MEDIA OWNERSHIP
FCC Chief Talks of Frustration and Surprise
E-GOVERNMENT
E-Gov Brain Drain Worries Discounted
BROADBAND
Commentary: Nice but No Substitute for Broadband
EDTECH
Microsoft Launches New Tech Training Program for Schools Worldwide
IBM Launces KidSmart program in India
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MEDIA OWNERSHIP
FCC CHIEF TALKS OF FRUSTRATION AND SURPRISE
FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell reflected on his frustration with the
political rage regarding the FCC's controversial approval or new media
ownership rules. "I cringe a little when I read that I am the architect," he
said. He said that in truth he had little room to maneuver. Congress ordered
him to revisit the media rules every two years, while the courts questioned
the old ones in a series of decisions. Powell also says it was exceedingly
difficult to find three votes for anything at the agency. "We didn't
initiate this as a deregulatory plank of an agenda, which is the way it is
portrayed," Powell continues. "Trust me. Every chairman knows you don't want
to tinker with the media. It's the third rail." Powell also said that he
thinks the public is more upset with media than they are with the
regulations. He believes that some lawmakers opposed the new rules based on
principle, but others did so to settle old scores with media companies.
SOURCE: NY Times; AUTHOR: Steven Labaton
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/22/business/media/22MIKE.html
E-GOVERNMENT
E-GOV BRAIN DRAIN WORRIES DISCOUNTED
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has lost three top
technology leaders in the past six weeks, including Mark Forman, the head of
OMB's e-government office, and his acting replacement, Norman Lorentz. The
departures have sparked concerns about "brain drain" in the OMB.
DigitalNet's William McVay, a former deputy to Forman at OMB, said such
concerns are unfair. He said that there are "no less than 100 people"
working at OMB on e-government initiatives along with many more at the
agency level. Another issue is the loss of key political capital that has
been built up over the last two years. Energy Department CIO Karen Evans,
Forman's replacement, will be tasked with picking up the political duties of
selling e-government and other reforms to federal agency personnel. Bruce
McConnell, president of McConnell International and a former technology
executive at OMB, said that ultimately two things are needed. "One is that
the agencies have to believe in [the president's agenda] ... And second, the
OMB needs to keep using the budget process to encourage the agencies to do
the right things," he said.
SOURCE: BizReport; AUTHOR: Washington Post
http://www.bizreport.com/article.php?art_id=4958
BROADBAND
NICE BUT NO SUBSTITUTE FOR BROADBAND
[Commentary] The Washington Post's Rob Pegoraro assesses "dial-up
acceleration" or "Web acceleration," a service that allows Web pages to load
faster than is typical over a dial-up connection. Dial-up acceleration is
now offered as a bonus component of America Online's and Earthlink's
software. It works by using an intermediate server to store copies of
popular pages and sending these copies in compressed format over faster,
proprietary channels. One drawback is the loss of picture quality due to
file compression. Additionally, dial-up acceleration does not speed up
e-mail transfers and streaming audio or video; only Web browsing time is
reduced. For Pegoraro, the greatest shortcoming is connection time, which is
not shortened by dial-up acceleration. He concludes that acceleration
software is no substitute for "the real thing" (DSL or cable-delivered
consumer broadband). "If you want a faster Internet connection, it's going
to be a lot easier to find $15 or $20 in savings elsewhere in your monthly
budget than it will be to convince yourself that 'accelerated' dial-up is a
replacement for always-on broadband," he writes.
SOURCE: Washington Post; AUTHOR: Rob Pegoraro
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38193-2003Sep20.html
EDTECH
MICROSOFT LAUNCHES NEW TECH TRAINING PROGRAM FOR SCHOOLS WORLDWIDE
Microsoft has launched a new program that will help train teachers and
students to integrate technology into the curriculum. The Partners in
Learning program will provide $250 million in cash grants, discounts on
Microsoft software for participating schools and free software to some
developing nations. It will also establish Microsoft IT Academy Centers,
which will provides services such as IT skills certification, teacher
professional development, curriculum and assessment tools, school-based
technology support and research. Microsoft will specifically target
disadvantaged primary and secondary schools. According to Microsoft, India,
Thailand, Malaysia, Brazil, and Italy have already signed up for the
program. Although it seems most support is favorable, some critics consider
the program just another strategic business decision for Microsoft. "I can't
believe Microsoft has anything but profit in mind as it rolls out the
Partners in Learning program," said Doug Otto, superintendent of the Plano,
Texas, Independent School District. "If the company was so intent on helping
schools, it would have provided deep discounts for school districts and also
not been so Scrooge-like with its licensing agreements."
SOURCE:eSchoolNews; AUTHOR: eSchoolNews staff and wire reports
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=4646
(requires free registration)
IBM LAUNCHES KIDSMART PROGRAM IN INDIA
Vivek Kulkarni, IT secretary for India's Karnataka state government,
launched the IBM KidSmart Early Learning Program, is a community initiative
for pre school students from economically disadvantaged sectors of India.
The program, part of an IBM global initiative, uses age-appropriate software
to head start student academic development. "The program works through Young
Explorer consoles, with pre-loaded software, which have been specially
designed for children and have been imported for the initiative," said IBM
India's Abraham Thomas. "Around 250 of these have already been distributed
in 44 schools in 16 states in India. Another 250 will be donated by the end
of the year to reach close to 10000 children." Thomas further explained that
the three-fold objective of the program is to provide technology to the
disadvantaged, bridge the digital divide and make education and learning
more fun. The software employed by this program focuses on reading and
writing skills, and assists students in concept formation and self-directed
learning. KidSmart also looks at providing training for teachers so students
can use the system more efficiently.
SOURCE:Cyber India Online Limited (CIOL); AUTHOR: Cyber News Service
http://www.ciol.com/content/news/2003/103091911.asp
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