INTERNET
Federal Agencies at Odds Over Broadband Policy=20
Local TV Management Should Get Serious about the Web
China Blocks Google Search Engine
OWNERSHIP=20
EchoStar, DirecTV Deal in Jeopardy?
EDTECH
Junior Enterprises: Bridging the Digital Divide in S=E3o Paulo
Of PowerPoint and Pointlessness
INTERNET
FEDERAL AGENCIES AT ODDS OVER BROADBAND POLICY
Last week, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) expressed =
concern
that a proposed FCC rule would essentially eliminate small, independent
Internet service providers from the high-speed Internet marketplace. In =
a
letter to FCC chairman Michael Powell, the SBA noted that the =
Commission's
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding broadband delivered over =
wireline
facilities (DSL) would "affect more than 7,000 small businesses and =
could
cost more those businesses more than $8 billion in revenue." By =
classifying
wireline broadband as an information service, the ruling would =
eliminate the
interconnection requirements that allow small ISPs carriage on DSL =
networks,
thus "creating impenetrable barriers to entry, eliminating competition =
from
small business and removing consumer choice." The SBA letter calls upon =
the
FCC to classify wireline broadband as both a telecommunications and
information service, which would preserve open access and =
nondiscrimination
requirements for DSL systems, thus promoting competition and choice in =
the
ISP marketplace.
[SOURCE: Center for Digital Democracy]
(http://www.democraticmedia.org/news/washingtonwatch/SBAletter.html)
CHINA BLOCKS GOOGLE SEARCH ENGINE
In the midst of government calls to tighten media controls ahead of a =
major
Communist Party congress, China has blocked access to the popular =
Internet
search engine Google, used by 45 million Chinese citizens. The Chinese
government promotes the Internet for economic use and to spread the
communist government's views, but it has worked hard to muzzle the =
Internet
as a forum for free information and discussion. While there was no =
immediate
explanation for the blocking, China routinely tightens controls on news =
and
information around politically sensitive dates.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, TechNews.com, Author: Christopher Bodeen]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31035-2002Sep3.html)
LOCAL TV MANAGEMENT SHOULD GET SERIOUS ABOUT THE WEB
In a phone survey conducted this spring for the Newspaper Association =
of
America, 62 percent of Internet users who go online for local news said =
they
visit newspaper Web sites, while and only 39 percent use TV station =
sites.
"Frankly, newspapers have an editorial advantage," says Cory Bergman,
executive producer at KING-TV in Seattle and founder of Lost Remote, an
online publication devoted to media convergence. "They have more =
reporters
covering more stories, and their copy is ready-made for the Web." =
Another
problem is that traditional revenue models don't translate as readily =
to the
Web. "Most TV sales departments still don't recognize the power of the =
Web,"
Bergman says. "Newspapers recognized the threat early, and they've
adapted.... Broadcast managers...are less motivated to take the Web
seriously."=20
[SOURCE: American Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Barb Palser]
(http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=3D2604)
OWNERSHIP
ECHOSTAR, DIRECTV DEAL IN JEOPARDY?
EchoStar Communications Corporation's $18.3 billion deal to merge with
Hughes Electronics, DirecTV's parent company, is facing heightened =
scrutiny
as a result of anti-trust questions being raised by the Justice =
Department.
Tensions between the two companies surfaced in August when DirecTV =
began
airing alerts to subscribers in an attempt to retain customers and =
reject
dishonest sales pitches from EchoStar's independent retailers and other
competitors. Still, EchoStar remains supportive of the merger, brushing =
off
the incident. "Our competitors are engaging in a campaign of premature
speculation as to the regulatory review process and its outcome," =
EchoStar
spokesman Marc Lumpkin said.
[SOURCE: USA Today, AUTHOR: David Lieberman]
(http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techinvestor/techcorporatenews/2002-09-02-=
echo
star_x.htm)
EDTECH
JUNIOR ENTERPRISES: BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN S=C3O PAULO
In Sao Paulo, Brazil, students are helping provide city residents with
essential tech skills. Carlos Eduardo Machado Munhoz, the president of
FASEJ, a nonprofit enterprise association entirely managed by students,
describes how FASEJ is working with S=E3o Paulo City Hall in a =
partnership to
provide courses to people attending 100 telecentres that city will set =
up by
the end of the year. Munhoz believes it is important to give people =
more
than basic computer skills, but to equip them to apply the skills they
acquire throughout their lives.
[SOURCE: Digital Opportunity Channel, AUTHOR: Carlos Eduardo Machado =
Munhoz]
(http://www.digitalopportunity.org/fulltext/munhoz20020903.shtml)
OF POWERPOINT AND POINTLESSNESS
Is PowerPoint useful? Does a program like PowerPoint really enhance
learning? Many teachers have integrated PowerPoint into their =
curriculum as
a supplement to learning, but some critics say that such a program =
should
focus on content rather than all the sights and sound when used in =
early
childhood education environments. "To critics, PowerPoint serves =
largely the
same role in the classroom as pre-processed snack food does in the
lunchroom, a conveniently packaged morsel that looks good but doesn't =
match
the intellectual or corporeal nourishment of, say, a critical essay or =
a
plate of steamed spinach," writes Wired author Joann Glasner.=20
[SOURCE: Wired News, AUTHOR: Joann Glasner]
(http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,54675,00.html)
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