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21ST CENTURY SKILLS
Women Among First IT Specialists Trained in Afghanistan
Make IT Compulsory, Say Aussie Teachers

PHILANTHROPY
MTN Foundation Gives Internet Connectivity to South African Schools
HP Provides $1.3 Million in Technology Grants to Nonprofit
Organizations Nationwide

MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Snowe, Allies Look to Forestall FCC Reform

INTERNET
Penn State Students Lose Net Access for File Sharing
Digital Dilemmas

LIBRARIES
America's Oldest Public Library May Close the Books

21ST CENTURY SKILLS

WOMEN AMONG FIRST I.T. SPECIALISTS TRAINED IN AFGHANISTAN
The first graduating class of the University of Kabul's new Cisco Networking
Academy completed their studies this month. The 17 students, including 6
women, were the first inside Afghanistan to complete a certified networking
program. "I am now one of the first Afghan women with a world-class
information technology certificate in Afghanistan," said Nabila Akbari, one
of the academy's students. "My personal goal is to share this knowledge with
other Afghans, especially Afghan women. I want very much to help my country
build an advanced, high-tech networking system." The UN Development Program
partnered with Cisco to introduce the training in Kabul, which for more than
two decades has faced a severe shortage of high tech workers. "This
graduating class is making history for Afghanistan," said UNDP Country
Director Ercan Murat. "They are the first highly-trained computer
specialists in Afghanistan who were trained in their own country. They now
have the tools to make a difference at home."
[SOURCE: UNDP]
http://www.undp.org/dpa/frontpagearchive/2003/april/17apr03/index.html

MAKE I.T. COMPULSORY, SAY AUSSIE TEACHERS
An Australian edtech association has called on governments to make
information technology skills compulsory in secondary schools. Stella
Cugley, president of the Victorian Information Technology Teachers
Association, says that IT should be treated as a core subject in its own
right, not unlike math, science or history. "You would hope that it would be
compulsory but there is nothing to say it is," she said. A recent survey in
Australia suggested that students valued IT training when they received it,
and the demand of IT skills has increased in Australia's vocational schools.
Additionally, research by Multi-Media Victoria (MMV) suggests that there's
little information available for students to learn more about potential IT
careers. MMV and the IT Skills Hub recently partnered to launch
PositionMentor, an online tool linking IT job advertisements with the
training programs required to apply for those jobs. The tool has proven so
popular in its first two weeks that there are now plans to expand the site
nationally.
[SOURCE: Sydney Morning Herald; AUTHOR: Sue Cant]
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/14/1050172523913.html
PositionMentor:
http://www.itskillshub.com.au/mentor

PHILANTHROPY

MTN FOUNDATION GIVES INTERNET CONNECTIVITY TO SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLS
Seeking to "improve the quality of education" as well as knowledge and use
of IT in public schools, the MTN Foundation has successfully implemented its
Schools Connectivity Program in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The
foundation installed multimedia computing centers in 11 schools, each
consisting of a PC network, a printer-copier-scanner-fax machine, a TV, a
VCR and a high-speed GPRS modem. "This project will benefit disadvantaged
children by giving them an opportunity to compete with their peers in urban
areas," said Education MEC Joyce Mashamba. "It will also give them an
opportunity to develop skills and access information in a way that is
relevant to the economic development of the province and the country.
[SOURCE: AllAfrica.com; Author: Vanguard]
http://allafrica.com/stories/200304210600.html

HP PROVIDES $1.3 MILLION IN TECHNOLOGY GRANTS TO NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
NATIONWIDE
[Press Release] HP announced Friday its award of $1.3 million in grants to
26 nonprofit organizations across the county as part of its Community
Technology Center initiative. The grants consist of computer equipment and
HP staff volunteerism in their local communities. The CTC program targers
underserved populations, and grant-worthy organizations demonstrated both
service to such populations as well as dedication to training people with
disabilities. "By providing grants to these computer technology centers, we
leverage technology to support the organizations' programs that provide
training in computer literacy, academic success and job skill training....
[while providing] an opportunity for highly skilled HP employees to be a
part of our community in a real way," said HP philanthropy program manager
Nancy Iaconis.
[SOURCE: Yahoo! Finance]
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030418/185005_1.html

MEDIA OWNERSHIP

SNOWE, ALLIES LOOK TO FORESTALL FCC REFORM
Moderate Republican Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine is one of several
senators strongly encouraging FCC Chairman Michael Powell to not rush into
deregulating US media ownership rules. Sen. Snowe last month teamed with
Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) to recruit 15 fellow senators -- including a
majority of the Commerce Committee -- to sign a letter petitioning Powell to
take more time before making a decision in the matter. Powell recently
responded in a letter of his own by stating he intends to stick with his
June 2 deadline, but Snowe insists that it's vital that the public receive
more opportunities to debate the issue. "Time is running short to provide
full public disclosure of the rule changes," Snowe said. Frank Blethen,
whose family publishes the Seattle Times and three Maine dailies, applauded
Snowe's perseverance. "As she's gotten into it, she's really 'gotten it,'
and she's stepping up to take leadership, which is really wonderful," he
said.
[SOURCE: Editor & Publisher; AUTHOR: Todd Shields]
http://www.mediainfo.com/editorandpublisher/headlines/article_display.js...
u_content_id=1870473

INTERNET

PENN STATE STUDENTS LOSE NET ACCESS FOR FILE SHARING
Officials at Pennsylvania State University announced yesterday that they had
taken away dorm-room broadband Internet access from 220 students because
they were distributing copyright-protected content through online
file-sharing services. "Upon investigation, we found that the students had
publicly listed copyright-infringing materials on their systems to other
members of this network," said university spokesman Tysen Kendig. On March
31, the university's executive vice president sent an email to more than
110,000 students, faculty and staff stating that file-sharing copyrighted
material is illegal and would not be tolerated on campus. Students
apparently did not expect to get busted, however. "I was kind of surprised
at being caught," said Jason Steiner, a Penn State freshman, in an interview
with the student newspaper. "I was sitting there online, and all of a sudden
I wasn't, with no idea why." Spokesman Kendig says students' broadband
privileges will be restored once students remove the copyrighted materials
from their computers.
[SOURCE: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; AUTHOR: Associated Press]
http://www.post-gazette.com/localnews/20030422pennstate0422p5.asp

DIGITAL DILEMMAS
It seems like so long ago, but it has been less than a decade since tech
gurus proclaimed the Internet to be a "civilization of the mind" in
cyberspace. While such claims may seem comical to some, the reality is that
the tech bust of the past few years does not diminish the role of Web-based
technology in the future. In fact, the Web will continue to have "profound
and unprecedented" effects on the way we live. If history is any guide, the
immediate failures of several railroads and carmakers at the dawn of those
technologies did not reduce their influence on our lives. Similarly,
advances in microcomputing, wireless technology and the like suggest that
the Internet has nowhere to go but up. The challenge for society is to
decide how to use these discoveries and what their effects on our notions of
privacy, security and government will be.
[SOURCE: The Economist; AUTHOR: David Manasian]
http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=1534303

LIBRARIES

AMERICA'S OLDEST PUBLIC LIBRARY MAY CLOSE THE BOOKS
In 1778, Benjamin Franklin decided to show his appreciation to the town of
Franklin, Massachusetts for naming their community after him by donating a
collection of over 100 books; they would eventually form the core collection
of the town's library. Today the nation's oldest public library, the
Franklin Library is a shadow of its former self, having laid off a quarter
of its staff and slashed its operating hours because of local budget cuts --
and now it may have to be closed altogether. "You hate to be closing the
oldest library in the country," said Kenneth Wiedemann, chairman of the
Franklin Library Board of Directors. "We are not happy about it. But what
are you going to do?" Facing as much as a $6 million budget shortfall, the
town is facing the grim choice: slash the police force, close a fire station
or shutter the library. "You think of the fact that we were the first town
to be named for Ben, and he was good enough to get us started in our
learning," said Barbara Smith, Franklin's historian. "These books weren't
frivolous. They weren't the latest love story. These were for learning."
[SOURCE: Boston Globe; AUTHOR Franco Ordonez]
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/111/metro/Franklin_library_may_close_t...
ooks-.shtml

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MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Copps: Media Should Cover FCC Reform

DIGITAL DIVIDE
Eluding the Web's Snare
Software Rams Great Firewall of China

WIRELESS/BROADBAND
Can Wi-Fi Take Us to the Last Mile?
Event: Wireless Innovations: New Technologies and Evolving Policies
The Storm over Broadband Bundling

MEDIA OWNERSHIP

COPPS: MEDIA SHOULD COVER FCC REFORM
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps has crisscrossed the United States in recent
months, repeating a mantra to all who will listen: the US media is failing
to inform the public about the potential impact of media ownership
deregulation. "The media have not done a very good job of teeing up this
debate for the American people," He said recently at the Northwestern
University School of Law. "Whatever your side, someone's got to tell them
what's up for grabs." According to the Pew Research Center for the People
and the Press, more than seven out of 10 Americans surveyed said that
they've heard "nothing at all" about the proposed deregulations, while only
four percent surveyed -- less than one in 20 -- said they had heard "a lot"
about the issue. "Three out of four people don't know -- that's not
acceptable," Copps said. "My plea, for all people with the media, is to
exercise your responsibilities and your rights in this debate."
[Source: Editor and Publisher, AUTHOR: Mark Fitzgerald]
(http://www.mediainfo.com/editorandpublisher/headlines/article_display.jsp?v
nu_content_id=1865715)

DIGITAL DIVIDE

ELUDING THE WEB'S SNARE
The group of Web non-users described as "Net evaders" by the Pew Internet
and American Life Institute's recent study are a curious lot --- the Web is
at their fingertips but for various reasons they choose not to employ its
resources and services. For some, like 57-year-old Vicki Lewis of Bethesda,
MD, the Web is too impersonal. For others, such as Peter O'Grady of Chapel
Hill, NC, the Internet is an intimidating world -- an opinion not shared by
his two adult children and wife, each an avid user. Somewhat surprisingly,
the Net evader population cuts across generations, as many young adults
avoid the Web for the same reasons while older adults embrace the ability to
keep in touch with old friends and grandchildren.
[SOURCE: The New York Times, AUTHOR: Katie Hafner]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/17/technology/circuits/17shun.html)

SOFTWARE RAMS GREAT FIREWALL OF CHINA
The International Broadcasting Bureau's Voice of America arm has
commissioned software to assist Chinese Web surfers in circumventing
government-imposed Internet restrictions. The software allows PC users to
create a "circumvention Web server" that can tunnel under the government
firewall, giving them access to, among other sites, Voice of America news.
"The Chinese government jams all of our radio broadcasts and blocks access
by their people to our Web site. We want to allow the people there to have
the tools to be able to have a look at it," said Ken Berman, program manager
for Internet anticensorship at IBB. The pairing of IBB and software
developer Bennett Haselton is noteworthy in its irony. Haselton has been a
vocal opponent of content filtering laws effecting public computers, and the
software he developed could very well be used to undermine filtering efforts
domestically.
[SOURCE: CNET News, AUTHOR: Paul Festa]
(http://news.com.com/2100-1028-997101.html?tag=fd_top)

WIRELESS

CAN WI-FI TAKE US TO THE LAST MILE?
[Commentary] Cory Doctorow, co-editor of the boingboing.net blog and
outreach coordinator for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, laments the
FCC's recent decision to abandon rules requiring Baby Bell telephone
companies to accommodate broadband services competition. Doctorow says the
decision will impact the growth of local wireless Internet access, since the
Baby Bells forbid their customers from setting up free wi-fi access through
their broadband connections. "The feds have thrown the rate-pricing question
back to the states, saying, in effect, You figure it out," he writes. "That
means that in some states we might get vibrant markets, while in others --
places where the phone company is in bed with the local government -- we'll
get no competition." Doctorow says there's still hope, though, as nonprofit
groups like the Bay Area Wireless Users Group establish their own community
wireless ISPs, or WISPs. So unless the Baby Bells begin to treat their users
like customers rather than "passive consumers," Doctorow says,
"entrepreneurial and philanthropic efforts may be the only ways to make
broadband service ubiquitous and competitive."
[SOURCE: Busines 2.0, AUTHOR: Cory Doctorow]
(http://www.business2.com/articles/mag/0,1640,47997,00.html)

EVENT: WIRELESS INNOVATIONS: NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND EVOLVING POLICIES
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, in
conjunction with the FCC and the State Department's International
Communications and Information Policy Group, will hold a two-day wireless
forum as an extension of last year's "Spectrum Summit." On May 12th, a
Technology Showcase will display the latest innovations in wireless tools
and applications, and the May 13th forum will feature a policy panel with
experts from the industry, government and academia. The events will be held
in the U.S. Department of Commerce Lobby and Auditorium, 1401 Constitution
Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.
[SOURCE: NTIA]
(http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/press/2003/04162003wi.htm)

THE STORM OVER BROADBAND BUNDLING
[Commentary] Don't fret over the bundling of cable service and high-speed
Internet, insists Randolph J. May of the Progress and Freedom Foundation.
Contrary to critics who call for the investigation of companies such as
Comcast, May argues that bundled video and Internet offerings violate
neither the letter nor the spirit of antitrust law. In fact, he says,
competition in the multichannel video market is quite robust, with satellite
customer growth outpacing that of cable. Such competition benefits the
consumer: they get an immediate price break, they reap the benefits of
competitive reactions in the market, and they benefit from the economic
stimulus that comes with increased broadband deployment.
[SOURCE: CNET News, AUTHOR: Randolph J. May]
(http://news.com.com/2010-1071-997226.html)

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HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
Schools Get Medical Advice on Internet
Using Cell Phones to Fight TB

DIGITAL DIVIDE
Another Push for the Internet

WIRELESS
Carriers to Appeal Phone-Number Ruling

HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOLS GET MEDICAL ADVICE ON INTERNET
Thanks to Dr. Keith Vrbicky, students in rural Nebraska schools receive
prompt medical attention -- despite not having a nurse on-site. American
Educational Telecommunications LLC, a company started by Vrbicky, provides
medical advice to schools from nurses or doctors using telemedicine. School
health assistants can receive information on several illnesses using a
broadband Internet connection and video conferencing technology. "It is a
good way to level the playing field for rural areas in getting good health
care," said Vrbicky.
[SOURCE: Newsday, AUTHOR: Joe Ruff, Associated Press]
(http://www.newsday.com/news/health/wire/sns-ap-exp-internet-nurses,0,255527
3.story)

USING CELL PHONES TO FIGHT TB
Facing one of the worst tuberculosis epidemics in the world, South Africa
has employed a formidable ally in its fight -- an army of cell phones. In a
pilot project in Cape Town, roughly 300 patients were given cell phones to
remind them to take their medication. The plan was devised in an effort to
prevent missed doses or early abandonment of the treatment, which can lead
to a more resistant form of TB and a strain on public health resources. So
far, the project reports only one treatment interruption.
[SOURCE: AllAfrica.net, AUTHOR: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks]
(http://allafrica.com/stories/200304140660.html)

DIGITAL DIVIDE

ANOTHER PUSH FOR THE INTERNET
Only 17 percent of UK citizens over the age of 65 have ever used the
Internet, according EU e-commerce minister Stephen Timms at Friday's
e-inclusion meeting in Crete. Timms made his remarks while urging member
states to increase use among elderly citizens. The Department of Trade and
Industry reports that motivation is the primary barrier to use, as 49
percent of people who do not have Internet access fail to see the value. The
EU plans to launch a public awareness campaign in May to raise awareness of
the UK's 6,000 public computing centers.
[SOURCE: PC Advisor, AUTHOR: Wendy Brewer]
(http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/index.cfm/go/news.view/News/3223)

WIRELESS

CARRIERS TO APPEAL PHONE-NUMBER RULING
In a hearing today before the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit,
cellular phone service providers will argue against an FCC mandate that
customers be able to maintain their phone numbers when switching providers.
Companies claim that the concept, know as number portability, will result in
higher turnover rates. The Commission believes that its measure, due to take
effect in late November, will spur increased competition in both prices and
service offerings while also limiting the number of 10-digit cell phone
numbers in use. Under existing use rates, the pool of cell phone numbers
would be used up by 2012.
[SOURCE: CNET News, AUTHOR: Ben Charny]
(http://news.com.com/2100-1039-996871.html)

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OWNERSHIP
Murdoch's DirecTV Deal Scares Rivals
Powell: 'Rising Anxiety Over Radio Ownership
FCC Plan in Media Proceeding Unlawful Says Government Agency

DIGITAL DIVIDE
Creating Our Future: Shaping the Agenda of Community Technology
IQ Test for Rebuilding Iraqi Net

OWNERSHIP

MURDOCH'S DIRECTV DEAL SCARES RIVALS
News Corp.'s $6.6 billion purchase of a controlling interest in Hughes
Electronics' DirecTV satellite service has competitors in a frenzy. Rivals
of Rupert Murdoch's Fox holdings fear that the deal gives him a powerful
hold on both content and distribution, enticing him to jack up prices of his
"prize holdings" to cable providers or threaten to pull them off cable
altogether. Murdoch states that the details of the DirecTV deal prevent him
from doing just that. He will be in Washington today to discuss the deal
with lawmakers.
[SOURCE: The Washington Post, AUTHOR: Frank Ahrens]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5256-2003Apr10.html)

FCC PLAN IN MEDIA PROCEEDING UNLAWFUL SAYS GOVERNMENT AGENCY
In a letter to the FCC, the Small Business Administration's Office of
Advocacy claimed that the upcoming proceeding on media ownership limits
violates federal law. The Regulatory Flexibility Act requires agencies to
report on the impact of proposed rule changes on America's small businesses
and allow small businesses to comment on the report. "A substantial number
of America's small businesses will be impacted. In fact, the tens of
thousands of small businesses and creative entrepreneurs who constitute
America's Creative Community may suffer immediate and irreparable harm,"
said Jonathan Rintels, Executive Director of the Center for the Creative
Community. The CCC proposes a flexible rule scheme to encourage more
independently produced programming on network schedules, particularly in
primetime.
[SOURCE: Center for the Creative Community]
(http://www.creativecommunity.us/page/page/475223.htm)

POWELL: 'RISING ANXIETY OVER RADIO OWNERSHIP'
FCC chairman says he's uneasy with regulating explicit radio and TV content.
Speaking before the joint Radio and Television News Directors Association
and National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, FCC
Commissioner Michael Powell discussed a wide range of topics surrounding the
radio industry. On the ownership issue, Chairman Powell conceded that
consolidation since the `96 Telecommunication Act had been "both good and
bad," citing the rescue of several failing stations as a positive.
Acknowledging the internal strife over the radio-TV cross-ownership
proceedings, he argued that "the record is quite mature," with over 15,000
comments filed. Powell also expressed reluctance to become too deeply
involved in the regulation of radio content, particularly that which is lewd
or indecent, claiming that the FCC is not an elected body and is
unaccountable to the people.
[SOURCE: The Poynter Institute, AUTHOR: Al Thompkins]
(http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=29240)

DIGITAL DIVIDE

CREATING OUR FUTURE: SHAPING THE AGENDA OF COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY
CTCNet will hold the 12th Annual National CTCNet Conference on June 27-29,
2003 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC. CTCNet expects over 700
professionals from a diverse range of CTCs, nonprofit, government and
corporate sectors to join in this discussion of issues central to the future
of Community Technology.
[SOURCE: CTCNet]
(http://www2.ctcnet.org/conf/2003/)

IQ TEST FOR REBUILDING IRAQI NET
A British ISP is leading a grassroots movement to rebuild Iraq's Internet
infrastructure using funds generated by auctioning off .iq domain names. "We
think there's a lot of goodwill toward the Iraqi people and a desire to help
them get the benefits of an open Internet," said Ben Fitzgerald-O'Connor,
leader of the Committee for Information Technology Reconstruction in Iraq
project. While CITRI would offer domain names to Iraqis at a reduced cost,
they believe they can raise $10 million by auctioning "IQ" domain names to
groups such as Mensa International. The project will not be easy - the .iq
domain name is currently maintained by a Texas-based company recently
indicted on charges of supporting the Hamas terrorist organization, and
ICANN has said that transferring the domain will require the full support of
the international Internet community and the Iraqi people.
[SOURCE: Wired News, AUTHOR: Brian McWilliams]
(http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,58406,00.html)

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