MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Senate Votes 55-40 to Overturn Media Ownership Rules
Showdown Over New Expansion Rules
EDTECH
Smithsonian Launches Education Portal
TELECOM POLICY
Goodbye to a Flat Rate for UK Broadband?
INTERNET SECURITY
Amit Yoran Named US Govt Cybersecurity Chief
TECHNOLOGY
No Bank, No Problem
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MEDIA OWNERSHIP
SENATE VOTES TO OVERTURN MEDIA OWNERSHIP RULES
Late this morning, the US Senate voted 55-40 to overturn the FCC's
controversial media ownership rules. "We have to ensure that the marketplace
of ideas is not dominated by a few conglomerates at the expense of our
citizens and our democracy," said Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA). President Bush
has threatened to veto the bill.
SOURCE: Washington Post; AUTHOR: David Ho, Associated Press
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18586-2003Sep16.html
SHOWDOWN OVER NEW EXPANSION RULES
Today's senate media ownership vote represents a rare GOP showdown with
President Bush as well as a backlash of public opinion against corporate
interests. The vote and public sentiment against the rules constitute "a
clear political message that [Powell has] gone too far," said Andrew Jay
Schwartzman, president of the consumer advocacy group Media Access Project.
"This is in the nature of a public spanking," he added. At issue is a
dramatically changed media landscape. "It's about the shrinking of the
number of newsrooms in communities across the country from their current
paltry state," warns Robert McChesney of the University of Illinois. Beyond
blocking the rules, some lawmakers want to pass legislation to place
congressional limits on media ownership. Bush has threatened to veto the
spending measure to fund the Departments of Commerce, Justice and State and
the FCC if Congress does not remove the language that blocks media rules.
SOURCE: Baltimore Sun; AUTHOR: Julie Hirschfeld Davis
http://www.sunspot.net/news/nationworld/bal-te.bz.fcc16sep16,0,2383627.s...
EDTECH
SMITHSONIAN LAUNCHES EDUCATION PORTAL
The Smithsonian Institution's vast cultural resources are now available
online, thanks to the launch of SmithsonianEducation.org. The site features
content from 16 Smithsonian museums, the National Zoo and the Smithsonian's
world-class research centers. The site is subdivided into areas designed for
educators, families and students, with nearly 1,000 educational resources
searchable within the site's database. Online lessons and teaching tools
were developed in alignment with national education standards. "We created
the new site to be authoritative, inspiring, and relevant," says the
Smithsonian's Stephanie Norby. The site is produced by the Smithsonian
Center for Education and Museum Studies, the central education department of
the Smithsonian Institution.
SOURCE: Yahoo! Finance
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030915/nym033_1.htm
TELECOM POLICY
GOODBYE TO A FLAT RATE FOR UK BROADBAND?
Paying a flat rate for broadband access in the UK may soon be an act of the
past. Customers who only log on to check email currently pay the same price
as those who engage in high-bandwidth activities such as peer-to-peer file
exchange. This may change in order to alleviate some of the online
congestion and share bandwidth more evenly. According to industry reps, a
fraction of customers eat up between 60 and 80 percent of bandwidth, while
the rest are penalized because of these heavy users. "All consumers are not
equal," says Miland Gadekar, vice president of P-Cube. "You have some of the
heavy users who are using so much of the network that a user who wants to do
a simple video stream or talk to someone over the Internet suffers."
Internet service providers are testing ways to tighten the bandwidth belt
through methods such as improved traffic management and matching user
identity with application use. This could open the way for flat rates to be
replaced by tiered pricing, but it may prove very difficult to expect
consumers to plan what they want to do on the Net in advance.
SOURCE: BBC News; AUTHOR: Jo Twist
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3109146.stm
INTERNET SECURITY
AMIT YORAN NAMED U.S. GOVERNMENT CYBERSECURITY CHIEF
The Bush administration announced yesterday that Amit Yoran, a well-regarded
cybersecurity executive and former Pentagon official, will become the new
director of the Department of Homeland Security's National Cyber Security
Division. As the government's new top cybersecurity official, Yoran will be
responsible for protecting networks from worms, viruses, hackers and
terrorists. In recent months, technology executives have complained that the
Bush administration had failed to focus adequately on safeguarding computer
networks. The same executives now praise the administration's decision to
appoint Yoran -- a decision, which does not require Senate confirmation.
"Government has a responsibility to make sure software is safer," says Alan
Paller, research director for the SANS Institute. "He's also good at
recruiting and managing technical people." Yoran's expertise will be
particularly necessary to work effectively on computer security issues with
a undersized staff.
SOURCE: Washington Post; AUTHOR: John Mintz
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15829-2003Sep15.html
TECHNOLOGY
NO BANK, NO PROBLEM
Civis Financial Group Inc. is piloting a computer chip-equipped, pre-paid
debit card targeted at unbanked low-income people, including immigrants, who
use currency exchanges to cash checks and transfer money home. Customers who
open an account, which costs $19.95 plus the amount deposited, can use the
card in an ATM-like kiosk to withdraw cash, cash checks, transfer money and
exchange currencies. Users of the card can avoid carrying cash all the time
and avoid paying fees for check cashing, money orders and electronic
payments. A disadvantage is that the kiosk won't pay out against a deposited
check for three days, the time it takes to clear. "Civis will help eliminate
the number of people walking around with $500 in their pocket. That's a
major issue in the communities we serve," said Robert Klamp of International
Bank of Chicago, which caters to low-income people. Javier Ubarri of Banco
Popular North America, which caters to Hispanics, is not quite so
optimistic. "The challenge is how will you get these customers to use the
ATM for this," said Ubarri. "Many consumers in this market would have
concerns with the technology involved."
SOURCE: Daily Herald; AUTHOR: Jessica Norman, Medill News Service
http://www.dailyherald.com/search/main_story.asp?intid=3787655
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