the accuracy
of these data," he writes.
SOURCE: FCC
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-236254A1.doc
SECURITY
TO HELP TURN OFF CRIME, POLICE ARE LOGGING ON
Police around the country are responding to new homeland security
requirements in creative ways, employing everything from e-mail to text
messaging to connect with the community. The Citizen Observer communications
system, developed in 2000, sends crime alerts in about 150 communities via
e-mail, cell phone, digital pager or fax. The system can send emergency
broadcasts about missing children and provide information about fugitives
and unsolved crimes. Police Officer Dan Hanlon of New Berlin, Wisconsin, has
more than 500 e-mail addresses at his fingertips and has created something
of a virtual Neighborhood Watch throughout the city. Some recipients of
updates feel more informed and more confident that police are doing their
jobs; however, some residents have told Hanlon that his updates do nothing
more than cause panic. Still, Hanlon believes he is providing a vital
service. "Scaring people, that's not the intent," Hanlon said. "But you
can't hide from the fact that things are going on . . . It's better to
know."
SOURCE: Milwaukee Journal Sentinal; AUTHOR: Corissa Jansen
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wauk/jul03/153503.asp
TELECOM
CALLING VIA INTERNET HAS SUDDENLY ARRIVED
Use of the Internet for local and long-distance telephony has begun to hit
the mainstream in the last year and a half, and the telecommunications
industry has taken notice. Until recently, Voice over Internet Protocol
(VoIP) technology did not offer the same sound quality and reliability as
landline phones, but recent advances have allowed start-ups such as Vonage
to offer services competitive with the regional Bells. A broadband
connection is required, which leads some analysts to believe that the cable
industry could wrestle up to 20% of the market share away from the Bells
through cross-promotion and bundling. Since the VoIP infrastructure is more
cost-efficient, several companies have invested in private networks to
significantly reduce that expense, with some cutting their phone costs in
half. The technology does face the challenge of requiring subscribers to
register for 911 services, since their phone number will not appear
automatically to emergency call centers. VoIP providers also avoid paying
phone taxes, such as universal service fees, that traditional providers must
pay - a situation likely to change in the future.
SOURCE: USA Today; AUTHOR: Paul Davidson
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-07-06-netphone_x.htm
DIGITAL DIVIDE
RECYCLING PROGRAM A TOUGH CELL
With about 130 million cell phones being "retired" each year, retailers have
developed various programs for disposal of mobile phones, which contain a
number of toxic substances. However, retailers are not always up-front about
what really happens to the phones. For example, the Staples office-supply
chain's "recycling" program is actually a "reuse" program -- the phones are
sold to a for-profit company called Collective Good International that sells
many of them to Latin American companies. The phones "will become waste down
there and they (the poor countries) don't have the infrastructure or the
funds to dispose of them," said Sarah Westervelt, a toxics researcher.
Collective Good President Seth Heine defended the Staples program and said
that other recycling programs under a group called the Wireless Foundation
mislead customers, leading them to believe that the phones go to battered
women's shelters when they are actually resold at a profit. The carriers
insist that they do not make money off the recycling programs, and that the
proceeds are donated to various charities.
SOURCE: Wired; AUTHOR: Elisa Batista
http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,59530,00.html
INFORMATION ON-RAMP CROSSES A DIGITAL DIVIDE
Winston-Salem's WinstonNet, a network based on a fiber optic ring
surrounding the city center and connecting to the Internet, links recreation
centers, churches in the poorest neighborhoods, libraries, schools and a
homeless shelter. Users can store documents, transact business with the city
and get a free e-mail account, and parents can access school assignments and
communicate with teachers. The plan focuses on giving first-time users
plenty of computer training. Winston-Salem officials view WinstonNet as a
social good and a potential economic catalyst to help the city reduce its
dependence on tobacco and manufacturing. In general, there is disagreement
over the effectiveness of technology programs to reduce poverty as well as
over the extent of the digital divide. Some say the gap is widening; others
say computer technology is spreading rapidly to underserved areas.
President Bush had tried to eliminate technology access programs created
under the Clinton administration, but a coalition of more than 180 groups
was able to lobby Congress to restore just under $50 million of the proposed
cuts.
SOURCE: New York Times; AUTHOR: Barnaby J. Feder
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/08/technology/08DIVI.html?ex=1058241600&e...
e8ea967f4887ea&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
----------------------------------------------------------------------