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MEDIA OWNERSHIP
FCC to Release Media Ownership Rules
Commentary: Big Media's Silence
DIGITAL DIVIDE
Pulling Up by Their Sandal Straps
INTERNET
Analysts Sour on Commercial Wi-Fi
Commentary: Internet Filters and Free Speech
21ST CENTURY SKILLS
Global High-Tech Giants Launch Jordanian Education Initiative
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
FCC TO RELEASE MEDIA OWNERSHIP RULES
FCC Chairman Michael Powell announced that the commission's final rules on
media ownership likely would be released next Monday, though that date could
be pushed back if commissioners choose to add comments. Whenever the release
occurs, the rules will most likely face immediate backlash in Congress,
where steps have already been taken to undo the FCC action. Legislators such
as Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota have vowed to introduce a seldom-used
"resolution of disapproval," which would directly overturn the FCC rules if
passed and signed by the president.
SOURCE: Yahoo! News; AUTHOR: David Ho, Associated Press
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030625/ap_en_bu/fcc_...
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BIG MEDIA'S SILENCE
[Commentary] Lauding the role his paper has played in the coverage of the
media ownership debate, The New York Times' William Safire is otherwise
critical of large media companies' silence on the issue. "No thanks" should
go to the major networks, which treated the issue timidly, but MSNBC's Joe
Scarborough receives kudos. Safire also discusses the likelihood of the
recent Senate measure passing the House. The bill's number one obstacle, in
the form of Rep. Billy Tauzin of Louisiana, may be forced to pay attention
to a similar bill introduced by Rep. Richard Burr ((R-NC) that has received
the sponsorship of the majority of Tauzin's Commerce Committee. The measure
should also get attention from the White House as it has garnered more than
half of the House's sponsorship. With White House pressure, Tauzin is likely
to allow debate on the measure, Safire predicts.
SOURCE: The New York Times; AUTHOR: William Safire
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/26/opinion/26SAFI.html?ex=1057634586&ei=1...
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DIGITAL DIVIDE
PULLING UP BY THEIR SANDAL STRAPS
Ecosandals.com, a nonprofit based in the Kenyan slum of Korogocho, provides
a case study for the debate about how -- and whether -- the Internet can
improve the lives of poor artisans by connecting them with the international
marketplace. The company's eight employees cobble sandals made from
discarded tires and sell them through a website developed by the company's
founder, Matthew Meyer. The company's initial online success (1,500 orders
in one month, thanks to a CNN story) created problems such as large delays
in shipping orders, misappropriation of funds by the firm's managers,
harassment by corrupt police, and armed robbery of the company's offices.
Currently monthly sales can range from 10 to 200 pairs of sandals, and
Meyers wonders how long his commitment will last. Akhtar Badash, executive
director of the Seattle-based nonprofit Digital Partners, suggests that
entrepreneurs seek more innovative ways to bridge the digital divide. He
gives the example of a group in rural India that sees the Internet as a way
to provide government documents to local people, thereby eliminating the
time and expense of a trip to the city.
SOURCE: Wired; AUTHOR: Jennifer Friedlin
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,59202,00.html
INTERNET
ANALYSTS SOUR ON COMMERCIAL WI-FI
Nonprofit wireless providers may pose a threat to companies such as AT&T,
IBM, Intel and T-Mobile, which are trying to sell Wi-Fi services in coffee
shops, hotels, airports and other popular locations. The number of Wi-Fi
"hot spots" worldwide is expected to increase from 20,000 today to 190,000
in 2007, but there is little evidence that people are paying to use the
service. At Starbucks, for example, only a fraction of the company's
customers are paying to use its much-publicized Wi-Fi network. Bill Semich,
president of a nonprofit that provides free wireless service to island of
Niue in the South Pacific, said that nothing is keeping people from paying
for DSL and then sharing it with their neighbors wirelessly. "There will be
a lot of people sharing their Internet connections in apartments and dorms
and doing it without the permission of the entity providing the broadband
pipeline," he said. But Wi-Fi backers, such as Frank Hanzlik of the Wi-Fi
Alliance, insist that a niche group of people will always be interested in
paying for a secure and faster connection than what most free hot spots will
offer.
SOURCE: Wired; AUTHOR: Elisa Batista
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,59380,00.html
INTERNET FILTERS AND FREE SPEECH
[Commentary] Monday's ruling by the Supreme Court in support of the
Children's Internet Protection Act deals a damaging blow to free expression
and an adult's ability to freely access online content in a public library,
writes the New York Times' editorial staff. While the court felt that the
unreliability of filtering software was not a tremendous concern since
librarians can disable the filters, the library community argues that
disabling the software for individual users is not easy -- and in some cases
impossible. Further, the court did not accept that other methods of
preventing children from viewing inappropriate content, such as monitoring
their access or installing adult-only terminals, would be an acceptable and
less restrictive alternative. Though some libraries can afford to forego
federal funding and not comply, many cannot. These libraries should work
with the software industry to make more reliable and manageable filters. If
libraries find in practice that adult access is in fact unreasonably
curtailed, libraries should follow the advice of Justices Stevens and
Kennedy -- be ready to go back into court.
SOURCE: The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/25/opinion/25WED2.html?ex=1057562369&ei=1...
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21ST CENTURY SKILLS
GLOBAL HIGH-TECH GIANTS LAUNCH JORDANIAN EDUCATION INITIATIVE
At the World Economic Forum's Mideast meeting this week, Jordan's Education
Minister Khalid Touqan announced the launch of the Discovery Schools
initiative, a project to transform 96 Jordanian schools into model
facilities where teaching, learning and information technology are fully
integrated. The lessons from the pilot project will later be applied to all
3,000 Jordanian schools. Global high-tech companies such as Cisco Systems,
Hewlett Packard, IBM, Intel, Siemens and Sun Microsystems have committed to
participate. Plans include an intranet connecting 2,700 schools by year-end
and an "e-highway" to provide Jordanian universities with broadband fiber
optic connectivity by September. As part of its educational reform plan,
Jordan hopes to modernize curricula and teaching methods and emphasize
critical thinking skills, self-discovery and self-determination. ICT
minister Fawwaz Zu'bi noted the importance of the initiative in a country
where more than 50 percent of the population is below the age of 18.
SOURCE: The Jordan Times; AUTHOR: Francesca Sawalha
http://www.jordantimes.com/mon/homenews/homenews4.htm
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