Benton RSS Feed

FYI: The President's Advisory Committee on Public Interest Obligations of
Digital television Broadcasters meets today -- listen to the meeting at
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/pubintadvcom/sepmtg/#broadcast

TELEPHONY
Appeals Court Upholds Key Telecom Act Sections (TelecomAm)

INTERNET
The E-Commerce Revolution: The Respective Roles for Industry and
Government (NTIA)
Blind Web Users Campaign to 'See' More of Cyberspace (WSJ)

EMPLOYMENT
SNET Using More Temporary Workers During Strike (TelecomAM)
Technology Affords this Trader Freedom, but also Adds Binds (WSJ)

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TELEPHONY
=========

APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS KEY TELECOM ACT SECTIONS
Issue: Telephony
On September 4, a federal appeals court reversed a district court decision
that would have allowed the Regional Bell companies to enter the long
distance phone market without winning FCC approval. The U.S. Appeals Court
overturned an earlier decision by that had found Sections 271-275 of the
Telecom Act to be an unconstitutional "bill of attainder." The appeals court
rejected the Bell companies' bill of attainder argument saying that the
sections "are not punitive because they do not impose a perpetual bar" on
the Bell companies' entry into the long distance market. In arguments,
Justice Department Antitrust Chief Joel Klein
argued for the FCC that the sections could not be considered punishment because
the Bells were better off after the Act than they were under the AT&T consent
decree.
[SOURCE: Telecom AM]
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/

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INTERNET
========

THE E-COMMERCE REVOLUTION: THE RESPECTIVE ROLES FOR INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT
Issue: Electronic Commerce
"I've been asked to speak on the relative roles of government and the
private sector in the area of electronic commerce (or e-commerce). This is,
in my mind, as big a task as summarizing the impact of the of the Industrial
Revolution in a few minutes. And, in fact, the rise of Internet and
e-commerce may have as profound an effect. It has enabled us to take part in
a global economy and accelerated, beyond all previous dreams, the way we do
business and communicate."
[SOURCE: NTIA]
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/speeches/harbin.htm

BLIND WEB USERS CAMPAIGN TO 'SEE' MORE OF CYBERSPACE
Issue: Internet/ Disabilities
"If you're a blind man, [Internet] interface ain't' meant for you," says
Kelly Ford, a blind teacher from Portland Ore. Mr. Ford is one of many
disabled Internet users who are frustrated by the inaccessibility of much
information on the Wold Wide Web. Less than one percent of Web sites have
taken actions to make their pages accessible to users with disabilities.
Design features that are helpful for the blind include alternative text
versions of sites, informational graphics, image maps, and tables formatted
to be understood by text-to-speech or Braille software.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B1, B6), AUTHOR: Nick Wingfield ]
http://wsj.com/

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EMPLOYMENT
============

SNET USING MORE TEMPORARY WORKERS DURING STRIKE
Issue: Telephony/Employment
Southern New England Telephone (SNET) is using "several hundred" temporary
workers, retirees and relatives to maintain operator, repair and installation
services during the walkout by Communications Workers of America (CWA)-
affiliated Connecticut Telephone Workers Union (CTWU), now in its third week.
Negotiations failed to resolve differences, despite optimism during talks over
the holiday weekend, both sides said. The walkout by 6,300 technicians in
Connecticut has focused on the two-tier pay structure and health insurance
costs, the union said. The key disagreement is over SNET's practice of paying
the same workers at two different levels, depending on when they were hired.
The company has been forced to roll back its Internet service as it was
swamped with increased demand due the return of colleges classes.
[SOURCE: Telecom AM]
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/

TECHNOLOGY AFFORDS THIS TRADER FREEDOM, BUT ALSO ADDS BINDS
Issue: Technology/Employment
For electronic stock trader Abigal Roitman, her computer gives her the
flexibility of leaving work early to be with her 17 month old daughter, but
it also enables her to work -- and experience stress -- at any hour of the
day or night. For many working parents, technology has diminished the
traditional boundaries been work time and family time. While the freedom to
work from home can be a savoir for many families, it can prove difficult to
leave worries at the office for those who never really leave the office.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B1), AUTHOR: Sue Shellenbarger]
http://wsj.com/

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ADVERTISING
Giant Sponsors Plan to Clean Up TV (WSJ)

INTERNET
Internet Over Cable: Defining the Future In Terms of the Past (FCC)
New Web Resource Packages Campaign Data for the Voter (CyberTimes)

LONG DISTANCE
FCC Consumer Alert: Don't Hang Up on Dial-Around (FCC)

RADIO
Keeping the Local in Local Radio (FCC0

MERGERS
Indiana Opens Investigation of SBC-Ameritech Merger (TelecomAM)

ANTITRUST
Microsoft Ordered to Provide More Antitrust Evidence (NYT)

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ADVERTISING
============

GIANT SPONSORS PLAN TO CLEAN UP TV
Issue: Television/Advertising
Madison Avenue has embarked on a crusade to clean up network TV programming.
Some of the world's biggest advertisers have joined together in hopes of
influencing the networks to air more family-oriented shows. The Forum for
Responsible Advertisers, which includes Procter & Gamble Co., Johnson &
Johnson, Coca-Cola Co., Sears, Roebuck & Co., and Ford Motor Co., plans to
hold its first meeting in New York later this month. While advertisers claim
to be in search of more wholesome programs, adult-oriented shows like "Friends"
and "Just Shoot Me" continue to draw more advertising dollars than network
shows with strong family or religious themes.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B1, B5), AUTHOR: Brian Stenberg and Tara
Parker Pope]
http://wsj.com/

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INTERNET
========

INTERNET OVER CABLE: DEFINING THE FUTURE IN TERMS OF THE PAST
Issue: Cable/Internet
FCC Staff Working Paper on Regulatory Categories and the InternetThe FCC's
Office of Plans and Policy (OPP) today released a staff working paper
analyzing the policy issues raised by the delivery of Internet-based
services over cable television systems. OPP Working Paper No. 30, "Internet
Over Cable: Defining the Future in Terms of the Past," was written by
Barbara Esbin, Associate Bureau Chief of the Cable Services Bureau, in
conjunction with OPP. Periodically, OPP issues working papers on emerging
areas in communications; these papers represent individual views and are not
an official statement by the FCC or any FCC commissioner.[SOURCE: FCC]
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/OPP/News_Releases/1998/nrop8001.html
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/OPP/working_papers/oppwp30.wp,
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/OPP/working_papers/oppwp30.pdf

NEW WEB RESOURCE PACKAGES CAMPAIGN DATA FOR THE VOTER
Issue: Internet
The Center for Responsive Politics http://www.crp.org has launched a new
resource on the Web that makes it easier to find detailed campaign finance
info on any congressional candidate in the country. "The real idea here is
to spread the power, on the assumption that information is power and there
is too much of it in Washington and not enough everywhere else" said Larry
Makinson, executive director of the organization. "Every contribution that
comes in to a candidate or political party, we try to categorize it by
industry. Then we try to translate that," Makinson said. "We try to see what
the patterns are. Because if you really want to understand what politicians
are going to do after they are elected, find out who is paying for their
campaign."
[SOURCE: New York Times (CyberTimes), AUTHOR: Jeri Clausing]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/09/cyber/articles/04campaign.html

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LONG DISTANCE
=============

FCC CONSUMER ALERT: DON'T HANG UP ON DIAL-AROUND
Issue: Long Distance
As of September 1, 1998, the transition to expanded access codes will be
complete. Consumers are reminded that, to make a "dial around" call, they
must dial an additional "10" before the access code (i.e. 10-xxx is now
10-10-xxx). Access codes enable callers to use a long distance company other
than the company the phone is programmed to use automatically for placing
long distance and local toll calls.
[SOURCE: FCC]
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Factsheets/da981736.html

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RADIO
=====

Keeping the Local in Local Radio
Issue: Radio
"Certainly when the 1996 Telecommunications Act was passed, most of the
focus was on telephone and video. But while those markets haven't changed as
much as people predicted, radio is another story. In radio, the '96 Act has
had a clear and dramatic impact. The '96 Act made two key changes: it
eliminated the cap on the number of radio stations companies could own
nationally, and it raised the limit on the number of stations that could be
owned in local markets. Those two changes set off an unprecedented wave of
consolidation that has dramatically reshaped the radio industry."
[SOURCE: FCC]
http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Tristani/spgt811.html

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MERGERS
=======

INDIANA OPENS INVESTIGATION OF SBC-AMERITECH MERGER
Issue: Mergers
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission will open an investigation of the
proposed merger of Ameritech into SBC Communications. Competitors and
consumer interest groups are concerned about the effects of the deal on
telephone competition, employment levels, service quality and rates.
September 14 is the deadline for intervening parties to register and file
questions they want the companies to answer, and a September 30 deadline for
questions from the commission staff. All three of the Ameritech states with
jurisdiction over the merger -- Illinois, Ohio and Indiana -- have formal
investigations underway.
[SOURCE: Telecom AM]
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/

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ANTITRUST
=========

MICROSOFT ORDERED TO PROVIDE MORE ANTITRUST EVIDENCE
Issue: Antitrust
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson has ordered Microsoft to
give the Department of Justice additional evidence in the antitrust case.
The software giant threatened to ask for a six-month delay if it was forced
to defend itself against the new evidence. The DOJ countered by saying it is
common and only natural to come upon new evidence during pretrial discovery.
[SOURCE: New York Times (C4), AUTHOR: Joel Brinkley]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/yr/mo/biztech/articles/04microsoft.html

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We are outta here. Have a great holiday weekend and we'll see you *Tuesday*.
Any bets Mark gets the recond by then?

INTERNET
Protest Portal Unites Activists Under One URL (CyberTimes)
Get Off Internet, Get Involved is Daley's Volunteerism Push
(CyberTimes)

MERGERS
California Regulators Approve MCI-WorldCom Merger (TelecomAM)
Austrian Bid Shows Ameritech's Freedom (ChiTrib)

ANTITRUST
U.S. Faults Depositions of Microsoft's Executives (NYT)
U.S. Adds To Case vs. Microsoft and Gates (WSJ)

TELEVISION/VIDEO
TV Programmers Drop 'Black-Block' Lineups (WSJ)
Video Stores: Are They Headed To The Bottom? (WP)

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INTERNET
========

PROTEST PORTAL UNITES ACTIVISTS UNDER ONE URL
Issue: Online Activism
We're here. We're digital. Get used to it. Political organizers had hailed
the Internet as a great potential tool. But the grim reality was that you
can't find an audience if you don't have a catchy URL, a fat publicity
budget or a major Web site to carry your link. Evan Henshaw-Plath has
created Protest.Net http://www.protest.net/ to provide a central source of
information about current issues and upcoming events. "It's like finding the
protest du jour," said David Ronfeldt, senior social scientist at the RAND
Corporation. "Folks across the conflict spectrum are resorting to network
strategy and technology to help dispersed individuals link up and act
jointly. This Web
site fits that model."
[SOURCE: New York Times (CyberTimes), AUTHOR: Bob Tedeschi]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/09/cyber/articles/02protest.html

GET OFF INTERNET, GET INVOLVED IS DALEY'S VOLUNTEERISM PUSH
Issue: Offline Activism/Volunteerism
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley thinks some of us are spending just a little too
much time with our computers. "If people took 20 percent off the time on the
computer and helped a child it would be amazing," he declared. "You wouldn't
know what to do with all the volunteers." Warming further to the subject,
Daley added, "I think people have to get out of their homes and off
computers and start listening to people and working with younger people.
That is my personal opinion." Mayor Daley was at an event celebrating $1.7
million in corporate contributions for good causes by Allstate Insurance.
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune (Sec 2, p.6), AUTHOR: Gary Washburn]
http://chicagotribune.com/textversion/article/0,1492,SAV-9809020113,00.html

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MERGERS
=======

CALIFORNIA REGULATORS APPROVE MCI-WORLDCOM MERGER
Issue: Mergers
The California Public Utility Commission (PUC) has unconditionally approved
the MCI-WorldCom merger: "On balance, [the merger] is in the public
interest." The PUC also ruled that it cannot require MCI-WorldCom to pass on
merger savings to consumers because it does not have such authority over
traditionally unregulated companies. The Federal Communications Commission
is one of the few regulatory bodies that still needs to rule on the $37
billion deal. The FCC is expected to approve the deal -- as early as this week.
[SOURCE: Telecom AM]
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/

AUSTRIAN BID SHOWS AMERITECH'S FREEDOM
Issue: Ownership/Mergers
Ameritech has announced a bid to acquire 25% of Austria's phone company. The
move "demonstrates the Chicago firm's commitment to acting independently
despite its pending takeover by SBC Communications Inc," Van reports. The
proposed merger could take as long as one year and in the meantime,
Ameritech would follow its own strategies -- including expanding its
European holdings. Ameritech has found success in buying minority interests
in European phone monopolies and using its expertise to improve performance.
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune (Sec 3, p.3), AUTHOR: Jon Van]
http://chicagotribune.com/textversion/article/0,1492,SAV-9809020334,00.html

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ANTITRUST
=========

U.S. FAULTS DEPOSITIONS OF MICROSOFT EXECUTIVES (NYT)
U.S. ADDS TO CASE VS. MICROSOFT AND GATES (WSJ)
Issue: Antitrust
The antitrust case against Microsoft is scheduled to go to trial on
September 23. After the software giant recently requested that the case be
dropped, the Department of Justice has submitted new evidence and asserted
that Microsoft executives are showing "an astonishing lack of recall."
"Executives who are stated to be the author of documents claim not to
remember writing them," government lawyers wrote. "Executives who are the
stated recipients of documents claim not to remember receiving them. And
both authors and recipients claim not to know what the documents mean." [Is
this so extraordinary? Happens in my office all the time.] The new evidence
includes allegations that Microsoft bullied competing companies including
Intel, Apple, Real Networks, and Intuit.
[SOURCE: New York Times (C1), AUTHOR: Joel Brinkley]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/09/biztech/articles/02microsoft.html
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (A3), AUTHOR: John Wilke and Don Clark]
http://wsj.com/

================
TELEVISION/VIDEO
================

TV PROGRAMMERS DROP 'BLACK -BLOCK' LINE UPS
Issue: Minorities/ Television
This season, African-American viewers will have to look a little harder to
find shows targeted at black audiences. Of the top-20 shows among blacks
last season, only 13 will be appearing this fall. The reported cause of the
programming change is that these show are no longer drawing the numbers they
were just a few years ago. While the No.1 black show in 1994, "Living
single," drew about 8.5 million households each week, last year's top black
show, "Between Brothers," only had about 4.9 million viewers each week.
Programmers are hopping that new shows with leading black characters in
racially integrated context, such as this fall's pilot sitcom depicting a
black man living in the Lincoln White House, will regain some of the
declining viewership.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B1), AUTHOR: Leon Wynter]
http://wsj.com/

VIDEO STORES: ARE THEY HEADED TO THE BOTTOM?
Issue: Video/Business
The video release of the film "Titanic" has caused speculation on more than
the fall of Western civilization. The next generation of home video,
called "video-on-demand," offers viewers the ability to order the
three-hour epic from home, whenever they choose to view it, without braving
lines of screaming teenage girls. It even offers "pause" and "rewind"
functions. "In seven years, you're going to see a significant erosion of
video rentals [from stores]," says Julie Wainwright of www.reel.com, an
Internet video sales and rental service, "If you fast-forward,
video-on-demand is where the industry is going." Not everyone in the
industry is sold on the new technology. "Just the fact that technology
exists to do something doesn't mean the studios are anxious to migrate to
it," says Larry Gebrandt, senior analyst with Paul Kagan Associates, a
media research and consulting group.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (p.D1), AUTHOR: Frank Ahrens]

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TELEVISION
Few Bidders for Networks Despite Good Curb Appeal (NYT)
Get Big or Get Out (B&C)
Can Football Revive CBS and Restore Its Glory Days? (NYT)
Advertising: In N.F.L. Ad War, Sponsors Playing Tough Defense (NYT)
The Return of Family Television (ChiTrib)
Ameritech Gets with Local Connections Program (B&C)

INTERNET
Few Federal Web Sites Observe Federally Proposed Privacy Rules (NYT)
Patents: Plain-English Internet Searching (NYT)
Software for Blocking Web Ads Has a Need -- To Advertise (ChiTrib)
New Wireless Effort Hits Hurdles (ChiTrib)

CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
Campaign Reform's Next Hurdle (NYT)

ANTITRUST
Signs Show 'Wintel' Axis Is Beginning to Wobble (NYT)
US May Seek to Expand Evidence in Microsoft Case (NYT)

LABOR/EMPLOYMENT
US West, Union Reach Agreement (WP)

JOURNALISM
A Publishers Presses His Point (WP)

SATELLITE
Echo Star gets Local OK (B&C)

==========
TELEVISION
==========

FEW BIDDERS FOR NETWORKS DESPITE GOOD CURB APPEAL
Issue: Television Economics
Audiences continue to defect to cable and programming costs continue to rise
-- the future of network television seems uncertain. But despite constant
rumors, there have been no bidders for CBS or GE's NBC. "There are new
advantages ever since the Federal Communications Commission allowed network
companies to own their programming and share in the sale of rerun rights,"
said David Londoner, an analyst at Schroder & Co. "In this market, everybody
talks to everybody else. And sure, anyone would love to buy them at the
right price. But you could drive a truck between the bid and the ask."
Howard Anderson, president of the Yankee Group, a consulting firm in Boston,
added: "Owning networks ain't what it used to be. When the prime-time
players had 85 percent of the prime-time audience, you were buying into a
monopoly. Now they are at 50 percent market share. There is sticker shock
over advertising prices. And the Internet is eating away at the youth
market." What's more, Anderson said, "companies have proven that they can
launch their own networks for far less money." While television stations and
cable service make a lot of money, broadcast networks typically yield only
about 10% at best. At worst, they lose money (see CBS story).
[SOURCE: New York Times (C6), AUTHOR: Geraldine Fabrikant]
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/network-bidders.html

GET BIG OR GET OUT
Issue: Television/ Ownership
Longtime Sacramento Broadcasters, the Kelly family, has just sold last of
it's broadcast operations for $900 million. Kelly Broadcasting was founded
in 1945 by advertising executive Gene Kelly, and is now run by his
grandsons. While Kelly's Sacramento TV station KCRA-TV has been a local
leader for years, it had become increasingly difficult for small
broadcasters to compete for programming. "I lost five out of six shows and
didn't even get to the table," said KCRA station manager Greg Kelly. "We had
to get big or get out, and we were not in a position to get big,"
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable (p.10, 11), AUTHOR: John Higgins]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/

CAN FOOTBALL REVIVE CBS AND RESTORE ITS GLORY DAYS?
ADVERTISING: In N.F.L. Ad War, Sponsors Playing Tough Defense
Issue: Television Economics
CBS's eight-year, $4 billion deal to broadcast National Football League
games has been and will be closely scrutinized. The price tag is 100% more
than what NBC had been paying for the same package. Executives at CBS are
relying on football to boost profits -- the network has losing $50-$100 per
year for the last few years. But critics -- mostly at NBC -- say that the
deal is financially irresponsible and predict CBS will begin losing $100
million to $150 million a year on football alone. CBS sees football
attracting the young male audience -- which had been leaving the network of
late -- and boosting its ratings for prime time shows. In Elliott's column
we learn that although network executives wanted to charge 25-30% more for
ad time during football games this year, the ad agencies held firm and will
pay no more that 8-10% more for spots. The message: we're not going to pay a
lot for this season.
[SOURCE: New York Times (C1), AUTHOR: Bill Carter]
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/cbs-nfl-media.html
[SOURCE: New York Times (C7), AUTHOR: Stuart Elliott]
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/fbn-ad-column.html

THE RETURN OF FAMILY TELEVISION
Issue: Television
With the big networks fighting over adult viewers, new outlets like Pax TV
are trying to find a niche for family viewing. At 11:00am today, Pax TV
(formerly Pax Net) will start broadcasting. "Along with the new Fox Family
Channel and new programming initiatives on Nickelodeon and the Disney
Channel, it is one of a number of TV outlets looking to fill the void in
family viewing as the traditional networks have turned toward the young
adult market," Johnson reports. Bud Paxson's network -- which will reach
50-75 million households, will be the nation's 7th broadcast network:
"Parental Discretion Unnecessary" is one of the network's ad slogans.
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune (Sec 5, p.1), AUTHOR: Steve Johnson]
http://chicagotribune.com/textversion/article/0,1492,SAV-9808310033,00.html

AMERITECH GETS WITH LOCAL CONNECTIONS PROGRAM
Issue: Cable
Ameritech's cable system, americast, has launched a free text information
service in the Columbus, Ohio market. Local Connections, as its called, will
offer local information ranging from movie times to weather forecasts on 49
channels. Ameritech is hoping the local information channels will give them
an edge over cable competitors Time Warner and Insight Communications.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable (p.43), AUTHOR: Price Colman]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/

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INTERNET
========

FEW FEDERAL WEB SITES OBSERVE FEDERALLY PROPOSED PRIVACY RULES
Issue: Privacy
The Clinton Administration does not practice what it preaches when it comes
to online privacy. The Federal Trade Commission recently criticized business
sites for failing to post privacy information or help protect children --
many of the Government's sites fail on these fronts as well. "It's really a
matter of practicing what they preach," said David Banisar, senior policy
analyst and staff counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a
public interest research group in Washington. "They have been pushing notice
and consent, and they can't even do it themselves. They really have a dismal
record on this." Clausing reports, "The White House Web site provides links
to 70 Web sites of federal agencies, Cabinet departments and White House
offices and commissions. Of those 70 sites, only 12 had posted privacy
policies as of Friday afternoon. That amounts to 17 percent of the sites
surveyed, only slightly better than the 14 percent of commercial sites that,
according to the FTC's report, had clearly posted privacy policies earlier
this year."
[SOURCE: New York Times (C1), AUTHOR: Jeri Clausing]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/08/cyber/articles/31privacy.html

PATENTS: PLAIN-ENGLISH INTERNET SEARCHING
Issue: InfoTech/Internet
Kathleen Dahlgren, a computational linguist, and her colleague, Edward
Stabler, have received a patent for Inquizit, a natural-language based
Internet searching tool. The system retrieves and stores information in much
the way that people talk. "We model the way people interpret the meanings of
a word -- through context," Ms. Dahlgren said. "We search on meaning by
using grammar and structure and semantics. Every word has associated with it
a set of beliefs." Thus, Ms. Dahlgren said, a query such as "What kinds of
wood are bats made of?" would probably yield documents having to do with
baseball bats and hickory.
[SOURCE: New York Times (C2), AUTHOR: Teresa Riordan]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/yr/mo/biztech/articles/31patents.html

SOFTWARE FOR BLOCKING WEB ADS HAS A NEED--TO ADVERTISE
Issue: Advertising/Internet
New software is available that prevents ads being displayed on a Web page.
Few people are using the programs yet, but some are concerned -- especially
since ~$1 billion a year is spent to advertise to the roughly 71 million
Americans on the Internet. "This is now a mass medium, and I ask you, who's
going to pay for it?" asked Bob Colvin, who runs Interactive Media Partners,
an ad consulting firm. "It's not subscription fees, and it sure isn't going
to be the government. It's got to be the advertising." Ad-blockers also stop
"cookies" -- the files sites use to chronicle consumers' surfing habits.
"Because they're getting it free, are they obligated?" said Beth Snyder, who
writes about on-line ads for Advertising Age magazine. "That's kind of a
philosophical question. Do you owe anybody anything?" Interested in the
software? See AdWipe, JunkBusters www.junkbusters.com, AtGuard
www.atguard.com, and Internet Mute www.intermute.com.
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune (Sec 4,p.2), AUTHOR: Associated Press]
http://chicagotribune.com/textversion/article/0,1492,SAV-9808310005,00.html

NEW WIRELESS EFFORT HITS HURDLES
Issue: Internet Access/Wireless/Role of Local Government
Chicago is the next target area for Metricom's wireless Internet access.
Metricom attaches small radio units to the tops of light poles to provide
data transmission. The firm is working out agreements with local and county
officials and power company managers. Local governments are considering
hiring consultants to advise them. The worry: that a town signs a deal for
less money than the town down the road.
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune (Sec4, p.3), AUTHOR: Mitch Martin & Jon Van]
http://chicagotribune.com/textversion/article/0,1492,SAV-9808310008,00.html

=======================
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
=======================

CAMPAIGN REFORM'S NEXT HURDLE
Issue: Campaign Fiance Reform
The Senate returns to Washington this week, focused on the Clinton scandal.
But most Americans think his moral values are the same or better than that
of most politicians. "There is one very big thing that Congress can do to
restore voter confidence, and that is to finish the job of overhauling the
campaign fund-raising system, eliminating "soft money" and other abuses that
undermine the integrity of American politics," the editorial states. The
House passed the Shays-Meehan bill earlier in August, Americans want it, and
a majority of the Senate supports it. But a campaign reform bill may never
be voted on in the Senate because Trent Lott, the majority leader, and Mitch
McConnell (R-Kentucky) will frustrate popular will with a filibuster. "All
that is needed is eight Republican votes to shut off the filibuster that
Lott and McConnell are sure to engineer this month. The responsibility for
finding those votes falls on Senators John McCain of Arizona and Russell
Feingold of Wisconsin, who championed the cause earlier this year and now
must pick it up again. Is it too much to ask that this Congress, on the eve
of the next century, return to the spirit that has fired reformers since the
beginning of this century?"
[SOURCE: New York Times (A18), AUTHOR: NYT Editorial Staff]
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/editorial/31mon1.html

=========
ANTITRUST
=========

SIGNS SHOW 'WINTEL' AXIS IS BEGINNING TO WOBBLE
US MAY SEE TO EXPAND EVIDENCE IN MICROSOFT CASE
Issue: Antitrust
As part of the antitrust suit against Microsoft, the Dept of Justice (DOJ)
has obtained documents that show the deep frustration of Intel executives
with pressure from Microsoft's Bill Gates. The alliance between Microsoft
Windows and Intel computer chips -- the "Wintel" duopoly -- may be
unraveling. Intel is already feeling heat from rival chip makers Advanced
Micro Devices and National Semiconductor. Microsoft is seeking new partners
like Matsushita, and the growth in the industry is in consumer electronics
like cellular phones and hand-held personal digital assistants -- markets in
which neither Microsoft or Intel wield much influence. In a related story,
Lohr reports that the DOJ and 20 states may ask a Federal judge to admit new
evidence in the Microsoft antitrust case. Investigators are trying to find
out if the software giant used its market power to try to limit competition
in segments of the emerging market for Internet software. They are looking
at Microsoft's dealings with Intel, Apple, and Real Networks.
[SOURCE: New York Times (C1), AUTHOR: John Markoff]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/08/biztech/articles/31chip.html
[SOURCE: New York Times (C4), AUTHOR: Steve Lohr]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/yr/mo/biztech/articles/31microsoft.html

==================
LABOR/EMPLOYMENT
==================

US WEST, UNION REACH AGREEMENT
Issue: Labor/ Telephony
Members of the Communication Workers of America employed by US West are
expected to return to work today after 15 days of striking. About 34,000
union members in 13 states went on strike after the break down of
negotiations regarding forced overtime, health-care benefits and a
performance based pay proposal. Federal Mediator Jim Mahon helped the two
sides in reaching the tentative agreement that ended the first strike in US
West's 14-year history.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (p.A7), AUTHOR: News Services]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-08/31/134l-083198-idx.html

===========
JOURNALISM
===========

A PUBLISHER PRESSES HIS POINT
Issue: Journalism
Frank Blethem, millionaire Seattle business man has recently launched a
media campaign, including a series of ads in the Seattle Times, advocating
the abolition of the estate tax. The only problem is that Blethem also
happens to the publisher of that very same paper. "The appearance of a
conflict of interest is real," concedes the Time's executive editor Michael
Fancher. "There is no actual conflict of interest," he contends, "because I
know that it's not going to affect our reporters." Blithe, himself aware of
the problematic appearance, explains that "the family feels that's the way
to use our voice. We can't use [news columns in] the newspaper because of
our insistence that the newspaper be independent." The issue raises
difficult questions about how far newspaper publishers can go in expressing
political viewpoints.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (C1,C4), AUTHOR: Howard Kurtz]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-08/31/080l-083198-idx.html

=========
SATELLITE
=========

ECHOSTAR GETS LOCAL OK
Issue: SatelliteT.V.
The Federal Communications Commission has given satellite TV distributor
EchoStar permission to enter four new western markets, while waving the
requirement to serve Alaska and Hawaii too. EchoStar plans to offer local
broadcast signals to "underserved' (those unable to receive broadcasts 50%
of the time) subscribers in western states. Satellite services like EchoStar
are hoping that Congress will eventually change the law that prevents them
from providing local signals to subscribers who can receive those signals
over the air. Some members of congress have expressed the belief that
allowing satellite carriers to distribute local signals may be the best way
to encourage competition that would force down cable rates.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable (p.17), AUTHOR: Paige Albiniak]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/

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Way to go Tom's River!