September 1999

BROADCASTING
TV Gets Heat From DC (B&C)
Top of the News: Survey of TV News Directors (B&C)

TELEPHONY
A Regional Bell May Soon Offer Long Distance (NYT)

INTERNET
Deal Is Reached to Open Internet Registration (NYT)
Senate Data in the Microfilm Era (CyberTimes)
Newspaper Leader Calls For National Online Classified Effort (SJM)

TELEVISION
TV Notes: Networks Find Cause to Cheer (NYT)
As the 'Other World' Turns Brazilian TV Gets Pretty Odd (WSJ)

INFOTECH
Universities Adopt Computer Literacy Requirements (CyberTimes)
C.I.A. to Nurture Companies Dealing in High Technology (NYT)

BROADCASTING

TV GETS HEAT FROM DC
Issue: Television
A new study from the Center for Media and Public Affairs, a Washington-based
nonpartisan research organization, found that television viewers see a
violent scene every four minutes. The violence on TV shows, music videos and
movies
often carry no consequences, sending incorrect messages to children,
according to CMPA. The center also found that producers are not ranking
their programs
correctly, making it difficult for parents to properly regulate their
children's TV viewing. Of all the prime time television shows aired in 1998,
CBS'
Walker Texas Ranger was the most violent, with an average of 82 violent
scenes per
episode. On basic cable, the most violent show was TNT's LA Heat, with 46
violent scenes per episode. On premium cable, Oz was the most violent with
an average of 54 violent scenes. Additionally, five of the 10 most violent
shows aired during this period were in first-run syndication. The study
found more
violence in original network TV series than in original cable series,
although this was thought to stem from the fact that there are significantly
fewer
original series on cable. USA was rated the most violent cable network.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting & Cable (p.20), AUTHOR: Paige Albiniak]
(http://www.broadcastingcable.com/)

TOP OF THE NEWS: SURVEY OF TV NEWS DIRECTORS
Issue: Television
A survey of TV news executives found that 95% of 150 directors polled
had taken no steps to reduce the level of violence in the news casts
broadcast after the Columbine High School shooting raised the issue of
sensationalism in news. This finding suggests that none of the executives
sees the "if it bleeds it leads" criticism as applying to their media
outlet, or they find nothing wrong with this approach to journalism.
"It's not the TV's job to under-report crime to keep from shocking or
offending viewers...But trolling the satellite feeds for violence, or
giving it more airtime because of its power to shock and attract,
provides viewers with a false sense of insecurity by putting so many
violent acts, no matter how remote from the individual viewer, in
every living room, everywhere." The difference between lower crime
statistics that are being reported and the perception of violence in
society is the immediacy television brings to an issue. The survey showed
NBC as the strongest news operation and best newscast, according to
its own affiliates about a third of its competitors. It is suspected that
NBC benefits from being able to work with two other cable networks,
namely CNBC and MSNBC. CNN was ranked second. CBS was ranked last
among major news outlets.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting & Cable (p.102), AUTHOR: B&C Editorial Staff]
(http://www.broadcastingcable.com/)

TELEPHONY

A REGIONAL BELL MAY SOON OFFER LONG DISTANCE
Issue: Long Distance/Competition
Fifteen years after the breakup of AT&T, consumers may have once again have
a one-stop option for local and long distance phone service. Bell Atlantic,
the largest local telephone company, will soon ("We're on track for a filing
this week," said James Cullen, president and chief operating officer of Bell
Atlantic. ) ask the Federal Communications Commission for permission to
offer long distance service in New York State. Approval would make in the
first Baby Bell to enter the $80 billion long distance market. The FCC has
rejected five other attempts by Baby Bells to get into long distance. "I'd
put the chances above 50-50," said Michael Morrissey, vice president for
government affairs at AT&T, which stands to lose billions in revenue if the
Baby Bells broadly enter the long-distance market. "The other applications
had no real chance."
[SOURCE: New York Times (A1), AUTHOR: Seth Schiesel]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/financial/092999bell-longdistance.html)

INTERNET

DEAL IS REACHED TO OPEN INTERNET REGISTRATION
Issue: Internet
Network Solutions and the US Dept of Commerce have agreed on a process to
open up the registration of Internet addresses to competition. Network
Solutions will be allowed to retain control of ".com", the crown jewel of
Internet domains and, in return, the company will provide ICANN with $1.25
million and will reduce the wholesale price it charges rivals for new
registrations. Network Solutions will also provide public access to the
database of Internet addresses while charging companies for bulk access to
the database. "It is a huge relief as well as a pleasure that we managed to
come to terms that everyone finds acceptable," said Esther Dyson, the
interim chairwoman of ICANN. "Everyone feels they gave a huge amount." Not
all at Network Solutions are happy: "The good news is that the deadlock has
been broken," said Richard Forman, president and chief executive of
Register.com, a New York company that was the first to compete with Network
Solutions. "Unfortunately, the current situation still promotes an unlevel
playing field. The Department of Commerce extended NSI's contract without
even considering any competing registrars to run the registry," he said. "In
addition, the registry will be charging registrars the still-inflated price
$12 per domain name and though NSI the registry and NSI the registrar are
technically two separate entities, the bottom line is that they both share
the same balance sheet."
[SOURCE: New York Times (C12), AUTHOR: Jeri Clausing]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/cyber/articles/29domain.html)
See Also:
COMMERCE OVERSIGHT EFFORTS LEAD TO DOMAIN NAME AGREEMENT
[SOURCE: House of Representatives]
(http://com-notes.house.gov/cchear/hearings106.nsf/12b6a0781fa86e88852567e50
07558f4/0eb75f97c571b3b8852567fa0065d535?OpenDocument)

SENATE DATA IN THE MICROFILM ERA
Issue: Access to Info/Campaign Finance
President Clinton is expected to sign a bill into law this week
requiring political action committees and candidates for the House of
Representatives to file reports electronically with the Federal Election
Commission starting in 2002 so information can be posted online within
a few hours of filing. But the Senate does not have that same requirement.
Senators, who file their records with the Secretary of the Senate, have a
convoluted disclosure system in which details about contributions to Senate
candidates do not reach the online public until about six weeks after the
reports are filed. Since the secretary's office does not require Senate
candidates to file in an electronic format, there is a long process where
people have to enter thousands of pages of data by hand, which takes 30 to
60 days -- so it is unlikely to get to the public before election time.
"There are no plans, at the moment, to have an electronic filing system,"
said Pam Gavin, superintendent of the Senate Office of Public Records. "I
think sometimes we get a bad rep, because a lot of people are interested in
campaign finance," she said. "But it's less important than making sure the
Senate floor runs or seeing that people get paid." Sheila Krumholz, research
director for the Center for Responsive Politics, said the Senate's handling
of campaign finance records reflects its "closed culture." "It begs the
question: what's the difference between the House and the Senate?" she said.
"Why should the Senate be precluded from these rules? There's really no
logical explanation."
[SOURCE: CyberTimes, (B10), AUTHOR: Rebecca Fairley Raney]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/cyber/articles/29senate.html)

NEWSPAPER LEADER CALLS FOR NATIONAL ONLINE CLASSIFIED EFFORT
Issue: Newspapers/Advertising
The chairman of the Newspaper Association of America issued a call to all
newspaper owners and publishers in a speech at the National Press Club on
Tuesday. "Let us put our classified advertising online and build a national
classified marketplace," said William S. Morris II, chairman of Morris
Communications Group. As more and more newspapers are taking advantage of
online technology, Morris says it's time that they join forces to create a
national classified advertising service on the Internet. Despite the growth
of journalism on the Internet, Morris says he doesn't envision newspapers
becoming extinct. "I see nothing in the new technology -- nothing coming
out of Silicon Valley that eliminates the need for newspapers and certainly
for trained, responsible, ethical and aggressive journalists."
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/breaking/merc/docs/074977.htm)

TELEVISION

TV NOTES: NETWORKS FIND CAUSE TO CHEER
Issue: Television
Despite the continued drop in television viewership, network executives
have already declared the new television season a success. Viewing among
18-to-49-year-olds, to which most of the networks are so devoted, was down
by 6 percent from premiere week last year. For the major networks, who are
happy to see that the current decline is much less steep than it was last
year at this point, the numbers were cause for celebration. "You look at
those summer numbers," said Garth Ancier, the president of NBC
Entertainment, "and it's great to see people coming back."
[SOURCE: New York Times (B7), AUTHOR: Bill Carter]
(http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/arts/tv-notes.html)

AS THE 'OTHER WORLD' TURNS BRAZILIAN TV GETS PRETTY ODD
Issue: International/Television
TV Globo has been the reining monarch of Brazilian television for more than
three decades. But with inflation on hold and increased consumer
purchasing power, the loyalty of this larger and more diverse Brazilian TV
audience is waning. Globo's empire is under assault by bikini-clad fashion
models wrestling for soap. Sistema Brasileiro de Televisao (SBT), Globo's
main rival, is home to a popular new show in which models climb one by one
into a big bathtub and grapple with a male guest for bars of soap. This
program, along with other outrageous SBT attractions, has caused Globo's
overall share of the national TV audience to tumble just over half, down
20% from only four years ago. Even more daunting for Global is a bill in
congress that would for the first time allow foreigners to hold minority
stakes in Brazil's broadcast media. "Acquiring a foreign partner will
shorten the amount of time it takes us to become the No. 1 network," says
Jose Roberto Maluf, vice president of SBT.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (A1), AUTHOR: Matt Moffett]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB938557811802582025.htm)

INFOTECH

UNIVERSITIES ADOPT COMPUTER LITERACY REQUIREMENTS
Issue: Ed-Tech
This year, the University of Texas at Arlington has adopted a policy that
requires students to demonstrate computer literacy as a condition of
graduation. Increasingly, colleges and universities are adopting computer
literacy requirements in an effort to better prepare their students for the
modern workplace. Other schools with computer literacy skill requirements
include Florida State University and Old Dominion. At the UT-- Arlington,
students must master five computer-related skills including spreadsheet
programs, word processing, the school's online library research services,
e-mail, and Internet-based research. Several years ago the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools, the major regional accrediting
association for southern schools, decided to add the words "the basic use of
computers" to the list of skills that graduates of its approved institutions
must demonstrate. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges, The
regional accrediting group for California, Hawaii and other areas is
currently considering revising its standards to include an "information
literacy" mandate. Some education officials see these computer literacy
requirements as a temporary situation, since most student going to college
learn the basics in high school and elementary school.
[SOURCE: CyberTimes, AUTHOR: Pamela Mendels]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/cyber/education/29education.html)

C.I.A. TO NURTURE COMPANIES DEALING IN HIGH TECHNOLOGY
Issue: InfoTech
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has established a venture capital firm
to help high-tech companies as well as the government. The new nonprofit
venture will be called "In-Q-It", in reference to Major Boothroyd, a.k.a.
"Q", the master technologist whose basement laboratory develops advanced
gadgets for the fictional British super-agent. In-Q-It is being financed
with $28 million appropriated last year by Congress as part of the CIA's
budget. How In-Q-It uses of the $28 million remains classified.
Unlike in the cold war era, when the most advanced technologies came from
a handful of supercomputer companies, today, the most powerful technologies
are increasingly being developed first by consumer electronics companies
that have vast markets to finance new developments of powerful
systems and applications. In-Q-It will have an office in Washington
with eight employees and will have a second office in
Silicon Valley. In-Q-It will supply venture capital, hire contractors or
partner with entrepreneurs in four areas: 1) integrating Internet technology
and applications into the CIA's work; 2) developing new security and privacy
technologies; 3) nurturing data mining technologies to take better advantage
of the agency's vast storehouses of records, and 4) modernizing the agency's
computer systems. John McMahon, former deputy director of the CIA and an
In-Q-It board member said, the agency "was always one step behind" and it
hopes this will "be an umbilical cord that [is] plugged in to the brightest
minds in the Valley."
[SOURCE: New York Times (A1), AUTHOR: John Markoff]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/biztech/articles/29cia.html)
See Also:
THE CIA AS VENTURE CAPITALIST
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: David Ignatius]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-09/29/051l-092999-idx.html
)

--------------------------------------------------------------

TELEPHONY
MCI, Sprint Could Pass Antitrust Test (WSJ)
Long-Distance Market Calls to Bell Atlantic (WP)
Forum On Advertising of Long Distance Services (FCC)

INTERNET
As America Online's No.2 Brand These Days, Compuserve Is
Being Rejuvenated (NYT)
Internet Governing Body Needs Limits, Consumer Advocate Says (NYT)
Web Snares More Employment Ads (WP)

BROADBAND
Phone Firms Give Video A Look (SJM)

EDTECH
Hearing: Schools and Libraries Internet Access Act (House)
Lucas Film Follows Teachers Who Are Light-Years Ahead (USA)
Patents: A Computer Tutor for Children Learning to Read (NYT)

RECENT SPEECHES
Speech: New Century, New Media, New Opportunities (NTIA)
Speech: Vision to Mission: A Blueprint for Architects of the Global
Information Infrastructure (FCC)

TELEPHONY

MCI, SPRINT COULD PASS ANTITRUST TEST
Issue: Mergers
A merger of the nation's second- and third-largest long-distance telephone
companies
might win approval if the companies agreed to sell certain assets, federal
officials say. MCI WorldCom Incorporated is considering a buyout of Sprint
Corporation. "Even
though the numbers might suggest this would make the market too
concentrated," the Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department
would take into account new entrants in the market and the imminent entry
of the Bell companies, said a senior regulator who would be directly
involved in reviewing the transaction. "These would all be in favor of
allowing a deal." According to 1998 FCC figures, counting by revenue and
including residential and business traffic, Sprint had 11% of the market,
MCI WorldCom had 26% and AT&T led with 43%. MCI WorldCom might not get Sprint's
Internet-services network. Previously, the Justice Department forced
WorldCom to sell MCI's Internet-service assets to resolve antitrust
concerns when it approved the WorldCom buyout of MCI in July 1998. A
Sprint-WorldCom union would enable the company to dominate much of the
traffic on the Internet's "backbones," including many of the interchange
points that route traffic to and from high-speed data highways. New
entrants to the market are building their own networks including Qwest
Communications International Incorporated, Level 3 Communications
Incorporated and Frontier Corporation (which is being acquired by Global
Crossing). The large Bell companies are expected to argue for approval
of their own efforts to get into long distance, if the Sprint WorldCom deal
were to be approved.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (A3), AUTHOR: John R. Wilke, Kathy Chen]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB938386410256181152.htm)
SEE ALSO:
TALK OF MCI WORLDCOM BID TO ACQUIRE RIVAL SPRINT CONNECTS ON WALL STREET
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B6), Author: Rebecca Blumenstein, Nicole Harris]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB938386755204299861.htm)

LONG-DISTANCE MARKET CALLS TO BELL ATLANTIC
Issue: Telephone Regulation
Bell Atlantic Corporation is expected this week to ask federal regulators
for the right to become the Baby Bell to secure approval to sell
long-distance service in its home-region. The Baby Bells, such as Bell
Atlantic, control the wires to homes and businesses and
were offered an incentive under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to loosen
their monopolistic grip and allow competition. If they could satisfy the
Federal Communications Commission's directive to open their local markets to
competition, they could claim the right to sell long-distance service.
Nationwide, long-distance service is worth about $95 billion/year, with the
New York market accounting for $8 billion. Bell Atlantic's competitors say
the company shouldn't be allowed into long-distance service, maintaining
that New York is still unfairly dominated by a single local player and in
need of competition. But even those competitors concede
that Bell Atlantic has done more than any other Baby Bell to open its local
franchise. BellSouth Corporation was already rebuffed by the Federal
Communications Commission in its attempt to provide long-distance in
Louisiana and South Carolina. SBC Communications Incorporated is pressing to
enter the Texas market, while Pacific Bell is seeking approval in
California. Bell Atlantic has filed to get into long-distance markets in
Massachusetts and has given notice of intent to do the same in Pennsylvania
and New Jersey.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (A1), AUTHOR: Peter S. Goodman]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/daily/sept99/bell27.htm)

FORUM ON ADVERTISING OF LONG DISTANCE SERVICES
Issue: Long Distance
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) announce that they will convene a joint public forum on November 4,
1999, to address the advertising and marketing of long distance services,
including dial-around services -- often called "10-10" numbers. The forum
will provide an opportunity for government, industry, and consumer groups to
discuss recent trends in how these long-distance services are advertised and
what principles should guide industry advertising. The FCC and the FTC have
determined that a joint public forum would be an appropriate way to give
interested individuals an opportunity to explore the issues raised by the
advertising and marketing of these services. For example, participants at
the forum will examine mock ads and discuss whether the ads fail to
adequately disclose the actual cost to consumers for using the services, or
only reveal in fine print important information about additional fees or
other charges.
The forum will convene at 8:30 a.m. on November 4th at FCC Headquarters at
445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC, in the Commission Meeting Room. The
morning session will focus on the current state of long-distance
advertising, including dial-around services, as well as applicable law. The
afternoon session will feature analysis, by panelists, of mock
advertisements for long-distance services and a discussion about what can be
done to ensure that ads for long-distance telephone service provide
consumers with truthful information on which to make informed purchasing
decisions.
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/News_Releases/1999/nrcc9070.html)
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Public_Notices/1999/da991972.html)

INTERNET

AS AMERICA ONLINE'S NO.2 BRAND THESE DAYS, COMPUSERVE IS BEING REJUVENATED
Issue: Online Services
Viacom operates MTV and VH1. Coke has Diet Coke and Tab. Can America Online
be successful operating Compuserve? AOL announced last week that Compuserve
added 300,000 subscribers in this past quarter; during that time, Compuserve
had started offering rebates to consumers who purchased certain brands of
computers and signed up for three years of Internet access at ~$22/month.
AOL executives believe that the Internet access market will fragment into
different consumer tiers -- budget of value tiers, premium tiers and various
other levels in between. AOL is considered the premium service, Compuserve
the value. America Online's reasoning differs from the conventional wisdom
about the market for Internet service providers. Until very recently, many
industry executives and analysts predicted that providing Internet access
service was a business that would go the way of utilities; as with
electricity, consumers would care little who provided access so long as the
electrons flowed.
[SOURCE: New York Times (C6), AUTHOR: Matt Richtel]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/biztech/articles/27serv.html)

INTERNET GOVERNING BODY NEEDS LIMITS, CONSUMER ADVOCATE SAYS
Issue: Internet
At a conference organized by Computer Professionals for Social
Responsibility and attended by many critics of the Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers, consumer advocate Ralph Nader offered a 13-point
proposal to limit and define ICANN's authority. "ICANN has procedural
problems," Nader said. "Lack of openness is one. Lack of accountability,
lack of membership at the moment, and an unelected board making policy
decisions... And what is at stake here is the principal democratic
communication technology for the next century. These are big stakes." Esther
Dyson, chairs of ICANN's interim board, defended ICANN and its process at
the conference, saying the organization has strict bylaws that prevent it
from moving beyond decisions affecting the Internet's "plumbing" and from
being taken over by special interests. Dyson said that with the exception of
the proposal for an international charter, ICANN's bylaws look a lot like
Nader's plan. "We are not trying to be something that can be used as an arm
of governments or big corporate interests," Dyson said. "The goal of this
organization is to keep itself very limited." Milton Mueller, associate
professor of information studies at Syracuse University , said ICANN was
formed largely to protect trademark interests before new domain name
suffixes are added to the global network. All of ICANN's actions to date
reflect that, he said. "It is controlled by a faction with a specific
agenda," he said. "All of this has nothing to do with the technical
coordination of the Internet."
[SOURCE: CyberTimes, AUTHOR: Jeri Clausing (jeri( at )nytimes.com)]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/cyber/articles/27icann.html)

WEB SNARES MORE EMPLOYMENT ADS
Issue: Old vs New Media
The volume of help-wanted ads in newspaper has abruptly stopped growing
nationwide, according to the Conference Board in New York. There are three
theories for why this happening: 1) employers are anticipating a slowdown
in the economy next year, 2) employers have cut back recruitment because
available workers are so scarce, and 3) corporate recruiters are switching
significant amounts of ads to proliferating Internet recruiting World
Wide Web sites. It is the last theory that poses a potential problem for
the nation's newspapers. While surveys show newspaper help-wanted ads are
still preferred over online sites by a majority of job seekers, the gap
between the two sources is expected to close in a couple of years, unless
the newspapers capture a portion of the Web activity with sites that can
make money. CareerPath, operated by about 85 newspapers, is among the
largest online job sites, drawing on online versions of the newspapers'
classified ads. Approximately 4.5 million resumes are posted on 300 Web
sites, a figure that is projected to leap to 11.4 million by the end of
2001, according to Computer Economics, a Carlsbad, CA, research firm.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (30) AUTHOR: Peter Behr]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-09/27/036l-092799-idx.html)

BROADBAND

PHONE FIRMS GIVE VIDEO A LOOK
Issue: Broadband
Recently, the promise of cable companies offering a host of communication
services, including Internet and telephone connections, via upgraded TV
cables into the home has created a great deal of excitement. A handful of
phone companies, on the other hand, are equally excited about the prospect
of using digital subscriber line (DSL) technology, which operates over
existing copper
wires, to offer customers dozens of high-quality TV channels, movies on
demand and Internet access via TV sets. DSL makes possible the ability to
store dozens of shows and to pause and rewind live broadcasts. U S West, the
largest U.S. phone company to offer TV over DSL commercially, is using an
ultra-fast version of digital subscriber lines to bring 170 channels of TV,
high-speed Internet access and other services to suburban Phoenix. The video
costs $32/month, while the Internet link is $35 to $50/month. The up-front
cost of upgrading networks with more fiber-optic lines has prevented U S
West from debuting the service in any new cities this year. "In the U.S.,
cable's basically won," said analyst Josh Bernoff of Forrester Research
said. "And the most serious challenges to it are satellite and cable
overbuilders...(who are) not building phone networks, they're building other
cable networks to compete with the cable operators."
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Jon Healey]
(http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/indepth/docs/telco092799.htm)

EDTECH

HEARING: SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES INTERNET ACCESS ACT
Issue: Erate
Thursday, September 30, 1999 at 10:00 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection hearing
on H.R. 1746, Schools and Libraries Internet Access Act. ** See summary below **
[SOURCE: House of Representatives]
(http://www.house.gov/commerce/)

LUCAS FILM FOLLOWS TEACHERS WHO ARE LIGHT-YEARS AHEAD
Issue: EdTech
In his latest production endeavor, George Lucas has taken a break from
light sabers and space ships to focus on classrooms and computers. _Learn
&live_ , a documentary airing on public television this fall, highlights
the practices of five schools innovatively using technology as a learning
tool. "Why not mobilize the best technology, architecture, glitz and
imagination and bring kids along?" asks Harvard University's Howard Gardner,
who provides commentary for the film. "That's the catalytic power in Lucas'
vision." The film was co-produced by the George Lucas Foundation -- a
non-profit that promotes innovative teaching techniques -- and DC-based
multi-media company State of the Art. "There's been enough education
bashing," said Milton Chen, the foundation's executive director. "We want
to highlight the success stories in schools and help others learn to teach
in the digital age."
[SOURCE: USA Today (10D), AUTHOR: Olivia Barker]
(http://usatoday.com/)

PATENTS: A COMPUTER TUTOR FOR CHILDREN LEARNING TO READ
Issue: EdTech
Prof Jack Mostow and Project Listen at Carnegie Mellon University have
developed computer software that speaks and listens to children and helps
them learn to read. Students, wearing headsets with microphones, read aloud
short stories as the computer flashes them, sentence by sentence, on its
screen. If the computer hears the child stumble over a word or mispronounce
it, the computer offers a clue, such as a rhyming word that has a similar
spelling. For example, if the word is "sight" the computer will say and
display words like "right" or "fight," but not dissimilar rhymes like
"height" or "kite." "This project is feasible because the computer knows
what the child is attempting to read," Prof Mostow said. "That's why it's
much easier than taking voice dictation in that sense. It's harder in the
sense that there are an infinite number of ways to misread a word." For more
information, see (www.cs.cmu.edu/~listen).
[SOURCE: New York Times (C8), AUTHOR: Teresa Riordan]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/biztech/articles/27pate.html)

RECENT SPEECHES

SPEECH: NEW CENTURY, NEW MEDIA, NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Issue: Digital Divide
Remarks by Larry Irving at the Congressional Black Caucus Science and
Technology Braintrust, Washington, D.C., September 17, 1999. "Our economic
growth has been spurred by the stunning development of the high-tech sector
and Internet commerce, which have created tremendous new opportunities and
new jobs. These opportunities promise only to grow in the next century. Our
goal now, as Federal officials, legislators, and community activists, is to
ensure that these opportunities and jobs are available to people of all
races, all ages, and all areas, so that our "new economy" is truly an
inclusive economy. And the CBC has been, and can continue to be, at the
forefront of those efforts." Asst Sec Irving speaks to The Growth of New
Media, The Implications of the Technology Gap, and Opening Opportunities to
All Americans. He concludes: "The next century promises a digital economy
that is profitable and dynamic. And it is worth all our efforts to ensure
that every American can participate in the digital world. Author William
Gibson has been quoted as saying that "the future has arrived; it's just not
evenly distributed." As we move into the digital world, we cannot afford to
let technological literacy become unevenly distributed. We cannot afford to
become a nation divided between "information haves" and "information have
nots." CBC is one of the alliances that can prevent that result, and I look
forward to working with you in that campaign."
[SOURCE: NTIA]
(http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/speeches/cbc9171999.htm)

SPEECH: VISION TO MISSION: A BLUEPRINT FOR ARCHITECTS OF THE GLOBAL
INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE
Issue: International
September 23rd Remarks of Chairman Kennard Before the World Economic
Development Congress. "If we are going to be serious about implementing
global [communications] infrastructures, we must think of them as global
from the start. We must envision them as global. We must build them as
global. We must operate them as global. We must create a structure to train
independent regulators in the world's developing nations. We must provide
others with institutional support. I see the need nearly every workday...
Each year, more than 200 delegations from around the world visit the
FCC for guidance in managing technology's gifts. It is time for the world to
step up to this challenge... before the digital divide grows even wider."
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Kennard/spwek932.html)

--------------------------------------------------------------

EDUCATION
Girls Soak Up Technology in Schools of Their Own (NYT)

INTERNET
Free Web Services Challenge AOL's Dominance (WSJ)
FTC Warns of Online Porn Scams (WP)

INTERNET TELEPHONY
Visitalk.com Builds White Pages for Web Phone Calls (WSJ)

EMPLOYMENT
Tech-Worker Shortage Is Probed At Hearings (SJM)

EDUCATION

GIRLS SOAK UP TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS OF THEIR OWN
Issue: Education
The Julia Morgan School and the Girls' Middle School, two girls-only
schools, have opened recently in the San Francisco Bay Area, include
engineering, science, computers and math at the center of their curriculums.
These schools are appearing at a time when applications to girls' schools
are on the rise. These all-girl math and science oriented schools hope to
disprove the notion that women do not belong in technical fields. The new
focus on science and technology at girls' schools comes at a time when high
school girls are said to be catching up to boys in math and science.
However, in 1998 girls made up only 17% of the high school students who took
the advanced placement exam in computer science. Kathleen Bennett, a
54-year-old former teacher and Silicon Valley technical writer, wrote the
business plan for the Girls' Middle School. She drew heavily on research
showing that by sixth grade, as puberty sets in, girls begin to lose the
self-confidence that once helped them excel in math and science. In a
single-sex environment, Ms. Bennett and other proponents of single-sex
education say, girls receive encouragement for what they do rather than for
how they look. Parents seem to agree. Since 1991, after two decades of
decline, the average number of applications to girls' schools each year has
been 32% higher.
[SOURCE: New York Times (E7), AUTHOR: Katie Hafner]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/circuits/articles/23girl.html)

INTERNET

FREE WEB SERVICES CHALLENGE AOL'S DOMINANCE
Issue: Internet
AOL's President and Chief Operating Officer, Bob Pittman, said if AOL did
not charge its fees for its Internet service, it would lose money. Such
fees made up about 70% of AOL's revenue in its last fiscal year. Investors
are concerned because AOL shares have tumbled nearly 50% since April, in
part because of anxiety regarding free and cut-rate Internet services
emerging. The largest free ISP, NetZero, has more than 1.7 million
registered users and Freei Networks, as well as others, have begun offering
no-cost access as well. AOL executives and analysts say for the near future
they do not have much to worry about ,as the business model for free ISPs is
questionable because the free ISPs face heavier costs and have no monthly
subscription revenue to cover those costs. But free ISPs say that by
carefully controlling communications costs they will be able to serve
customers at less expense than AOL. Free ISPs also believe they can generate
higher ad revenue than AOL, saying that their users are generally willing to
accept more on-screen ads since they are getting their service without cost.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, (B8), AUTHOR: Nick Wingfield]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB936755551505708177.htm)

FTC WARNS OF ONLINE PORN SCAMS
Issue: Content/Internet
The Federal Trade Commission is on the trail of Web "page jackers," scammers
who trick users into visiting Web sites filled with pornography. Web
scammers in Australia and Portugal copied about 25 million existing
non-pornographic Web pages and inserted fraudulent "meta tags"--hidden
descriptions of the Web page used by search engines to direct Internet users
to those pages. Once visitors found themselves at a pornographic site they
were then "mouse-trapped," or unable to exit from the page. Typing in the
address of a new page, hitting the back button or closing the browser screen
resulted in a series of new browser windows displaying the pornographic site
opening. The scam was intended to inflate the number of visitors accessing
the pornographic site. Commonly, the number of visitors to a Web site is
used in determining advertising prices. The FTC got a preliminary injunction
against the perpetrators of the scam citing the practices as fraudulent and
unfair to consumers. The FTC was able to convince the Australian authorities
to raid the offices of WTFRC PTY Ltd., the Australia base of the scheme. The
FTC is also working with Portuguese authorities. The commission also got
Network Solutions, the company that manages the master directory of Internet
sites, to withdraw the five Web addresses used in the fraud.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (B1), AUTHOR: John Schwartz]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/daily/sept99/ftc23.htm)
SEE ALSO:
FTC CRACKS DOWN ON THREE WEB PORNOGRAPHERS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B12), AUTHOR: John Simons]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB938042472464554993.htm)
Net Sites Co-Opted by Pornographers
[SOURCE: New York Times (A1), AUTHOR: Stephen Labaton]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/biztech/articles/23fraud.html)

INTERNET TELEPHONY

VISITALK.COM BUILDS WHITE PAGES FOR WEB PHONE CALLS
Issue: Internet Telephony
Officials at Visitalk.com think they have a solution to one of the biggest
factors holding back the routing of phone calls over the Internet. Even
though it seems pretty basic, assigning a recognizable "phone number"
to a computer -so that users at one machine can call users at other machines
has proved difficult thus far. With computers, getting from
one network to another isn't as easy because networks have
different kinds of addresses, which resemble a long line of
jumbled secret code and often are changed for security purposes. Visitalk.com
will introduce a technology that sorts through all of that and lets users
call one another wherever they are. The technology is called a permanent
Personal Communications Number that will become part of a global directory
for anyone who requests it and the company believes that directory will
become the equivalent of the White Pages for the Internet. The numbers will
be 12-digits number and observers believe the plan holds real promise in
helping
to convert computers into communications devices that can easily handle
phone calls, instant voice mail and messaging, video streaming and text.
"Our directory captures your current IP address, and it updates the
directory. Your number that we give you is universally portable," says
Michael O'Donnell, the company's president. The directory basically
functions as a virtual switchboard that can route free voice calls and video
over the Internet. Next week the company plans to introduce instant voice
messaging, a technology complete with "buddy lists" that company officials
say could rival online instant text messaging. "We think that what people are
doing on the Internet now is not chatting. It's typing," says Mr. Thimmesch.
"We hope to change that."
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, (B10), AUTHOR: Rebecca Blumenstein]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB936721069421101868.htm)

EMPLOYMENT

TECH-WORKER SHORTAGE IS PROBED AT HEARINGS
Issue: Employment
Three days of hearings has lead many members of the National Research
Council's Committee on Workforce Issues in Information Technology to think
that High-tech companies have become so creative in finding ways to fill
highly technical jobs there is no need for government intervention. The
15-member committee is charged with ascertaining whether there's a
high-tech labor shortage and if government policies, such as the H-1B visas
for highly skilled foreign workers, are necessary. "There's no evidence in
the data to think there's a shortage," said Eileen Appelbaum, a committee
member and research director at the Economic Policy Institute. "There's
reason to think that supply is responsive to the demand because companies
are being more creative and flexible in finding and keeping workers." Many
panelists presented views very different from Appelbaum. Representatives
from Silicon Valley companies attempted to impress upon the panel the
severity of the situation and the need to approve more H-1B visas. All
seemed to agree the importance of a good educational system that would
funnel well-educated graduates into the workforce. "There is a huge concern
about the digital divide at the level of K-12 education," said Cecilia
Conrad, a professor of economics at Pomona College in Southern California
and panelist member. "We have to get kids interested and prepared to pursue
high tech jobs. This is the long-term solution."
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: K. Oanh Ha]
(http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/indepth/docs/visas092399.htm)

--------------------------------------------------------------

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Issue of Web Copyright Hotly Debated (SJM)

MERGERS
Bell Atlantic-Vodafone Pact (CNN)
VoiceStream Confirms Deal To Buy Aerial (WSJ)

E-COMMERCE
U.S. Commerce Dept to Collect Data on Online Sales (NYT)

WIRELESS
Users of Wireless Phones Find Unexpected Benefits (NYT)

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

ISSUE OF WEB HOTLY DEBATED
Issue: Intellectual Property
Congress has much on its table with respect to copyright and the Internet.
The issue extends far beyond the scientific community, affecting millions of
stockbrokers, librarians, real estate agents and publishers -- anyone who
makes a living collecting information. Today, such compilations or databases
go largely unprotected by copyright laws that safeguard the interests of the
authors and publishers of creative works. The database owners fear they will
lose profits if outsiders can freely copy their information as it costs them
tremendous amounts of money to collect and enter such data. On the other
hand, companies such as Yahoo! fear they could be run into the ground if
they can't easily trade works. The debate is essentially between people who
collect raw data and people who distribute it. Real estate agents, for
example, gather information about which apartments are available. Their
concern is that an online publisher could see their listings in the window
of an agency, copy them, and put them up on a Web site -- all perfectly
legal under current federal law. Lexis keeps vast collections of court
decisions. They might be faced with a competing on-line publisher who
decides to use Lexis data to launch a Website of all court decisions from
Massachusetts -- also perfectly legal under copyright law. "Why would anyone
spend $2 million to create a database if it's not going to be protected?''
said David Mirchin, of SilverPlatter Information, a database publisher in
Norton, Massachusetts. Companies such as AT&T and universities such as
Brandeis in Massachusetts want legislation that would not restrict people
from copying databases unless they plan to use the information in a directly
competitive way. Behind the push for stricter copyright regulations are Reed
Elsevier, owner of Lexis-Nexis and of Cahners Publishing of Newton,
Massachusetts, the American Medical Association and the National Association
of Realtors.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury, AUTHOR: Boston Globe]
(http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/breaking/merc/docs/075686.htm)

MERGERS

BELL ATLANTIC-VODAFONE PACT
Issue: Merger/Deal
Today, Bell Atlantic and Britain's Vodafone AirTouch agreed to form a new
wireless telephone operation in the U.S. Under the terms of the venture,
which will have a market value of more than $70 billion, Bell Atlantic will
own 55% of the new company and Vodafone will own 45%. The companies said the
new operation would serve about 20 million wireless customers and 3.5
million paging customers throughout the U.S. Bell Atlantic will manage the
new venture.
[SOURCE: CNN, AUTHOR: CNNfn]
(http://www.cnnfn.com/1999/09/21/deals/vodafone/)

VOICESTREAM CONFIRMS DEAL TO BUY AERIAL; AT&T, SPRINT TO GET COMPETITION
Issue: Wireless
VoiceStream Wireless plans to acquire Aerial Communications, a
cellular-phone company, in its attempts to compete with wireless providers
AT&T and Sprint. The sale could cost as much as $3.27 billion. VoiceStream
is on a merger run, announcing 3 months ago it will acquire Omnipoint. All
three cell-phone providers VoiceStream, Aerial and Omnipoint use a digital
technology called GSM, or global system for mobile communications.
VoiceStream, Aerial and Omnipoint jointly serve 1.5 million customers.
Comparatively, AT&T's wireless unit has 11.5 million customers and Sprint's
wireless unit has more than four million customers. VoiceStream appears to
be building a wireless empire that could provide service between New York,
Hawaii, Minneapolis and Houston. The newly merged VoiceStream will have
licenses to operate cell-phone service in 22 of the nation's 25 largest
markets. Some Wall Street investors believe VoiceStream's mergers signal a
move towards consolidation of GSM operators in the U.S. While GSM is the
standard for digital-wireless service in Europe, the platform has not seen
widespread use in the U.S. However, the deal fueled speculation that
VoiceStream would move to acquire Powertel, the last remaining US
independent GSM operator.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B6), AUTHOR: Nicole Harris & Nikhil Deogun]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB937834955210032356.htm)

E-COMMERCE

U.S. COMMERCE DEPT TO COLLECT DATA ON ONLINE SALES
Issue: E-Commerce
Next month, the U.S. Commerce Department will begin to track Internet
retailing as part of its monthly retail sales survey. When conducting its
retail sales surveys for October, November and December, the department will
now ask companies what portion of their sales took place online -- a
question that never before was part of the survey. "This is a fast-moving,
important development," said Lee Price, Commerce Department's chief
economist. "We are committed to getting out there and starting to ask
questions."
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/biztech/articles/21commerce-dept.
html)

WIRELESS

USERS OF WIRELESS PHONES FIND UNEXPECTED BENEFITS
Issue: Wireless
As the cost of wireless service has plummeted in the last year, cell phone
users are experiencing an unexpected benefit in addition to the convenience
of mobility. Wireless subscribers in the New York metropolitan region and
other localities have discovered that their cell phones offer a low-cost way
of making regional or long-distance toll charges that can be very expensive
on a wired phone. A wireless home calling area -- which in metropolitan New
York generally encompasses most of New Jersey, southern New York State,
including Long Island and Fairfield County in Connecticut -- is far larger
than the local calling area for traditional phone service. "This is an
inherent advantage of wireless carriers," said Mark Lowenstein, senior vice
president for global wireless research at the Yankee Group, "that they're
able to exploit more and more because they have these larger calling areas."
[SOURCE: New York Times (A27), AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/national/regional/ny-wireless-phones.
html)

--------------------------------------------------------------