DIGITAL DIVIDE
Cable to Stretch Net Connection to Islands
Branson Raises UK Broadband Stakes
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
The Chairman
FCC Chairman Says Wireless Policy Imminent
TECH SECTOR
Going to the Top for Help
Tech Firms Try to Stay Nimble
DIGITAL DIVIDE
CABLE TO STRETCH NET CONNECTION TO ISLANDS
The Pacific islands of Palau and Yap will soon receive broadband Internet
access thanks to a planned underwater fiber optic cable running from Guam.
The 800-mile cable, to be deployed by the end of 2004, will allow the remote
islands to implement high-speed telemedicine and distance learning
initiatives. "This project will connect Palau to the world, thus bridging
the digital divide," Palau president Tommy Remengesau Jr. said in a written
statement. The Palau National Communication Corporation is coordinating the
cable deployment, which is expected to cost USD $60 million.
[SOURCE: Guam Pacific Daily News, AUTHOR: Gaynor Dumat-ol Daleno]
(http://www.guampdn.com/news/stories/20021004/localnews/212551.html)
BRANSON RAISES UK BROADBAND STAKES
(Commentary) Virgin's move to offer affordable broadband access is an
important milestone on the road to build "Broadband Britain." In doing so,
Virgin undercuts BT and other competitors' prices -- a measure that
undermines complaints from other competitors that BT has abused its monopoly
of the network by lowering its own prices. As commentator Victor Keegan
notes, however, the particulars of Virgin's actions on the market should not
overshadow the importance of broadband access: "the Internet is rapidly
becoming the source of all instant knowledge... Britain is starting to
bridge the gap with other industrialised countries and the government is at
last playing an active role -- but there is still a long way to go."
[SOURCE: Guardian Unlimited, AUTHOR: Victor Keegan]
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/internetnews/story/0,7369,804073,00.html)
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
THE CHAIRMAN
Amidst a failing telecom industry, debate over the US federal government's
role in emerging technologies and questions surrounding the rules of media
ownership, one is hard-pressed to find someone without an opinion regarding
FCC Chairman Michael Powell. Is he of two minds as to how to solve the
telecom crisis, or is he simply awaiting consensus to avoid getting caught
in the crossfire between competing media interests? Or do rumored
aspirations for the Senate or even US Attorney General have him treading
lightly? This article, by Nicholas Lemann of The New Yorker, discusses the
motivations for Powell's actions (or inactions), and includes a chat with
the chairman himself about the 1996 Telecommunications Act and its
repercussions in today's economy.
[SOURCE: The New Yorker, AUTHOR: Nicholas Lemann]
(http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?021007fa_fact)
FCC CHAIRMAN SAYS NEW WIRELESS POLICY IMMINENT
FCC Chairman Michael Powell announced plans to make major changes in
wireless spectrum policies. Despite operating with few regulations, mobile
telephone carriers have demanded additional spectrum to offer new services
to consumers. As previously reported, the FCC also expects to make a
decision on regulations governing how local telephone companies provide
network access to their competitors, and intends to review media ownership
and high-speed Internet access rules. The commission will hold a hearing on
Monday, October 7 on how to restore the financial health of the
telecommunication sector.
[SOURCE: CommsDesign.com, AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.commsdesign.com/news/tech_beat/OEG20021003S0023)
TECH SECTOR
GOING TO THE TOP FOR HELP
Many current and retired computer executives are finding new ways to impact
the world of computers at a very personal level -- by now offering
consulting services to friends and family members. Executives such as Peter
Schwartz, Doug Carlston and Harry Saal could easily charge corporate clients
hearty fee of $2,000 an hour for their expertise, but their positions in the
tech sector have made them magnets for family and acquaintances seeking free
IT support. For many of these executives, offering useful tech support isn't
exactly a slam dunk, especially when their professional specialties don't
jive with today's state-of-the-art technologies. IT sector leaders from the
1970s and 1980s, for example, now find themselves getting bombarded by
questions from personal acquaintances about how to get a home Internet
connection up and running. "Because I once did something in networking many
years ago, that's a favorite question for people to ask me," admits Nat
Goldhaber, who ran a successful, but now obsolete networking business before
the era of the World Wide Web. "People assume that if you know something,
you know something, which regrettably is only partially true."
[SOURCE: NY Times, AUTHOR: Katie Hafner]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/03/technology/circuits/03TECH.html)
TECH FIRMS TRY TO STAY NIMBLE
Many technology companies are continuing to search and implement
money-saving strategies to get consumers anxious about making IT purchases
again. IBM developed one such penny-pitching strategy initiative coined Pay
as You Save, where the company will examine your organization's current
technologies for efficiency; in turn, IBM is paid based on the money you
saved. Between 1999 and 2000, technology spending grew nearly 30 percent,
according to research firm Gartner Inc. Last year, however, saw only a 1.5
percent increase in technology budgets. Still, many companies are not sure
about how the technology industry will rebound. According to Sun
Microsystems' chief financial officer, "We have not seen any improvement in
the current IT spending environment.... Some may say it is actually
worsening."
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: A Washington Post Staff Writer]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35421-2002Oct2.html)
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