BROADBAND
Watchdogs: Cable Gouges Broadband Users
Getting Their Message Across to the FCC
LIBRARIES
European Ministers Highlight Role of Public Libraries in the
Information Society
JOURNALISM
POW Pictures Spark Internet Censorship Debate
Casting a Wider Net for World News
BROADBAND
WATCHDOGS: CABLE GOUGES BROADBAND USERS
Consumer groups, led by the Consumer Federation of America and Consumers
Union, have asked the US Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission
to investigate claims that cable companies are "gouging" customers who
subscribe to high-speed Internet but not to cable TV. Comcast Cable, the
nation's largest cable provider, charges a reduced rate to customers who
sign up for bundled services, which is not an uncommon practice, but the
company's 33% increase in stand-alone Internet service following its
acquisition of AT&T's cable assets is cause for alarm. "If there were ever a
candidate for an investigation of predatory pricing under the antitrust
laws, this would be it," said Mark Cooper of the Consumer Federation of
America.
[SOURCE: CNET News, AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://news.com.com/2100-1034-994276.html?tag=fd_top)
GETTING THEIR MESSAGE ACROSS TO THE FCC
As the FCC prepares to release a series of regulations for competition in
high-speed Internet access and local telephone service, Washington-area
lobbyists have turned to public relations methods to make their case. Frozen
out by an FCC procedural rule forbidding contact with the Commission the
week prior to a release of rules, companies such as SBC Communications and
Verizon have turned to the media for a final push for influence.
Long-distance companies have also entered the fray, criticizing local
companies for backing away from investing in broadband Internet after an
unfavorable FCC ruling. Other groups are using Congress as an avenue, since
the rules don't apply to such indirect contacts.
[SOURCE: The Washington Post, AUTHOR: Christopher Stern]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34118-2003Mar26.html)
See also:
PUBLIC INTEREST GROUPS TELL FCC, CONGRESS TO ALLOW PUBLIC COMMENT ON NEW
MEDIA OWNERSHIP RULES
[SOURCE: Center for Digital Democracy]
(http://www.democraticmedia.org/)
LIBRARIES
EUROPEAN MINISTERS HIGHLIGHT ROLE OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN THE INFORMATION
SOCIETY
At a recent conference in Portugal, ministers and policy makers from 36
European countries agreed on priorities to support the contribution of
public libraries towards developing the information society. The delegates
agreed that local and national funding is required to meet the needs of
citizens and help implement the eEurope 2005 Action Plan. As Europe's most
popular public Internet access points, libraries also have a key role to
play in economic and social development, through providing access and
training to those who might not otherwise have access.
[SOURCE: Cordis News]
(http://dbs.cordis.lu/cgi-bin/srchidadb?CALLER=NHP_EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=
&RCN=EN_RCN_ID:19977)
JOURNALISM
POW PICTURES SPARK INTERNET CENSORSHIP DEBATE
A small, independent news website that had posted images of killed or
captured US soldiers was temporarily shut down by its ISP, initiating a
debate over the role of private service providers in censoring the news. The
site, www.YellowTimes.org, believes it was the first to post such images,
which the Pentagon had requested not be shown. Vortech, the Florida-based
ISP for YellowTimes, shut the site down in response to complaints from
viewers. The company's actions raise legal questions about the rights of
ISPs to remove content it deems objectionable. Current law protects ISPs
from liability for content published on their networks so long as they steer
clear of editorial control, but companies are increasingly weary of viewer
criticism, especially during the current military crisis.
[SOURCE: USA Today, AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.usatoday.com/tech/world/iraq/2003-03-26-net-censorship_x.htm)
CASTING A WIDER NET FOR WORLD NEWS
[Commentary] "The medium is the message," Marshall McLuhan famously wrote in
the 1960s, suggesting that electronic media would shatter the homogeneity of
print media and promote an age of diversity. Has the Web's ability to bridge
cultures via access to news done that? Leslie Walker thinks so, noting that
the US military conflict in Iraq has prompted Internet users to search for
news from sources outside their home countries, particularly in the US. Upon
its launch, for example, the Al-Jazeera English-language website became the
#1 searched site on the Web. As Walker suggests, the Web's supplementary
role in news media is increasing, partly due to the increase in users but
also because of the ease with which surfers can find news.
[SOURCE: The Washington Post, AUTHOR: Leslie Walker]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34108-2003Mar26.html)
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