INTERNET
Spanish Web Law Sparks Debate=20
The Story of '.us' Has Its Critics=20
BROADBAND
Senators Seek to Deregulate High-Speed Internet
IBM, Hughes To Provide Broadband To Rural E-Gov=20
DIGITAL DIVIDE
Mauritius: A Cyber-Island in the Making=20
FCC Announces Indian Telecommunications Initiative
INTERNET
SPANISH WEB LAW SPARKS DEBATE
After two years of debate, a new information society and e-commerce =
bill
pending in Spain's Congress is still under fire by critics for giving =
the
government too much regulatory control of Web sites. The LSSI bill =
would
give a "competent administrative authority" in the government the power =
to
shut down Web sites without a court order. Victor Domingo, president of =
La
Asociaci=F3n de Internautas (Net-Surfers Association) believes that the =
law
will have a positive impact. "In Spain, the power of the telephone
companies and the ISPs is very great, and the Internautas are disarmed =
and
defenseless...A law governing e-commerce can give us some legal
security...It can be good for Internautas, since among other things we =
have
obtained the prohibition of spam." While some feel that the law is =
merely
clarifying existing legislation, others fear that the law will not be =
able
to handle the complexities of the Internet landscape. Pedro de Alzaga,
editor of the online edition of "El Pais" said, "This policy favors
consumers and big companies, but jeopardizes the growth of small Web
sites..." Media industry analyst Jose Guardia stated that the law will =
not
affect personal Web sites and that small Web sites with one banner ad =
will
not be affected by the new regulations. =20
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Steve Kettmann]
(http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,52201,00.html)
THE STORY OF '.US' HAS ITS CRITICS
When the ".us" Internet suffix became available to the public last =
week,
people and companies responded in droves, as more than 200,000 names =
were
registered. But some consumer advocates say certain addresses, such as
union.us and nonprofit.us, should not have been sold on a first-come,
first-served basis. While NeuStar did set aside some generic names, =
such as
president.us, parks.us and kids.us, several nonprofit groups accused =
NeuStar
this week of making those decisions arbitrarily and not including =
consumers
in those decisions. the Center for Democracy and Technology, the Media
Access Project and Common Cause yesterday sent a letter to the Senate
Commerce Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, urging =
the
members to investigate NeuStar's name-reservation policies. "This is a
public resource," said Rob Courtney, a policy analyst with the Center =
for
Democracy and Technology.. "The public interest in this space has been
completely whitewashed. There's no hint of it."
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: David McGuire]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4827-2002Apr29.html)
BROADBAND
SENATORS SEEK TO DEREGULATE HIGH-SPEED INTERNET
A bill introduced by Democrat John Breaux from Louisiana and Oklahoma
Republican Don Nickles seeks to ease regulations on DSL services. The =
bill
is requesting that DSL lines are regulated in the same way as other
broadband Internet services such as cable-TV lines, satellites and =
wireless
antennas. If the bill passes, it would allow large telephone companies =
like
Verizon Communications and SBC Communications, Inc. to expand DSL =
services
and bypass current regulations that they share their networks with
competitors. Independent telecommunications companies criticized the =
bill
and John D. Windhausen, president of the Association for Local
Telecommunications Services said, "The bill will reduce consumer choice =
and
create a deregulated monopoly or duopoly over all local telecom =
services." =20
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/3168638.h=
tm)
IBM, HUGHES TO PROVIDE BROADBAND TO RURAL E-GOV=20
IBM Corp. is adding satellite connectivity from Hughes Network Systems =
to
bring broadband capability to an existing program that rural =
governments can
use to operate their own Web sites. The satellite service makes =
Internet
access possible for rural and remote areas of the country that lack =
either
DSL or cable modem Internet connections. Through the IBM program, which =
is
targeted for communities of less than 50,000, municipalities can use a
template to build a low-cost Web site that enables citizens to go =
online and
find out about community events, pay a utility bill or send e-mail to
municipal officials.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: William Welsh]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12209-2002May1.html)
DIGITAL DIVIDE
MAURITIUS: A CYBER-ISLAND IN THE MAKING
Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean, is taking steps to build
information and communication technology into a new pillar of the =
economy.
The island is hoping to become a regional IT to bolster its flagging
economy. Mauritius is planning on exporting IT services to Indian and
international firms by setting up call-centers and back office =
operations.
They will also use their dual Anglo-French heritage to create software =
for
the French-language markets in Africa, Europe, and Canada. =
Additionally, the
government hopes to build a computer hardware-manufacturing center. Low
corporate tax rates and exemption of customs duties on equipment and =
raw
materials are just a few of the ways the government hopes to attract =
foreign
companies to the island. A Green Card has been introduced to encourage
Indian IT professionals to work in Mauritius. Prime Minister Sir =
Anerood
Jugnauth has said, "We have set ourselves the goal of putting Mauritius =
on
the digital map...Without government vision and government support, no =
IT
strategy will work. It is therefore critical that the Mauritian =
government
has placed itself at the forefront of IT strategy."=20
[SOURCE: Panos Institute, AUTHOR: Nasseem Ackbarally]
(http://www.panos.org.uk/news/April2002/mauritius.htm)
FCC ANNOUNCES INDIAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS INITIATIVE
The FCC has cancelled the Indian Telecom Training Initiative (ITTI)
conference scheduled for September 2002. Instead, the commission says =
it
will shift its focus from one annual event to the Indian =
Telecommunications
Initiative (ITI), a series of interactive workshops among tribes, =
government
agencies and industry addressing telecom issues facing Indian Country. =
The
goal is to encourage partnerships among these groups to improve
telecommunications coverage in Indian communities.=20
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/CGB/News_Releases/2002/nrcg0202.html)
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