EDTECH
Next E-Rate Filing Window Opens November 5
TELEVISION
TV Channel Usage Drops To New Low, But Networks Persevere
E-GOVERNMENT
California County Keeps E-Vote
WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY
Static Interference at WSIS Preparatory Meet
The Digital Divide in Latin America
PRIVACY
US Readies Program to Track Visas
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EDTECH
NEXT E-RATE FILING WINDOW OPENS NOVEMBER 5
On Nov. 5, US schools and libraries can begin applying for the 2004 federal
E-Rate discounts to help subsidize their Internet and other
telecommunications services. The Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) of the
Universal Service Administrative Corporation administers the annual $2.25
billion program. Applicants have until Feb. 4 at 11:59 p.m. ET to submit
their Form 471 applications for funding year 2004. Regarding E-Rate-eligible
services, the FCC recently changed the definition of "educational purpose"
to mean anything that happens in a school to support education, said Sara
Fitzgerald of the E-Rate consulting firm Funds for Learning. The FCC will
release further clarifications when it publishes its eligible services list
for 2004. Applicants should stay up-to-date on hearings and rulemaking that
might affect the E-Rate as early as this year. For example, the House
Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee is conducting hearings on
investigating E-Rate waste, fraud and abuse during the past year. The SLD
expects changes, but does not have exact detail yet, says SLD spokesman Mel
Blackwell.
SOURCE: eSchool News; AUTHOR: Cara Branigan
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/ssunreg.cfm?ArticleID=4679&ul=%2Fnews%2F...
Story%2Ecfm%3FArticleID%3D4679
TELEVISION
TV CHANNEL USAGE DROPS TO NEW LOW, BUT NETWORKS PERSEVERE
New Nielsen data reveals that while the number of TV channels received by
the average US household is greater than ever before (102 channels), the
percentage of those channels that are actually viewed has hit a new low (15
channels, or 14.7 percent of available channels). Despite such chaotic
trends in TV viewing patterns, broadcast network TV has managed to reap
disproportionate ad price increases relative to other media, such as 15
percent rate hikes during 2003-04 network primetime. While these results
prove that broadcast networks remain as economically vital as ever, Dave
Poltrack, CBS Executive Vice President for Planning & Research, said too
many executives focus on the negative implications of new media
technologies. These include the emergence and expansion of cable TV, VCRs
and the Internet and the emergence of digital video recorders (DVRs) like
TiVo. Poltrack predicted that broadcast networks would persevere over this
latest technological rival, even though a 50 percent penetration of DVRs
could mean a net loss of 14 percent commercial audience levels.
SOURCE: MediaPost; AUTHOR: Joe Mandese
http://www.mediapost.com/dtls_dsp_news.cfm?newsID=220073&newsDate=09/24/...
E-GOVERNMENT
CALIFORNIA COUNTY KEEPS E-VOTE
Election officials in California have no plans to replace the touch-screen
voting machine before the upcoming gubernatorial election. A comprehensive
report commissioned by the governor of Maryland found that the Diebold
software used by the voting machines was poorly written and full of security
flaws. Alameda County, which includes the California cities of Oakland and
Berkeley, used 4,000 of the touch-screen machines in the state's last
gubernatorial election. The county will not replace the machines before the
October 7 recall election, according to Brad Clark, Alameda's Registrar of
Voters. Security officials say the problems cited in the report are
considered basic to secure computing, such as strong encryption for the
transfer of voting data and the use of strong passwords and smartcard
authentication for officials and workers accessing the systems. David Dill,
professor of computer science at Stanford University, says a
voter-verifiable paper trail is the better option, which would provide
voters with a receipt they could verify and then deposit in a ballot box for
later reference, should disputed election results arise.
SOURCE: Wired; AUTHOR: Kim Zetter
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,60618,00.html
WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY
STATIC INTERFERENCE AT WSIS PREPARATORY MEET
Poor communication and a lack of harmony between government representatives
and civil society at the third preparatory conference for WSIS could
potentially derail the December conference in Geneva. Beatriz Busaniche of
the University of Buenos Aires warned, "If governments continue to exclude
our principles, we will not lend legitimacy to the final official WSIS
documents." A Latin American diplomat predicted "poor results" at WSIS due
to discrepancies that have emerged in the last two weeks. Contentious issues
include the financing of the action plan and the inclusion of a broader
concept of human rights, including gender equity and the right to
development. Nevertheless, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
spokesman Gary Fowlie said the disagreements at PrepCom 3 do not threaten
the WSIS itself. For example, consensus was achieved on approximately a
third of the action plan, which will be considered by heads of state at the
summit, according to ITU's Tim Kelly.
SOURCE: Inter Press Service; AUTHOR: Gustavo Capdevila
http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=20344
THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN LATIN AMERICA
A report produced for the Regional Preparatory Ministerial Conference of
Latin America and the Caribbean for WSIS finds that the impact of the
digital divide has been declining in the region. Still, the divide within
the region "is characterized by lack of effective access to the Internet by
the lowest-income and most geographically remote populations," according to
Venezuelan expert V