DIGITAL DIVIDE
ITU Publishes International Digital Access Index
INTERNET
Fixed Wireless as Residential Access Sees Renewed Life
Bush Pushes for Cybercrime Treaty
Full Speed Ahead for Japan's Broadband
EDTECH
State Department, GSN Foundation Announce Student Web Competition
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DIGITAL DIVIDE
ITU PUBLISHES INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL ACCESS INDEX
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), ramping up for the World
Summit on the Information Society next month, has published the 2002 Digital
Access Index, a global ranking of the availability of information and
communications technologies. Unlike previous indices that have focused
solely on infrastructure and Internet penetration, this index attempts to
factor in education levels and affordability as well. "Until now, limited
infrastructure has often been regarded as the main barrier to bridging the
Digital Divide," says Michael Minges of the Market, Economics and Finance
Unit at ITU. "Our research, however, suggests that affordability and
education are equally important factors." Countries were ranked on a score
of 0 to 1.0, then sorted into four categories: high access, upper access,
medium access and low access. Northern European countries and Korean ranked
the highest overall, while West African nations ranked the lowest.
SOURCE: International Telecommunications Union
http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2003/30.html
INTERNET
FIXED WIRELESS AS RESIDENTIAL ACCESS SEES RENEWED LIFE
Fixed wireless services for the home may have resurfaced as a viable option,
according to a recent study released by Strategy Analytics. "The research
firm found renewed interest in fixed wireless as a residential broadband
access technology, particularly in areas where cable and DSL are not readily
available," according to Reed Electronics. Strategy Analytics reported that
public funding, support from commercial users and promotion of the new WiMax
standard are helping to make fixed wireless realistic in residential areas.
"Advances in the underlying technology have relaxed the line-of-sight
constraints that used to make residential installations an expensive and
uncertain proposition," said Strategy Analytics vice president Tom Elliott.
"Reduced equipment costs, improved performance, and an aggressive set of
vendors and wireless ISPs are making fixed wireless a serious broadband
contender in rural towns and urban fringes." Sprint, France Telecom, US
Wireless Online and Irish Broadband have all launched trials or begun
commercial rollouts of residential fixed wireless access. The global target
for such services is 15 to 20 million homes.
SOURCE: Reed Electronics
http://www.reed-electronics.com/electronicnews/index.asp?layout=article&...
cleid=CA336995&stt=000&industryid=21364&industry=Broadband&rid=0&rme=0&cfd=1
(re-paste URL if broken)
BUSH PUSHES FOR CYBERCRIME TREATY
In a letter to the Senate Monday, President Bush called for the ratification
of the first international cybercrime treaty. Bush says he supports the
Council of Europe's treaty because it is "an effective tool in the global
effort to combat computer-related crime" and "the only multilateral treaty
to address the problems of computer-related crime and electronic evidence
gathering." The treaty will establish international cybercrime standards
related to copyright infringement, online fraud, child pornography and
network intrusions. The treaty will also eliminate "procedural and
jurisdictional obstacles that can delay or endanger international
investigations," according to the US Department of Justice. Civil
libertarians argue the treaty would endanger privacy rights and grant too
much power to government investigators. "It's a treaty that goes way beyond
combating cybercrime," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU's
technology and liberty program. "It would require nations that participate
in the treaty to adopt all sorts of intrusive surveillance measures and
cooperate with other nations, even when the act that's being investigated is
not a crime in their home country."
SOURCE: News.com; AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh, CNET News.com
http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-5108854.html
FULL SPEED AHEAD FOR JAPAN'S BROADBAND
BT Wholesales launched its new 1-mbps asymmetric digital subscriber line
(ADSL) broadband net service in the UK this week, but this new service has
experts wondering whether the UK's band is broad enough. For example, ADSL
is a well-established technology in Japan, owned by a local arm of Yahoo
(Yahoo BB), the market-leading broadband service provider. This year, Yahoo
BB signed up its three-millionth customer, boasting services running at
eight and 12 mbps -- much higher than what's generally available in Britain.
Theoretically one could get broadband speed over 50 mbps, if the loop is
less than one kilometer. In Japan, NTT has already put fiber feeder points
within a kilometer of most locations. "The most important factor relates to
network construction," says Kirk Boodry, director of capital markets at
Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein in Tokyo. "In Japan, fiber has been pushed
much deeper into the network and the copper loop lengths [from exchanges to
individual homes] are much shorter.... There will be an increasing emphasis
on fiber optic connections with higher bandwidth than DSL, but that seems
like a 2004 to 2005 story to us."
SOURCE: BBC; AUTHOR: J. Mark Lytle
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3278375.stm
EDTECH
STATE DEPARTMENT, GSN FOUNDATION ANNOUNCE STUDENT WEB COMPETITION
The US Department of State, in conjunction with the Global SchoolNet
Foundation, is sponsoring the "Doors to Diplomacy" educational challenge -
to encourage middle school and high school students around the world to
produce Web projects that teach others about the importance of international
affairs and diplomacy. Each student team member of the winning "Doors to
Diplomacy" Award team receive a $2,000 scholarship, and the winning coaches'
schools each receive a $500 cash award. The State Department sponsors a trip
to Washington, DC where the winners receive a private tour of the State
Department facilities, meet with key officials, and participate in a special
award presentation ceremony.
SOURCE: Global SchoolNet Foundation
http://globalschoolhouse.org/doors/
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