DIGITAL DIVIDE
Congress Continues to Fund CTC, TOP Programs
INTERNET
Few Cheers for New FCC Rules
Connecting with Causes Large and Small
DIGITAL DIVIDE
CONGRESS CONTINUES TO FUND CTC, TOP PROGRAMS
Despite being slated for elimination in the president's budget, both the
Community Technology Centers Program and the Technology Opportunity Program
received funding in Congress' FY2003 budget bill, which was passed last
week. Both programs will get funding comparable to last year's levels,
approximately $15.5 million and $32.5 million respectively. Considering this
year's tight budget, the bill marks a victory for a coalition of public
interest groups, including CTCNet, Consumers Union, the Children's
Partnership and others, who lobbied for the two programs' survival.
[SOURCE: Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, AUTHOR: Brian Komar]
(http://www.civilrights.org/issues/communication/details.cfm?id=11346)
INTERNET
FEW CHEERS FOR NEW FCC RULES
In a controversial decision yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission
ruled to let states regulate broadband competition among the regional Bell
telephone companies. While the commission preserved the requirement that
Bell companies share their networks with competitors at a discounted rate,
it dropped requirements that the companies lease their pipelines at a fixed
rate. Many industry officials, policymakers and consumer advocates are
concerned that these changes would make it harder for independent broadband
providers to compete with the phone companies for DSL customers.
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Elisa Batista]
(http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,57755,00.html)
CONNECTING WITH CAUSES LARGE AND SMALL
[Commentary] Columnist Mike Cassidy is encouraged by the role of the Web and
email in organizing and informing political movements. He notes that new
communication technologies have connected people with causes as big as the
anti-war movement and as small as a one-day fast in protest of corrupt
Indian politics. Cassidy is particularly surprised by the smaller movements,
like one inspired organized in San Jose last week that called for volunteers
to take a day off from eating to support a planned hunger strike by an
Indian political activist. This effort, predicts Cassidy, is "something we
will all be seeing more of as the world gets smaller and its problems get
bigger."
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Mike Cassidy]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/5231681.htm)
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