DIGITAL DIVIDE
Why the Poor Need Technology
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY=20
High Court Opens Session with Busy Agenda
NEW TECHNOLOGY=20
Broadband "Taking Off In The UK"
Drivers, TiVos and Other Conundrums of the Digital Age
DIGITAL DIVIDE
WHY THE POOR NEED TECHNOLOGY
(commentary) There are more than 600 million people in the world who =
have
access to the Internet, yet an estimated 5.5 billion are not online. =
Most of
these people live outside developed Western countries. Though over half =
of
UK households are online, only 0.1% of homes in Bangladesh are on the =
Net.
The Internet creates greater opportunities for communities and schools, =
but
many developing countries continue to weigh the value of integrating
technology versus other pressing social problems such as access to
healthcare and clean water. Development experts, however, are beginning =
to
see the Internet as an important gateway to other resources, as well as =
to
self-reliance. Author Bill Thompson suggests an update to the old adage =
"If
you give me a fish, you feed me for a day. If you teach me to fish you =
feed
me for life. " He proposes: "If you give me information, you answer one =
of
my questions. If you get me online, you let me answer my questions for
myself."=20
[SOURCE: BBC News, AUTHOR: Bill Thompson]
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2295447.stm)
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
HIGH COURT OPENS SESSION WITH BUSY AGENDA
The U.S. Supreme Court opens its 2002-2003 session this morning with =
two
major technology-related cases scheduled this week. In Eldred v. =
Ashcroft,
the court will decide whether Congress can extend copyrights on the
distribution of digital media. The case seeks to overturn the Copyright =
Term
Extension Act of 1998, which delays by 20 years the time when =
copyrighted
works pass into the public domain. In another important case, a =
six-year
battle over billions of dollars in wireless airwaves is expected to
culminate in FCC v. NextWave. The court may use the case to determine =
the
fate of the airwave licenses as well as whether a court can trump the =
FCC's
authority by treating the agency like an ordinary creditor in a =
bankruptcy
proceeding.=20
[SOURCE: The Washington Post, AUTHOR: David McGuire]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50881-2002Oct6.html)
NEW TECHNOLOGY
BROADBAND "TAKING OFF IN THE UK"
An upcoming study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development shows that broadband access in the UK is growing faster =
than
other European countries. The UK government wants to make their country =
one
of the most competitive places for broadband access by 2005, and is =
very
close to having one million people connected to the Internet. Much =
work has
been done to get people online in the UK, but the country is still well
behind Germany, France, Japan, Canada and the United States.=20
[SOURCE: BBC News]
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2295697.stm)
DRIVERS, TIVOS AND OTHER CONUNDRUMS OF THE DIGITAL AGE
(commentary) Even the so-called "digital haves" are feeling the strain =
of
the digital age -- in their inability to keep up with countless new
technologies as they enter the mainstream. New York Times columnist =
Andr=E9s
Martinez discusses just how far he (and no doubt countless others) have
fallen behind, from under-utilizing his PC to foregoing broadband. =
"Consumer
bewilderment and tech fatigue are stalling the relentless march to the
digital nirvana," he laments. "Economists and telecom companies bemoan =
the
slowness with which people have embraced broadband. Can we really be =
faulted
for wanting to take a break before crossing the next bridge?"=20
[SOURCE: The New York Times, AUTHOR: Andr=E9s Martinez]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/04/opinion/04FRI4.html?ex=3D1034751610&e=
i=3D1&en
=3Db3d88eff0d22e2ba)
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