INTERNET
FCC Policies That Damaged Media Now Threatening Internet
E-GOVERNMENT
E-gov Evolution Brings in Citizens
EDTECH
Parents Sue School Over Wi-Fi
Federal Edtech Funding in Trouble for 2004
TECHNOLOGY
Asia Plays with Hi-tech Visions
Bubble Bursts for E-Books
-------------------------------------------------------------------
E-Government for All:
Take part in our upcoming virtual conference!
Information and free registration: http://www.egov4all.org/
-------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERNET
FCC POLICIES THAT DAMAGED MEDIA NOW THREATENING INTERNET
FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps spoke at the New America Foundation at an
event entitled "The Beginning of the End of the Internet? Discrimination,
Closed Networks and the Future of Cyberspace." Commissioner Copps discussed
the threat posed by a regulatory movement to replace open networks with
closed systems and the impact this will have on both the Internet and the
media. Upcoming decisions at the FCC will determine how much control
companies will have over Internet access and their ability to discriminate
against users, data, websites, or technologies. In his speech, Copps warned
that "the Internet as we know it is at risk." He said that the original
vision of a free Internet could soon be replaced by closed networks and a
view that accessibility can be
superceded by a new power to discriminate. He continued, "From media to
telecom to the Internet, we appear to be rushing toward breathtaking
regulatory alterations. The Commission is permitting, even encouraging,
competition to wither in the face of centralization. It is short changing
its responsibility to protect the public interest."
SOURCE: FCC; CONTACT: Jessica Rosenworcel
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-239795A1.pdf
E-GOVERNMENT
E-GOV EVOLUTION BRINGS IN CITIZENS
Last week at a panel discussion, the Office of Management and Budget's Dan
Chenok said that the first two phases of e-government -- bringing a
government presence to the Internet and allowing for online transactions by
citizens -- have been completed. The next era may involve reaching out to
citizens through public forums and discussions so they "can participate in
government more efficiently," he explained. Jim Flyzik, a partner in Guerra,
Kiviat, Flyzik and Associates Inc., added that e-government is continually
evolving and will include what he described as "i-government" or
"intergovernmental government" work, which involves agencies working
together on cross-government issues. Flyzik said that the issues hindering
e-government initiatives include security, privacy, culture, money and
leadership. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chief Information Officer
Kim Nelson singled out security as a major impediment to projects.
Additionally, she said the EPA has struggled to stay on time and within
budget on some projects because managers may lack the skills or may be
overseeing two or three major projects at once.
SOURCE: Federal Computer Week; AUTHOR: Sara Michael
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/0929/web-opm-10-01-03.asp
EDTECH
PARENTS SUE SCHOOL OVER WI-FI
A small group of parents has sued a Chicagoland elementary school district
for installing a wireless computer network. The complaint alleges that a
growing body of evidence outlines "serious health risks that exposure to low
intensity, but high radio frequency radiation poses to human beings,
particularly children." The wireless network was set up in 1995 to connect
the district's schools to one another. Today, the 5,000 students in the
district have access to carts of laptop computers to do research on the
Internet from their desks. Spokeswoman Gail Crants said the district
complies with all government regulations for wireless networks. The Wi-Fi
Alliance, which certifies wireless products, says Wi-Fi networks are safe.
The radio waves in a Wi-Fi network use the same frequency as wireless home
phones, and have one-thirtieth the power of cordless phones, said Brian
Grimm, a spokesman for the group. The parents are requesting class-action
status for their suit, which seeks to halt the use of wireless networks. A
hearing is scheduled for February.
SOURCE: Wired; AUTHOR: Daniel Sorid, Reuters
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,60769,00.html
FEDERAL EDTECH FUNDING IN TROUBLE FOR 2004
As House and Senate lawmakers try to resolve their differences over 2004
spending, four technology-specific education initiatives totaling $134
million may be left by the wayside. Three of these four initiatives were cut
in the House version of the education-spending bill, but were preserved in
the Senate version. The fourth program, "Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to
Use Technology" (PT3) appears in neither the House nor Senate appropriations
bills. The Bush administration says PT3 is unnecessary because the federal
Improving Teacher Quality program already provides nearly $3 billion to
support teacher preparation and development initiatives, but critics
disagree. "We need to take a systematic approach, and that includes
recruiting highly qualified teachers who know how to use technology," says
Don Knezek, International Society for Technology in Education's (ISTE) Chief
Executive Officer. The Senate bill also preserves the $20 million Community
Technology Centers program, which builds computer centers in low-income
areas, but the House cut this program as well. Despite the Bush
administration's cuts in edtech spending, the 2004 budget proposal calls for
a $2.4 billion increase in overall federal education spending.
SOURCE: eSchool News; AUTHOR: Corey Murray
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/ssunreg.cfm?ArticleID=4707&ul=%2Fnews%2F...
Story%2Ecfm%3FArticleID%3D4707
TECHNOLOGY
ASIA PLAYS WITH HI-TECH VISIONS
The cultural differences between East and West can be seen in terms of what
and why people use various forms of technology. In many Asian countries,
technology has become a tool for learning, religion, and politics says,
Genevieve Bell, Intel ethnographer. Dr. Bell spent two years visiting 80
homes in 16 cities, observing how people are adapting technology to suit
their needs and priorities in India, Malaysia, South Korea and China.
Technology is constantly being reinvented, she says, "whether it is people
in China using their mobile phones to get the lunar calendar or people using
the digital version of the Times of India newspaper matrimonial section to
find a spouse." There are 200 million mobile phone subscribers in China and
24 million in Malaysia, and the percentage is even higher in countries like
South Korea. The reason mobile phones are so popular is that they are
robust, relatively small, have language versatility and allow mobility,
unlike computers. Technology is even doing the unexpected. In Malaysia,
mobile phones now have the option of including a built-in directional finder
to help Muslims pray in the direction of Mecca.
SOURCE: BBC News; AUTHOR: Alfred Hermida
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3177348.stm
BUBBLE BURSTS FOR E-BOOKS
Consumers like to turn pages and to curl up by the fire with a good book.
The concept of E-books replacing paper texts is a no go with consumers, who
still prefer the written word over the computer or palm pilot. The e-book
frenzy reached a peak three years ago and has since been declining, but some
say the potential for steady growth on a smaller scale is possible. "There
is a small market for them and it may grow as different reading devices
appear on the market. Sales do go up month by month," says Helen Fraser,
British publisher and Managing Director at Penguin. She said if Penguin sold
40,000 copies of a printed book, it would typically shift 4,000 audio books
of the same title and 400 e-books. Competing and non-compatible formats to
read e-books have fueled resistance in consumers. Technology analyst Chris
Barnard says, "One problem is that e-books are up against a very established
technology, namely books. And most people are very happy with that
technology."
SOURCE: Yahoo! News; AUTHOR: Paul Majendie, Reuters
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=569&ncid=738&e=1&u=/nm/2...
010/tc_nm/arts_frankfurt_electronic_dc
-------------------------------------------------------------------