Benton RSS Feed

Mergers
WSJ: WorldCom to Launch MCI Bid To Rival British Telecom's Pact
TelecomAM: FCC RELEASES FULL ORDER APPROVING MCI/BT MERGER

FCC
TelecomAM: Speak No Evil: FCC Nominees Don't Say Much During Hearing
FCC: Meet the Presidential Nominees for Members to the FCC

Arts
WSJ: Lawmakers Agree to Continue Funding NEA,
Capping Long Day of Bargaining
NYT: Personal Journey to 'Case' Chinese New-Media Art Scene

Television
WSJ: Hai-Ya! Haim Saban Morphs Into A Major Player In Kids'
Entertainment
WSJ: NBC Wins Top Place In Ratings as Networks Lose More Viewers
FCC: Technical Requirements to Enable Blocking of Video
Programming
Based on Program Ratings

Satellites
WSJ: Satellite Plans Are Registered With the FCC

Campaign Finance Reform
WSJ: Vote Against McCain. Wait, Can I Say That?

Philantropy
WSJ: A Dangerous Alms Race

Encryption
NYT: Police Versus Us: The Encryption Chasm

International
WSJ: Once Again, US Trails Europe in Cellphones
NYT: Japanese Phone Giant Buys a U.S. Stake

Lifestyles!
WSJ: The Internet Generation Taps Into Morse Code

*********************************************
* Mergers *
*********************************************
Title: WorldCom to Launch MCI Bid To Rival British Telecom's Pact
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (A3)
Author: Steven Lipin & John Keller
Issue: Mergers
Description: The nation's fourth-largest long distance carrier, WorldCom,
will announce today an unsolicitied bid to takeover MCI. British Telecom
recently restructured its bid for MCI to total $18 billion. WorldCom will
reportedly offer $20 billion. As reported yesterday, WorldCom is close to
closing a deal to buy Brooks Fiber, a local telephone service provider. If
-- a very big IF -- WorldCom is successful in this proposed deal, it would
jump to a solid #2 in long distance assets and would have the broadest
collection of telecommunications assets.

Title: FCC RELEASES FULL ORDER APPROVING MCI/BT MERGER
Source: Telecom A.M.
http://tpg( at )cappubs.com
Author:
Issue: FCC--Merger
Description: The FCC has approved of a merger between MCI and British
Telecommunications PLC (BT). Even though it was approved on Aug 21, the
order was released on Sept. 24. The FCC approval was based on a few
conditions: BT agreed to cut its settlement rate for calls to the UK to 7
cents per min. BT and MCI must now allow customers to presubscribe to
another carrier for UK-bound long-distance and internat'l calls. Both
companies must also make their translatlantic submarine cable avaialble to
competitors. The British Gov't must agree to sever all ownership of BT as
well.

*********************************************
* FCC *
*********************************************
Title: Speak No Evil: FCC Nominees Don't Say Much During Hearing
Source: Telecom A.M.--Oct. 1, 1997
http://www.tpgweb( at )cappubs.com
Author:
Issue: FCC-Regulation
Description: Three new commissioners for the FCC were confimed on Sept.
30, 1997: Michael Powell, a scholar of telecommunications, politics and
consensus building, Gloria Tristani, the commission's link to the state
public utility commissions and rural states, and Harold Furchtgott-Roth, who
appears to be the most forthright in adhering to the Telecommunications Act.
These new commissioners did not say much duirng the hearing, which only
perplexed attendees and the media alike. But, what they did say was
definitely noteworthy, if not at all controversial. Powell was noted for
outlining his duties for the public interest. Tristani made evident some of
the issues she is already wrestling with, such as the conflict between the
FCC and state commissions over jurisdiction. Furchtgott-Roth was noted for
saying, "I will advocate a common-sense approach to regualtion at the
commission...common sense regulation is regulation that is within statutory
authority, that reflects the interest and intent of Congress, and that
benefits consumers more than it costs them." Despite the trio's vague
answers at the hearing, it would appear that they are all in good standing
with the Senate.

Title: Meet the Presidential Nominees for Members to the FCC
Source: FCC
http://www.fcc.gov/commissioners/nominees/welcome.html
Issue: FCC
Description: "One of the top news items during this most exciting year at
the FCC is President of the United States Bill Clinton's, nominations of
four outstanding Americans for Members of the Federal Commmunications
Commission. We present this homepage to introduce to the communications
community William E. Kennard, Harold W. Furchtgott-Roth, Michael Powell, and
Gloria Tristani the President's selections to take the Federal
Communications Commision into the 21st Century and beyond."

*********************************************
* Arts *
*********************************************
Title: Lawmakers Agree to Continue Funding NEA, Capping Long Day of Bargaining
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (A4)
Author: David Rogers
Issue: Arts
Description: A House-Senate conference committee agreed to fund the National
Endowement for the Arts with $98 million next year. State arts councils are
to receive 40% of grant funds and no single state may receive more than 15%
of the total assistance allocated by the NEA.

Title: Personal Journey to 'Case' Chinese New-Media Art Scene
Source: The New York Times (CyberTimes Extra)
http://www.nytime.com/library/cyber/week/100197stirfry.html
Author: Matthew Mirapaul
Issue: Information Technology ("virtual museum")
Description: "Stir-Fry" is a new Web project documenting Barbara London's
month-long trip through China's capitals in a search for previously
undiscovered new-media art. The associate curator, of the film and video
dept. at the Museum of Modern Art in N.Y., has relayed her experiences with
audio interviews and clips. This site is the latest collaboration between
MoMA and "ada'web", a Manhattan-based art site that London will maintain
when she returns. The site shows that intellectual property may be as
important a museum asset as a Picasso. London said, "The work I've seen is
naive, fresh, technically primitive for the most part...but the work here
has a pioneering feel. Western video is sophisticated, fully in command of
the media. Here, the work is simple and direct. When it's not puerile, it's
powerful."[For more on the arts online see Open Studio
http://www.openstudio.org/]

*********************************************
* Television *
*********************************************
Title: Hai-Ya! Haim Saban Morphs Into A Major Player In Kids' Entertainment
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (A1)
Author: John Lippman
Issue: Children's Television
Description: The man that brought your kids Power rangers TURBO, Saban's
Samurai Pizza Cats, and Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation -- Haim Saban -- is
quickly becoming the "Walt Disney of the 1990s." Mr. Saban produces 21% of
all children's TV programming in the US -- second only to Time Warner (26%),
but ahead of Disney (18%). And Saban's numbers will grow with Fox Kids
Worldwide, a joint venture with News Corp. His formula? Buy a cheap foreign
product, dub it into English or remake it making sure to include "cool"
images that kids love. Many parents don't find them appealing because of the
violent content.

Title: NBC Wins Top Place In Ratings as Networks Lose More Viewers
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (B12)
Author: Staff Reporter
Issue: Television Economics
Description: General Electric's NBC was the most watched network during
premier week, Westinghouse's CBS came in second, and Walt Disney's ABC came
in third. Compared to last year, total viewership of the big four broadcast
networks is down 4% -- only News Coprs Fox gained viewers.

Title: Technical Requirements to Enable Blocking of Video Programming Based on
Program Ratings
Source: FCC
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Notices/1997/fcc97340.txt
Issue: V-Chip
Description: "The proposals contained in this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
are intended to
give parents the ability to block video programming that they do not want
their children to
watch. They are also intended to provide a regulatory framework that will
accommodate the
possible development and use of multiple ratings systems, giving parents the
flexibility to
choose the ratings system that best meets their needs." (Comments due ~Nov 14)

*********************************************
* Satellites *
*********************************************
Title: Satellite Plans Are Registered With the FCC
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (A10)
Author: Quentin Hardy
Issue: Satellites
Description: Even before they've started making money from their first
global systems, a number of groups are informing the Federal Communications
Commission that they have plans for "second generation" satellite systems.
The filings at the FCC are an effort to secure rights to operate in a
certain section of the radio spectrum.

*********************************************
* Campaign Finance Reform *
*********************************************
Title: Vote Against McCain. Wait, Can I Say That?
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (A22)
Author: Jonathan Rauch, editor National Review
Issue: Campaign Finance Reform
Description: For all its good press and good intentions, the McCain-Feingold
bill to reform campaign finance is bad. Private money is a big part of the
political system and if you try to suppress it in one place, it will show up
somewhere else. And you can't limit spending to communicate with voters
without violating the First Amendment.

*********************************************
* Philantropy *
*********************************************
Title: A Dangerous Alms Race
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (A22)
Author: Leslie Lenkowsky
Indiana University Center on Philantropy
Issue: Philantropy
Description: Ted Turner's $1 billion pledge to the United Nations is getting
to much attention. Even if Turner gave the entire amount at once (instead of
over the ten year period he has promised), it would amount to far less than
1% of what Americans contributed to charity last year. Most donations come
from individuals who are far from superrich and surveys suggest that
households with below median incomes give larger preportion of their money
than those who are better off. Although a big gift can draw the attention
needed to start a big campaign, "every fund-raiser knows, the bedrock of
support for schools, hospitals, museums, symphonies, social welfare
agencies, and other charitries invariably comes from large numbers of much
smaller gifts."

*********************************************
* Encryption *
*********************************************
Title: Police Versus Us: The Encryption Chasm
Source: CyberTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/under/100197under-wayner.html
Author: Peter Wayner
Issue: Encryption
Description: It seems that everyone who backs the Clinton Administration
plan to "rewire" the Internet for easy surveillance works for the government
and everyone who opposes it works in the private sector. "All of law
enforcement is also in total agreement on one aspect of encryption," FBI
Director Louis B. Freeh told a Congressional committee recently. "The
widespread use of uncrackable encryption will devastate our ability to fight
crime and prevent terrorism." Wayner disagrees: "In truth, crime prevention
is a partnership. Law enforcement is only the part that steps in when all
else fails. Prevention is the job of the average person, and in the private
sector, where everyday people live, where a failed deal can destroy a
business, secure encryption is as necessary as a wall safe, a strongbox and
a trustworthy bank." [For a history of encryption see "Of Keys, Decoders and
Persoanl Privacy" by Ashley Dunn
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/surf/100197mind.html; for updates on
the issue see the Center for Democracy and Technology http://www.cdt.org/]

*********************************************
* Internaltional *
*********************************************
Title: Once Again, US Trails Europe in Cellphones
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (A15)
Author: Gautam Naik
Issue: Internaltional/InfoTech
Description: The third generation of cellular phones -- available in four or
five years -- will allow you to browse the Web, send a fax, check your
e-mail (where are my Headlines?), or watch a news clip...all while sitting
on a mountain or speeding along in your car (but watch out for that tree!).
In the race to control this emerging market, European companies are taking
the lead. Ericsson, for example, is already running tests on cellular phone
links that allow for video confercing.

Title: Japanese Phone Giant Buys a U.S. Stake
Source: New York Times, D2
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/phone.html
Author: Seth Schiesel
Issue: Telecommunications
Description: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, one of the world's largest
telecommunications companies based in Tokyo, reported yesterday that it has
decided to invest $100 million in Teligent Inc., a small wireless
communications company. N.T.T.'s investment will allow Teligent to increase
competition in local markets. As stated by Alex Mandl, Teligent's chairman,
"by offering high-quality, high-capacity, facility based communications
services to small and medium-sized businesses in the United States, Teligent
will help fulfill the promise of the Telecommunications Act of 1996."

*********************************************
* Lifestyles! *
*********************************************
Title: The Internet Generation Taps Into Morse Code
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (B1)
Author: Anna Wilde Mathews
Issue: Lifestyles!
Description: A morse code renaisance of sorts is under way as hobbyists,
academics, and military officiers try to keep it alive with new uses. One
company sells a 100 copies/month of Morse tutorial software for Microsoft
Windows.
*********

CPP welcomes Philip Henry to the Headlines team. We're now 50% bigger than
ever before -- and we ain't talking girth, baby.

Funding
NTIA: Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure
Assistance Program

Mergers
WSJ: WorldCom Nears Acquisition of Brooks Fiber
WSJ: AOL Is Sued by News Corp's Kesmai In Attempt to
Block CompuServe Deal
FCC: MCI/British Telecommunications Merger

Web Browsers
WP: A New Battle in the Browser Tug of War
WSJ: New Web Browsers Play Down TV-Channel Approach

Internet/InfoTech
WSJ: Ticketmaster Signs Accord With Intel For
"Point of View" On-Line Ticketing

Publishing
WP: Read It and Weep: Online Publishing Actually Boosts Sales
WSJ: Publishers Often Pad Circulation Figures

Advertising
NYT: Limiting Speech on Subways

Electronic Commerce
NYT: Cashless Society Put to Test in Ontario Town

Education Technology
WP: In Fairfax Schools, Hard Questions on Software Program

Computer Literacy/Jobs
WP: U.S. Shortage of High-Tech Workers

Content and Children
NYT: Helping or Confusing, TV Labels Are Widening
NYT: Dilemma for Kids' Web Sites: Separating Fun Stuff From Ads
NYT: New York Cracks Down on Child Pornography

Universal Service
FCC: Universal Service & Rural Health Care Providers

Long Distance
WSJ: Bell South Plans to Seek FCC Approval To Offer South Carolina
Long Distance

Regulation
FCC: You Say You Want A Revolution: Law vs. Progress

Campaign Finance Reform
NYT: Threat Is Seen to Campaign-Finance Bill

International
WP: TV Licenses Spark Feud in Hungary

Arts
NYT: Roy Lichtenstein, Pop Master, Dies at 73

*********************************************
* Funding *
*********************************************
Title: Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program
(TIIAP)
Source: NTIA
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/press/97tiiap.htm
Issue: Funding
Description: Vice President Al Gore and Commerce Secretary William Daley
announced the award of $20.9 million in federal matching grants by NTIA's
Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program
(TIIAP). The grants help bring the benefits of the Information Age to all
Americans, particularly those living in rural and underserved inner city
areas. Fifty-five public institutions in 38 states and the District of
Columbia have been selected to receive the grants.

*********************************************
* Mergers *
*********************************************
Title: WorldCom Nears Acquisition of Brooks Fiber
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (A4)
Author: Steven Lipin
Issue: Mergers
Description: The nation's fourth largest long distance provider, WorldCom,
is back in the headlines with a reported deal to purchase Brooks Fiber, a
fast growing local telephone service provider. Brooks has 44 networks in
operation or under construction. WorldCom recently acquired CompuServe Corp
for its high-speed networking division and swapped the online service
providers individual customer's for America Online's networking division,
ANS Communications.

Title: AOL Is Sued by News Corp's Kesmai In Attempt to Block CompuServe Deal
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (B10)
Author: Jared Sandberg
Issue: Online Services/Mergers
Description: Kesmai Corp, a unit of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, is suing
America Online, claiming aintitrust violations and seeking to block the
acquisition of CompuServe's member base. Kesmai makes online computer games
which it offers to AOL and other online services. AOL recently changed its
game area, adding games it produces. Usage of Kesmai games dropped by as
much as 92%. In its suit, Kesmai is saying that AOL is trying to conduct an
"illegal merger," is "engaged in a course of conduct designed to defraud and
destroy Kesmai," and is abusing its "monopoly power."

Title: MCI/British Telecommunications Merger
Source: FCC
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/International/Orders/1997/fcc97302.html
Issue: Mergers
Description: FCC Releases Memorandum Opinion and Order ( FCC 97-302,
GN-96-245 ) Granting Merger of MCI Communications Corporation and British
Telecommunications plc

*********************************************
* Web Browsers *
*********************************************
Title: A New Battle in the Browser Tug of War
Source: Washington Post (C1)
http://www.washingtonpost.com
Author: Elizabeth Corcoran
Issue: Internet Service Providers
Description: Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corp., will be unveiling
Internet Explorer 4.0, Microsoft's latest software for browsing the
World Wide Web. "IE 4.0" looks to be Microsoft's most potent campaign to grab
the rest of the browser market, 64% of which is now controlled by Netscape
Communications Corp. Microsoft plans to initially give away the program if
downloaded from the Web, which can overhaul the look of a PC by
weaving in the World Wide Web. Microsoft plans to sell IE 4.0 in October, but
no price has been announced. Some say that this tactic is unfair. Jamie
Love, who directs the Consumer Project on Technology, wants the
government to take antitrust action against Microsoft. The company has
packed the program with amazing features which involve "channels" that are
being sponsored by about 500 companies like Walt Disney, Time Warner, and
the Wall Street Journal. "It's probably one of the best bargains in
software history," said Yusef Medhi, the director of marketing for the
Internet software division at Microsoft. For now, Microsoft doesn't mind not
making money on what some analysts call a "big, monster program". "The
important thing for us is that it drives the sales of everything else."

Title: New Web Browsers Play Down TV-Channel Approach
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (B1)
Author: David Bank
Issue: Info Tech
Description: Less than a year ago, "push" technology was all the rage for
Internet browsers. The technology allows publishers to automatically deliver
features such as stock quotes, news and advertising to individual PCs. But
now that "push" is here, many people don't seem to want it and Microsoft and
Netscape are distancing themselves from the hype. Many corporate technology
managers are concerned that the steady stream of downloaded data could slow
down internal networks.

*********************************************
* Internet/InfoTech *
*********************************************
Title: Ticketmaster Signs Accord With Intel For "Point of View" On-Line
Ticketing
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (B10)
Author: Bruce Orwall
Issue: Info Tech
Description: Ticketmaster has signed an agreement with computer chip maker
Intel to develop technology that would allow online ticket buyers to see the
view of the stage or field from the seats they are purchasing. The
technology is to be in place starting this spring for the 100 biggest venues
that Ticketmaster serves. The technology will also allow buyers to
pre-purchase food that could then be deliver to their seats during the game
or concert.

*********************************************
* Publishing *
*********************************************
Title: Read It and Weep: Online Publishing Actually Boosts Sales
Source: Washington Post (C1)
http://www.washingtonpost.com
Author: Beth Berselli
Issue: Internet Sales and Services (Books)
Description: A Washington publisher, Nat'l Academy Press, posted 1,700 of
its current titles on the Internet, letting everyone read for free. The
result was a 17% sales increase in sales the following year. NAP found that
whetting a reader's appetite was best done through cyberspace, especially
since reading an entire book online just isn't a pleasureable experience for
the eyes. Once a reader was curious enough, they would then
offer up their credit cards. "Electronic book publishing" is largely an
infant business, with concerns over start-up costs, copyrights, and the
basic belief that freebies will hurt sales. Barbara Kline Pope, director of
NAP, regards online publishing as "the same as a bookstore, with
people...browsing." Despite these concerns, electronic publishing is slowly
gaining acceptance, especially as a marketing tool. But, what is most
important is that the readers will benefit. Scott Lubeck, NAP's former
director, who initiated the project in 1994, said, "They will never have to
worry that a book won't be available."

Title: Publishers Often Pad Circulation Figures
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (B10)
Author: Patrick Reilly & Ernest Beck
Issue: Publishing/Advertising
Description: Amid recent reports that an Anglo-Dutch publishing giant
inflated circulation numbers, US marketing veterans are saying that such
numbers are overstated more often than people think. Publishers often
overpromise the circulation they can deliver and then make it up with cash
payments or "make-good" ad space. Circulation numbers are used to set the
price for advertising space.

*********************************************
* Advertising *
*********************************************
Title: Limiting Speech on Subways
Source: New York Times, A34
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/editorial/index.map?150,151
Author: Editorial Staff
Issue: Advertising
Description: What? No more Calvin Klein Underwear ads? In a meeting being
held in New York today, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's board is
scheduled to vote on changes to the agencies advertising standards. In the
name of protecting transit riders from sexually explicit advertisements,
vague new guidelines are being proposed which could bar many types of legally
permissible ads from being displayed on buses and subways. In reaction to
criticism, the M.T.A. claims that the selling of promotional space is a
commercial venture which justifies their right to reject material that they
think is unfit for certain segments of their transit passengers.

*********************************************
* Electronic Commerce *
*********************************************
Title: Cashless Society Put to Test in Ontario Town
Source: New York Times, D2
http://search.nytimes.com/search/daily/bin/fastweb?getdoc+site+iib-site+1
0+0++%28cashless%20society%20put%20to%20test%20in%20ontario%29%20OR%20%28%29
%20OR%20%28%29
Author: Editorial Staff
Issue: Electronic Commerce
Description: "Smart cards" are being tested for the first time in North
America. Residents of Guelph, Ontario are participating in a community-wide
test where they can use these cards for small cash transactions. While
Mondex, an international British financial company who distributed the cards
in Canada, has been having a difficult time bringing consumers over to the
"smart card" mentality, those who have converted appear to be addicted.
Merchants don't have to count, stack and bundle at the end of the day and
consumers can leave home with only an electronic cash card in their pocket
as opposed to bulky dollar bills and coins. "Unlike credit or debit cards,
which need to connect to a central network, the chip-based Mondex cards
carry all the information needed to make a transaction. Cash value can be
loaded at an automated teller machine, or by using a specially outfitted
telephone." A similar experiment will be coming to New York's Upper West
Side on October 6.

*********************************************
* Education Technology *
*********************************************
Title: In Fairfax Schools, Hard Questions on Software Program
Source: Washington Post (B1)
http://www.washingtonpost.com
Author: Victoria Benning
Issue: Education Technology
Description: "Successmaker", a software program being used in 15 Fairfax
elementary schools as well as a growing number of schools nationwide, drills
students in all basic subjects. It keeps track of how long it takes for each
child to answer a question and provides individualized homework assignments,
letting students move through the curriculum at different speeds. But, while
educators and parents greatly support this new program, school officials
turned down a proposal to place the program in all 45 of Fairfax's
elementary schools on the county's eastern end. School administrators were
concerned about the cost, about $55,000, and the educational value, claiming
that its drills were a superficial style of teaching. Marianne O'Brien,
Fairfax's technology coordinator, said, "We just aren't sure it makes enough
difference to justify the cost... there are other things we'd rather do with
that money--like give more students access to technology and do more
creative things with it."

*********************************************
* Computer Literacy/Jobs *
*********************************************
Title: U.S. Shortage of High-Tech Workers
Source: Washington Post (C3)
http://www.washingtonpost.com
Author: Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Issue: Computer Literacy/Jobs
Description: The Commerce Dept. issued its first warning that a growing
shortage of workers with cutting-edge computer skills could hinder the
nation's economic growth. In that warning officials said that the Commerce
and Education departments would work with the technology industry to jointly
propose solutions to the labor shortage through a series of task forces and
a nationwide summit to be held next year. Andrew Pincus, the Commerce
Department's general counsel, said that the shortage "is increasing the cost
of doing business throughout this country and reducing our global
competitiveness and constraining our economic growth." The report the
department released included information gathered by the Information
Technology Association of America (ITAA), which estimated about 190,000
information technology jobs nationwide that are unfilled. Skeptics of the
report's estimates contend that these companies aren't doing enough to
attract and train workers with basic computer skills. Norm Matloff, a
computer science professor at the Univ. of California at Davis, said, "The
report is a tool of special interests...the industry is not willing to train
people or give them a chance to pick up those skills on the job."

*********************************************
* Content and Children *
*********************************************
Title: Helping or Confusing, TV Labels Are Widening
Source::New York Times, B1, B8
http://search.nytimes.com/search/daily/bin/fastweb?getdoc+site+iib-site+37
+0++%28tv%20labels%29%20OR%20%28%29%20OR%20%28%29
Author: Lawrie Mifflin
Issue: V-Chip
Description: Beginning tomorrow, most television networks across the U.S.
will add new labels to the already existing TV-G, TV-PG, TV-14 and TV-MA.
The new labels will be D, L, S and V, standing for suggestive dialogue,
course language, sex and violence. While there are basic guidelines, there
is no set way for determining what type of material denotes which rating as
each program is open to subjective interpretation. The system has been
designed to work with a computer V-chip which will allow viewers to block
programs with certain ratings. Under Federal law, this chip will be
installed in all newly produced television sets starting in 1998. [There
will be no warnings if tofu will appear in during the program]

Title: Dilemma for Kids' Web Sites: Separating Fun Stuff From Ads
Source: New York Times, CyberTimes
http://search.nytimes.com/books/search/bin/fastweb?getdoc+cyber-lib+cyber-
lib+17461+0++dilemma%20for%20Kids%27%20Web%20Sites
Author: Pamela Mendels
Issue: WWW
Description: One of the big questions facing companies that focus on the
online children's market is how to attract advertisers while assuring
parents that their kids are not being deceived by ads and promotions. Many
are considering labeling advertisements so their young users will be able to
easily identify promotions from website content. Others are considering
more unusual ways of generating income so they can provide sites that are
virtually ad-free. The main goal for commercial children's Web site
operators is to come up with ways to sustain the company without forfeiting
an online site where kids can learn and have fun.

Title: New York Cracks Down on Child Pornography
Source: The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/093097porn.html
Author: Seth Schiesel
Issue: Internet Regulation
Description: The New York state general attorney, Dennis Vacco, announced
on Monday that his office has identified more than 1,500 people worldwide
who are suspected of trafficking in illegal child pornography over the
Internet. The U.S. Customs Service cooperated in the 18-month investigation,
which led to 34 arrests. Subsequently, 90 other people have been referred
for prosecution in Arizona, Michigan, Germany, and Britain, according to
Chris McKenna, Vacco's spokesman. Vacco added a collection of images that he
said, "would be the envy of pedophiles worldwide, with over 200,000 seperate
images." The electronic possession or transmission of child pornography is
illegal under federal law in 18 states, including New York.

*********************************************
* Universal Service *
*********************************************
Title: Universal Service & Rural Health Care Providers
Source: FCC
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Public_Notices/1997/da972039.html
Issue: Universal Service
Description: Workshop on Draft Application Form for Rural Health Care
Providers Applying for Universal Service Support to be Held September 30
from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon in the Commission Meeting Room, 1919 M Street,
N.W., Room 856, Washington, D.C. Interested parties may attend the workshop.
The workshop also will be recorded on video, and copies of the videotape
will be available in the Commission's Reference Room, 1919 M Street, N.W.,
Room 239, Washington, D.C. 20554. [Listen on the Internet at
http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio/] Draft forms available at
http://www.fcc.gov/formpage.html#hc]

*********************************************
* Long Distance *
*********************************************
Title: Bell South Plans to Seek FCC Approval To Offer South Carolina Long
Distance
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (B6)
Author: Leslie Cauley
Issue: Long Distance
Description: BellSouth plans to seek Federal Communications Commission
approval to start offering long distance in one the local service provider's
home markets, South Carolina. Bell South contends that it has opening up
this market for competition, but competitors have failed to enter the
market. South Carolina telephone regulators have approved BellSouth's plan
finding that AT&T and other large carriers have no plans to offer local
service in the primarily rural state.

*********************************************
* Regulation *
*********************************************
Title: You Say You Want A Revolution: Law vs. Progress
Source: FCC
http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Hundt/spreh757.html
Author: Reed Hundt
Issue: Regulation
Description: "We need you to figure out: how to make democracy possible in a
digital age; how the path of the common good can be taken in a media-induced
and lawyer-created fog of criticism and complexity; how America can export a
wealth-creating, fairness-engendering, happiness-facilitating system of
governance to the world; and how to solve the problems of poverty, disease,
global warming, inequality of opportunity."

*********************************************
* Campaign Finance Reform *
*********************************************
Title: Threat Is Seen to Campaign-Finance Bill
Source: New York Times, A22
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/politics/index.map?66,118
Author: Eric Schmitt
Issue: Campaign Finance Reform
Description: Majority leader Sen. Trent Lott proposed an amendment to the
campaign-finance reform legislation yesterday that Democrats claim would
kill the bill. "The provision would prohibit unions from deducting dues
from union and non-union workers for political activity without their
permission. The change would significantly curtail a union's ability to
raise money for political purposes. Because unions endorse Democratic
candidates far more often then they endorse Republicans, most Democrats have
vowed to vote against any campaign-finance bill that includes this
provision. Many Republicans oppose overhauling the country's
election-financing system and would be delighted to see it die on the floor."

*********************************************
* International *
*********************************************
Title: TV Licenses Spark Feud in Hungary
Source: Washington Post (A17)
http://www.washingtonpost.com
Author: Christine Spolar
Issue: International
Description: There is a court battle going on over the privatization of
Hungary's airwaves. Central European Media Enterprises, or CME, claims that
the Nat'l Radio and Television Commission broke the law by giving broadcast
licenses to two European media groups that offered lower bids. CME did
offer $20 million more than its competitors for the 10-year licenses, but
broadcast commissioners were looking for more than money in creating the
first private stations in Hungary. Mihaly Revesz, the head of the
seven-member commission, said, "This is Eastern Europe, and here people are
always suspecting politics or corruption to explain things...in this case
I'm comfortable with the broadcast landscape." There has been a nearly
2-year old media law in place to regulate how these licenses could be sold
without political influence, yet still spawned speculation about possible
political deals and the integrity of the licensing process.

*********************************************
* Arts *
*********************************************
Title: Roy Lichtenstein, Pop Master, Dies at 73
Source: New York Times, A1, D31
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/national/obit-lichtenstein.3.jpg.html
Author: Michael Kimmelman
Issue: Arts
Description: Roy Lichtenstein, a major figure in American art since his
debut at the Leo Castelli Gallery in Manhattan in 1962, died yesterday at
the age of 73 due to complications from pneumonia. Lichtenstein's art was
quintessentially pop as he produced works that mimicked the flat colors,
bold lines and dots found in the funny pages. He mixed image and text,
using a strategy of appropriation which helped to pave the way for some of
the techniques used by today's younger artists. Remaining within his own
style he managed to keep up with the times coupling 1990's irony with 1960's
imagery. The painter Larry Rivers described Lichtenstein as a person who
"got the hand out of art, and put the brain in."
*********

CPP welcomes new Headliner Betsy Puckett to our growing team!

Internet
TelecomAM: Web Television: Trying To Make Better TV
WSJ: RCA Challenges WebTV in the Race To Link TV and Net
WSJ: Muzak Wafts Tunes Into Cyberspace
WSJ: Should Only the Paranoid Get E-Mail Protection?
WSJ: Internet Ad Proponents Try a New Tack
NTIA: Internet Domain Name Policies

Journalism
WSJ: Feathers Fly

Arts
WP: NEA Backers Gain
NYT: More Than Enduring Faulkner Prevails

Cable
FCC: The State of Competition in the
Cable Television Industry

Telephone Regulation
NECA: FCC Preempts Provision of Wyoming Telecom Act

Campaign Finance Reform
NYT: Mr. Clinton's Blow for Reform
NYT: An Old Fund-Raising Law Is Revisited in New Context

Education
NYT: In Public School, Uniforms as Dress for Success

Info Tech
NYT: Many Reported Unready To Face Year 2000 Bug

*********************************************
* Internet *
*********************************************
Title: Web Television: Trying To Make Better TV
Source: Telecom AM http://capitol.cappubs.com/am/
Issue: Info Tech
Description: WebTV, admits chief executive Steve Perlman -- is really not
about the Web; its about better television. "People that are really into it,
they don't think of it as the Web, they think of it as better television. We
would call WebTV interactive television if it didn't have such a bad
reputation -- if, called that, it wasn't doomed to failure." WebTV Plus will
go on sale next month using a pared down version of Microsoft's Windows
called Windows CE. The system will include a 56K modem and a 1G hard drive
capable of storing 12 hrs of compressed video or 50 hours of video. The
system will provide an electronic programming guide that goes beyond just
show times to include descriptions of films (or movies) and a star's
filmography. Sports statistics can also be viewed during a game.

Title: RCA Challenges WebTV in the Race To Link TV and Net
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (B1)
Author: Walter Mossberg
Issue: Info Tech
Description: RCA wants to challenge market leader WebTV and to get you using
your TV to view the Internet. RCA's Network Computer is the first consumer
product to be based on a design from Oracle's Network Computer division. But
this new device doesn't compete well with WebTV or the promise of WebTV Plus
(expected soon) which will allow TV programs and Web material to be shown on
the same screen -- thus creating an early form of truly interactive
television. WebTV Plus will also include a large hard disk, the ability to
play video clips off the Web, and "an ultrafast 'video modem' that blasts
certain Web content to your TV."

Title: Muzak Wafts Tunes Into Cyberspace
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (B1)
Author: Bill Richards
Issue: Internet Content
Description: Elevator music is coming to the Internet! No not really. "Next
to spam, we have the most negative brand identity in the world," says the
company's programming director. Musak licenses snippets of songs from music
companies and sends them over the Net to Web sites. The service is already
being used by Tower Records http://www.towerrecords.com/, Blockbuster
http://www.blockbuster.com/, and Microsoft's "Music Central."

Title: Should Only the Paranoid Get E-Mail Protection?
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (B6)
Author: Thomas Weber
Issue: Encryption
Description: Worried about the wrong people reading your email? Encryption
technology is getting easier to use and, as some security consultants say,
even in low-crime towns, people lock their doors at night. Encryption allows
you to turn today's email postcard into an email letter -- safe, snug and
private in an electronic envelope.

Title: Internet Ad Proponents Try a New Tack
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (B8)
Author: Sally Goll Beatty
Issue: Advertising/Internet
Description: In order to sell advertising on the Internet, some firms are
trying to point out the similarities between Web surfing and traditional
couch potatoes-ing. A recent survey shows that Web advertising really is
effective in getting a brand name known and getting people more interested
in buying a product. But, for now, Web advertising is more expensive than
television ads. The price per 1,000 people reached for television ads is
generally $12 and runs up to $20-$30 for the highest rated shows. For Web
advertising, the cost is generally $40-$50 per 1,000 people reached and for
the priciest sites, its $60-$70.

Title: Internet Domain Name Policies
Source: NTIA
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/congress/92597_domnametest.htm
Author: Larry Irving
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for
Communications and Information
Description: Testimony before House Committee on Science, Subcommittee on
Basic Research: "No single force embodies the electronic transformation we
are experiencing today more than the evolving medium known as the Internet.
Once a tool reserved for scientific and academic exchange, the Internet has
emerged as an appliance of every day life, accessible from almost every
point on the planet. Students across the world are discovering vast
treasures of data via the World Wide Web. Doctors are utilizing telemedicine
to administer off-site diagnoses to patients in need. The Internet is being
used to reinvent government and reshape our lives and communities. Finally,
as the Internet empowers citizens and democratizes societies, it is also
changing classic business and economic paradigms...."

*********************************************
* Journalism *
*********************************************
Title: Feathers Fly
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/ (A1)
Author: Kevin Helliker
Issue: Journalism
Description: Twenty-one armed federal agents descended on a Jordan, Montana
ranch to investigate reports that the owner was poisoning eagles that were
preying on his sheep. Why such a show of force by the US Fish and Wildlife
Service? Because it made for good television, the owner contends. Unknown to
the owner, three of the federal agents who served him with a warrant were
wired -- not to other law officials but to a CNN tape recorder. Three of the
people who spent the day investigating the ranch were CNN employees. "This
was a case where government agents became reporters and reporters became
government agents," the owner's lawyer contends. The owner is suing the
federal government and CNN claiming their Fourth Amendment rights were violated.

*********************************************
* Arts *
*********************************************
Title: NEA Backers Gain
Source: Washington Post (C2)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Author: Jacqueline Trescott
Issue: Arts
Description: The battle over funding of the National Endowment for the arts
heated up yesterday. Long-time supporter Rep Sidney Yates (D-IL) got a
nonbinding resolution passed in the House that instructs House and Senate
conference committee members to approve the $100 million budget for the NEA
that the Senate passed earlier this year. Rep Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) released
a report critical of NEA management and grant distribution.

Title: More Than Enduring Faulkner Prevails
Source: New York Times (B1)
http://www.nytimes.com/
Author: Mel Gussow
Issue: Arts
Description:Commemorations take place around the United States today to
celebrate the birth of William Faulkner. Faulkner, who was born in New
Albany, Miss. but spent most of his life in Oxford, Miss., has been
acknowledged as one of the most important novelists of the 20th century. He
is probably best known for his masterpieces, "The Sound and the Fury," As I
Lay Dying," Light in August," "Absalom, Absalom!," and his vivid stories
built around the fictional Yoknapatawpha County.

*********************************************
* Cable *
*********************************************
Title: The State of Competition in the Cable Television Industry
Source: FCC
http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Hundt/spreh754.html
Author: Reed Hundt, Chairman
Issue: Cable Television/Competition
Description: Testimony before the House of Representatives Judiciary
Committee: "I am pleased to appear before you today to provide the Federal
Communications Commission's perspective on the status of competition in the
cable television industry. The Commission, and the Commission's Cable
Services Bureau, are working hard to promote the development of competition
and consumer choice in the marketplace for multichannel video programming...."

*********************************************
* Telephone Regulation *
*********************************************
Title: FCC Preempts Provision of Wyoming Telecom Act
Source: National Exchange Carrier Association
http://www.neca.org
Issue: Telephone Regulation
Description: (MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER, CCBPol 97-1, FCC 97-336)
"The Commission has preempted a provision of the Wyoming Telecommunications
Act of 1995 (Wyoming Act) that empowers certain incumbent LECs to veto any
attempt by a competitor to provide service in the service areas of the
incumbent. The Commission also preempted an Order of the Wyoming PSC denying
Silver Star's application to provide local exchange service in the Afton,
Wyoming local exchange service area. In deciding to preempt, the Commission
found that the Wyoming Act and the Order of the Wyoming PSC fall within the
prohibition of Section 253(a) of the Communications Act. The Commission
further found that the Wyoming Act and the PSC Order are not *competitively
neutral* within the meaning of Section 253(b) of the Communications Act.

*********************************************
* Campaign Finance Reform *
*********************************************
Title: Mr. Clinton's Blow for Reform
Source: New York Times (A34)
http://www.nytimes.com/
Author: New York Times Editorial Staff
Issue: Campaign Finance Reform
Description: On Tuesday of this week, Bill Clinton threatened to call a
special session if Congress adjourned without addressing the campaign
finance reform issue. Democrats and Republicans have now agreed to permit a
vote on the McCain-Feingold reform legislation as early as October. This
reform would enact a variety of changes reaching from a ban on unlimited
donations to all political parties by individuals, corporations and labor
parties, to an amendment that require labor unions to notify any
non-union members, so they may request refunds, of any dues that have gone
towards political purposes. Currently there are 45 Democrats and 4
Republicans in support of this legislation with the spotlight being placed
on those Republicans that have expressed unease with the current campaign
finance system in the past.

Title: An Old Fund-Raising Law Is Revisited in New Context
Source: New York Times (A1)
http://www.nytimes.com/
Author: Stephen Labaton
Issue: Campaign Finance Reform
Description: On the urging of Senator George H. Pendleton, the 1883 Congress
passed one of the most significant civil service reforms in history. This
law was created to protect low-level civil servants from being forced to
make "voluntary" political "contributions". This reform, which has been
ammended several times over the past century, is once again on the chopping
block. Justice Department officials are now aiming to decide how to
interpret the laws original intent in relation to fund-raising calls placed
from the offices of today's high-ranking officials and the big-time donors
of the nineties.

*********************************************
* Education *
*********************************************
Title: In Public School, Uniforms as Dress for Success
Source: New York Times (A1)
http://www.nytimes.com/
Author: Tamar Lewin
Issue: Education
Description: From small towns to large cities, public school uniforms are
becoming more and more common. Ten or 20 years ago this concept would have
probably raised eyebrows being criticized as keeping students from
expressing their individuality. But today it is being more readily embraced
as it appears to breed unity and self-esteem among the students, makes it
less expensive and easier for parents to outfit their kids for school, and
cuts down on the divisions between the have and have nots. At most schools
the uniforms are voluntary but may become mandatory in the coming years.

*********************************************
* Info Tech *
*********************************************
Title: Many Reported Unready To Face Year 2000 Bug
Source: New York Times (D3)
http://www.nytimes.com/
Author: Laurence Zuckerman
Issue: Info Tech
Description: In a recent study conducted by the Gartner Group, findings show
that 30 percent of companies around the world have not even begun to address
the effect that the year 2000 will have on their computers. The majority of
these were smaller companies with less than 2,000 employees. But research
also showed that larger organizations, such as hospitals, universities, and
Government agencies, were also way behind schedule. Top economists have
warned that if the 2000 problem, or millennium bug as it is often called,
is not effectively dealt with we could be faced with a global recession.
*********
Happy wire-to-wire day to the O's!!!!

Haste Makes Waste!
In our rush to get Headlines out this morning, we missed
a couple of articles you might want to know about.
Sorry for the additional email.

Universal Service
TelecomAM: Rise & Shine:
Universal Service Company Gets Out of Bed,
Tries to Get Organized

Consumer Issues
WSJ: Consumer Groups To Pressure FCC On Cable-TV Rates
TelecomAM: Consumers Resist Packages That Combine Phone,
Cable & Electric, Says Survey

Campaign Finance Reform
WP: Legal Scholars Enter Constitutional Fray on the
Side of Campaign Finance Bill

Internet
TelecomAM: Internet Access Service Aims to Counter
Market Dominance

Volunteerism
NYT: Push for Volunteerism Brings No Outpouring

*********************************************
* Universal Service *
*********************************************
Title: Rise & Shine: Universal Service Company Gets Out of Bed, Tries to
Get Organized
Source: Telecom AM http://capitol.cappubs.com/am/
Issue: Universal Service
Description: The Board of Directors of the Universal Service Administrative
Company (USAC) met for the first time Monday less than sure of its function.
Tony Butler of the National Urban League questioned why there are three
bodies created to do one job. There are also boards for two additional
companies -- the Schools and Libraries Corporation and the Rural Health Care
Corporation. These two companies are not related to USAC in any way other
than their board members sit on the USAC Board. USAC will administer
universal service funds until a permanent, independent, nonprofit is picked
to do he job. The work of the Schools and Libraries Corporation and the
Rural Health Care Corporation will continue whether USAC continues or not.
The Schools and Libraries Corp will administer the $2.25 billion annual fund
for telecommunications discount for these eligible entities; the Rural
Health Care Corp will administer a $400 million annual fund.

*********************************************
* Consumer Issues *
*********************************************
Title: Consumer Groups To Pressure FCC On Cable-TV Rates
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/
Author: Barbara Martinez
Issue: Cable TV Regulation
Description: The Consumer Federation of America and Consumers Union
(publisher of Consumer Reports) plan a press conference to pressure the
Federal Communications Commission to lower cable television subscription
rates. They plan to "attack the agency charged with overseeing the cable
industry for its failure to crack down on cable-industry abuses and
sky-rocketing rates." A spokeswoman for the National Cable Television
Association said the trade group would oppose any further government
intervention and added that consumers are "very educated these days. They
continue to subscribe to cable because they se it as a good deal." Since
passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, cable rates have increased at
a rate three times that of inflation, claims the Consumers Union. But Wall
Street analysts believe that rates are up because of growing programming
costs. The consumers groups may find that there is no Congressional support
for increased regulation of the cable industry. [For more information call
202.462.6262]

Title: Consumers Resist Packages That Combine Phone, Cable & Electric, Says
Survey
Source: Telecom AM http://capitol.cappubs.com/am/
Issue: Competition
Description: Consumers "want more choices -- not fewer -- among providers of
their energy, telecommunications and home entertainment services," a new
survey by RKS Research & Consulting concludes. Some 75% of the affluent,
educated customer segment of the survey sample said they would prefer buying
phone electricity and cable services from separate vendors as compared to
48% of the entire 1,000 household sample. Consumers are aware of their
options in telecommunications with two-thirds having switched their long
distance provider in the last year and 44% aware of the imminent prospect of
choice for electrical and cable TV services. If they did choose one vendor
for the all-in-one package, 33% said they would select the services from
their electric company, 19% from their phone company, 12% from their long
distance company, and only 4% from their cable company.

*********************************************
* Campaign Finance Reform *
*********************************************
Title: Legal Scholars Enter Constitutional Fray on the Side of Campaign
Finance Bill
Source: Washington Post (A5)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-sri/WPlate/1997-09/23/023l-092397-idx.html
Author: Helen Dewar & Ceci Connolly
Issue: Campaign Finance Reform
Description: Responding to critics of campaign finance legislation that say
key provisions are unconstitutional, sponsors of the bill released a letter
signed by 126 legal scholars that disputed that claim: "we all agree...that
the current debate on the merits of campaign finance reform is being
sidetracked by the argument that the Constitution stands in the way of a ban
on unlimited contributions to political parties and a voluntary spending
limits scheme based on offering inducements such as reduced media time."
Political spending has been equated with free speech in Supreme Court
decisions starting with Buckley v. Valejo (1976). [To navigate your way
through campaign finance reform, visit Destination Democracy
http://www.destinationdemocracy.org/intro.html]

*********************************************
* Internet *
*********************************************
Title: Internet Access Service Aims to Counter Market Dominance
Source: Telecom AM http://capitol.cappubs.com/am/
Issue: Internet Sales and Services
Description: Snap! Online, developed by CNET, provides Internet subscribers
with easy navigation guides to the World Wide Web. It is backed by the three
largest long distance providers -- AT&T, Sprint, & MCI -- two Baby Bells --
Bell South and Bell Atlantic, and independent access providers like
EarthLink. With 3.5 million online users, the service hopes to compte with
America Online which will have 12 million subscribers after the purchase of
CompuServe is complete. The 10,000 ISPs think they can compete with AOL if
they can improve their content. Many of these services provide subscribers
with Internet browsers when they sign up. These browsers initially point to
the access providers sites, but there's little more information there than
rates and baud rates -- and 80% of subscribers never change their settings.
ISPs will now point subscribers directly to Snap!

*********************************************
* Volunteerism *
*********************************************
Title: Push for Volunteerism Brings No Outpouring
Source: New York Times (A16)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/national/volunteerism.html
Author: Judith Miller
Issue: Volunteerism/Political Participation
Description: While some volunteer and social-service groups are reporting
increased interest in volunteering since April's Summit for America's
Future, there is little evidence of masses of individuals coming forward
nationwide. And some wonder volunteerism is the best use of resources to
solve major social problems. Jon Van Til, professor at Rutgers University,
says "Wouldn't it be better if [companies] went to these organizations and
said, 'You've got a choice -- a $1,000-a-day accountant doing a $5-an-hour
job picking up trash, or a gift of $1,000.'" Many organizations, he
contends, would "quickly take the money." Assessing the effects of
volunteerism will be hard unless better methods of tracking it are developed.
*********