Communications-related Headlines for 7/8/97
Tyranny of the Minority
Justice Dept. Clears Takeover Of MCI by British Telecom
Phone Wars Heat Up Over Sponsorship of Ad
Justice Dept. Clears MCI's Sale to BT
Sell Jazz 90? Not So Fast, CPB Warns
FCC Delays Bell Atlantic-Nynex Merger
British Telecom Purchase of MCI Is Cleared by Justice Department
The Computer Delusion
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Title: Tyranny of the Minority
Source: New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/(A19)
Author: Alec Baldwin, president of the Creative Coalition
Robert Lynch, Americans for the Arts
Issue: Arts
Description: Whether you support the National Endowment for the Arts or not,
we should all agree that the full Congress should get to vote on the matter.
In editorial, Baldwin and Lynch point out that this may not happen as the
House leadership uses parliamentary rules to "block an open and fair vote."
Eliminating the NEA has become a litmus test for conservatives, but opinion
polls show that the public supports the Endowment. Only ~40 of the 112,000
grants the NEA has made have caused any controversy.
Title: Justice Dept. Clears Takeover Of MCI by British Telecom
Source: New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/(D2)
Author: AP
Issue: Mergers
Description: The Justice Department has approved the acquisition of the
nation's second largest long distance carrier, MCI, by British
Telecommunications. The deal must also be approved by the Federal
Communications Commission and a number of state regulators. MCI and British
Telecom "remain confident that the merger can be completed as expected by
fall." The new company will be called Concert.
Title: Phone Wars Heat Up Over Sponsorship of Ad
Source: New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/(D3)
Author: Mark Landler
Issue: Telephone Regulation
Description: AT&T sponsored an ad in the New York Times and other NY papers
claiming that NYNEX has the highest local phone bills in the country. But
AT&T was not mentioned anywhere in the ad and the omission has prompted
protests from consumer groups and the NY State's Attorney General, Dennis C.
Vacco.
Title: Justice Dept. Clears MCI's Sale to BT
Source: Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/ (C1)
Author: Mike Mills
Issue: Mergers
Description: The Justice Department yesterday gave the ok for British
Telecommunications to purchase MCI, the country's second biggest long
distance company, for $21 billion after the companies adopt "safeguards to
ensure competitors are not unfairly hurt by the deal." The FCC now has to
decide about the merger.
Title: Sell Jazz 90? Not So Fast, CPB Warns
Source: Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/ (E1)
Author: Marc Fisher
Issue: Radio
Description: Since 1991 the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has given
the University of the District of Columbia's radio station $1 million in
grants. Now that UDC is planning to sell Jazz 90 to a religious broadcaster,
CPB wants the money back. CPB's head Robert Coonrod wrote that the
District's financial control board should reimburse "CPB and the American
taxpayers for the investment in WDCU so that we can allocate the money to
further the interests of public broadcasting." Coonrod referred to the
proposed sale as a "one-time only benefit and causes the loss of a major
cultural asset, forever." CPB found that the radio station has the
forth-largest black audience of any public radio station in the country.
Again Coonrod, "The sale of the station would obviously leave this minority
population underserved." Some public radio advocates are concerned that the
sale for such a large sum ($13 million) could set a precedent for colleges
to sell their stations for quick cash to wealthy religious broadcasters.
Title: FCC Delays Bell Atlantic-Nynex Merger
Source: Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com/ (A3)
Author: Bryan Gruley and John R. Wilke
Issue: Mergers/Competition
Description: Officials at the FCC are delaying approval of the Bell
Atlantic-Nynex merger until the companies do more to open their local
markets to competition. The FCC is considering requiring that Bell Atlantic
and Nynex combo open its "operational support systems" to competing
companies. Access to this mongo complicated computer connection mabobby,
would allow other companies to connect customers to the Bell network.
Title: British Telecom Purchase of MCI Is Cleared by Justice Department
Source: Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com/ (B4)
Author: John R. Wilke
Issue: Merger
Description: The Justice Department has approved the $24 billion buy out
of MCI by British Telecommunications. This deal represents the biggest-ever
purchase of a US company by a foreign one. The Justice Department has
imposed some conditions on the merger partly to ensure an open telecom
market in Britain. The company-to-be will have an annual revenue of $43
billion, greater than 40 million customers in 72 customers, and look great
in fall colors.
Title: The Computer Delusion
Source: The Atlantic Monthly
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/97jul/computer.htm
Author: Todd Oppenheimer, Associate Editor of Newsweek Interactive
Issue: Education Technology
Description: Atlantic Monthly's cover story this month examines the
enthusiasm surrounding the introduction of computer technology to K-12
schools. Oppenheimer takes a critical view of the efforts of technology
advocates, school districts, and the Clinton Administration to get computers
into every classroom, an endeavor which may cost $40-$100 billion over the
next five years.
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At the FCC http://www.fcc.gov
Frequently Asked Questions on Universal Service and the
Snowe-Rockefeller-Exon-Kerrey Amendment Released July 2, 1997
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