Internet
NYT: A Novel Argument for Library Net Censorship
NYT: Mail-Order Group Agrees to Collect State Sales Taxes
TelecomAM: "Wired" Females Will Drive The Future of E-Commerce
WSJ: Finding What You Want On the Web May Get Easier
WSJ: Microsoft, Time Warner and US West Discuss High-Speed Internet
Service
NYT: Sun's Chief, Defending Java, Calls for E-Mail Campaign Against
Gates
Television
TelecomAM: Digital TV: The Barriers are Coming Down
TelecomAM: Web TV: A Marriage Full of Promise
WP: Live, It's the Bureaucracy!
Satellite
TelecomAM: Satellite Broadcasting: Digital Radio Will Be Beamed to Billions
Philanthropy
NYT: The Smithsonian Receives a Gift of $20 Million
Arts
WP: Key Theatric Locking Up At Year's End
FCC
FCC: Harold Furchtgott-Roth names personal staff
** Internet **
Title: A Novel Argument for Library Net Censorship
Source: New York Times (CyberTimes)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/law/110697law.html
Author: Carl Kaplan
Issue: Libraries/First Amendment
Description: Scenario: a librarian looks over the shoulder of a patron who
is at a computer terminal surfing the Net. The screen displays sexually
themed images, including nudes. The librarian is offended by what he sees.
Has the library broken federal law by subjecting the librarian to sexual
harassment in the workplace? This cutting-edge legal question is at the
heart of the most restrictive library filtering policies adopted by the
library trustees of Loudon County, Virginia. The policy mandates Internet
terminals to filter out obscenity, child pornography, and "material deemed
harmful to juveniles." "The First Amendment does not protect sex
discrimination in the workplace," said Richard H. Black, a library trustee
and lawyer who formulated the Loudoun County filtering policy in
consultation with The National Law Center for Children and Families, an
anti-pornography legal organization based in Fairfax, Va. He adds that
"there is a considerable body of case law" suggesting that a workplace with
pervasive, sexually degrading images amounts to sexual harassment of
employees and can create a hostile work environment, in violation of Title
VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The ACLU's Ann Beeson describes Mr.
Black's argument as "a fascinating attempt to expand sexual harassment law,
but it's a total loser." For more info see American Library Association
resolution against library filtering of protected speech
http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oif/filt_res.html. [For more on libraries in the
digital age see Local Places, Global Connections: Libraries in the Digital
Age http://www.benton.org/Library/Libraries/ and Buildings, books, and
bytes: Libraries and communities in the digital age
http://www.benton.org/Library/Kellogg/buildings.html]
Title: Mail-Order Group Agrees to Collect State Sales Taxes
Source: New York Times (A1)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/sales-taxes.html
Author: David Cay Johnston
Issue: Electronic Commerce
Description: A trade group for the mail-order industry and officials from
the biggest states have negotiated a deal under which merchants will begin
collecting sales taxes on mail-orders within the next year. Legally, these
transactions have always been subject to taxes, but tax collectors have had
no way to compel out-of-state merchants to collect the tax on their behalf.
The agreement is made possible by new software that allows the merchants to
calculate the hundreds of different sales taxes imposed by states, cities,
and special districts. State and local governments had complained about
losing revenue from the $215 billion of annual mail-order sales -- and the
growth of sales over the Internet added a new threat to their tax base.
Title: "Wired" Females Will Drive The Future of E-Commerce
Source: Telecom A.M.---Nov. 6, 1997
http://capitol( at )cappubs.com
Issue: Electronic Commerce
Description: Bernadette Tracy, president of NetSmart, unveiled the
results of their report entitled "What Makes Women Click?"---the first
marketing report focusing on the "wired' female market. The study concluded
that women are set to drive the future success of electronic commerce.
Tracy's research revealed that 60% of Internet users will be female by 1998
and 70% of women are paying all monthly bills for their household. Tracy
said, "Women are the future of electronic commerce and to reach them,
businesses need to understand how to build relationships with them.
Relationships are key to capturing women's online spending."
Title: Finding What You Want On the Web May Get Easier
Source: Wall Street Journal (B6)
http://www.wsj.com
Author: Rebecca Quick
Issue: Internet: General Info
Description: There are two new types of Web 'filters' that could help you
narrow searches: the "profile" systems that include search engines and
personalized "channel" services, and the "recommender", where someone else
does the sifting for you. The greatest fault of the former and latter are
the reams of information that is found and a difficulty in staying up to
date on new info, respectively. Other systems are refined recommender
systems like "GroupLens", a project out of the Univ. of Minn. that uses a
specially designed browser that creates a profile of your interests after
continuous use, and suggests postings for you to read based on your
preferences. This technology is still being developed, especially for
broader applications, and the even tougher task in finding "matches" for
subjective interests, like humor.
Title: Microsoft, Time Warner and US West Discuss High-Speed Internet Service
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://www.wsj.com
Author: David Bank
Issue: Cable: Internet Access
Description: Microsoft is in talks with Time Warner and US West to create
a high-speed Internet access service that could deliver World Wide Web
pages, e-mail and other 'Net features at far higher speeds over standard
phone lines. These talks are part of the high stakes dance among major
players in the cable and computer industries as cable makes the transition
to digital transmission. Microsoft has also invested $1 billion in Comcast
Corp. to help roll out cable modems, and has had similar talks with TCI.
Title: Sun's Chief, Defending Java, Calls for E-Mail Campaign Against Gates
Source: New York Times (CyberTimes)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/110697java.html
Author: Bruno Giussani
Issue: Microsoft
Description: Speaking to 3,000 information technology managers, software
developers and vendors, and trade press, Sun Microsystems' chief executive
Scott McNealy asked people to flood Microsoft's Bill Gates' e-mail box with
protest messages. "Flood his mailbox -- say that you want 100 percent pure
Java," McNealy said, spelling out his rival's e-mail address at Microsoft.
He also urged software designers to stop using Microsoft development tools.
Sun contends that Microsoft is trying to poison Java technology by releasing
its own version of the software.
** Television **
Title: Digital TV: The Barriers are Coming Down
Source: Telecom AM
http://capitol.cappubs.com/am/
Issue: Digital TV
Description: A look at the rise and potential of digital television around
the world. "Existing industry structures will be torn apart and new entrants
will start up, resulting in additional complexity in the market," predicts a
report on digital broadcasting from the U.K.-based consultant, Ovum. Digital
television will allow a convergence of the PC and TV and allow Internet
access providers to bypass bottlenecks and deliver higher-bandwidth to
customers.
Title: Web TV: A Marriage Full of Promise
Source: Telecom AM
http://capitol.cappubs.com/am/
Issue: Convergence/Digital TV
Description: "The marriage of computers and telecommunications through the
Internet is now well advanced and attention is shifting to a different kind
of convergence: the Internet and broadcast media," the article begins.
Earlier this year Microsoft and Sun made major acquisitions and investments
beyond their traditional territories: Microsoft brought WebTV and invested a
billion in Comcast; Sun purchased Diba, another Web television company. Both
are vying to become the dominate player in the promise and the potential of
the union of broadcast TV and the Internet. Analysts believe that almost
everyone who has a television today will, in a few years, view the Internet
through a TV.
Title: Live, It's the Bureaucracy!
Source: Washington Post (D1)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-11/06/1661-110697-idx.html
Author: Mike Mills
Issue: Television
Description: The "Information Superstation", on channel 28, is a new TV
channel that will broadcast unfiltered, unedited coverage of the White House
and federal agencies all over the Washington area. It's licensed for
low-powered transmission, so it will be limited the area within and around
the Beltway. Station spokeswoman, Susan Lindauer, said, "There are
approximately 38,000 top executives in the federal government that we will
be reaching, and, there are over 2,200 associations and nonprofit groups in
town. These will be a powerful audience for us in the beginning." Dennis
Dunbar, the station's owner, is hoping to finance the station through
advertisers that will be drawn to the station as an inexpensive way to reach
policy makers. So far, Channel 28 has received support from the White House
and a number of federal agencies, according to Lindauer.
** Satellite **
Title: Satellite Broadcasting: Digital Radio Will Be Beamed to Billions
Source: Telecom AM
http://capitol.cappubs.com/am/
Issue: Satellite
Description: A US company called Worldspace is organizing a new satellite
digital radio system that will serve developing nations in Africa, the
Middle East, southern Asia and central and South America. The first
generation of portable digital radios will cost ~$200, but it is hoped that
the price will drop quickly to ~$50. By June 1999, about 4.6 billion people
worldwide could have access to this radio programming. The system could
enable developing countries to overcome the dearth of information caused by
weak telecommunications infrastructure.
** Philanthropy **
Title: The Smithsonian Receives a Gift of $20 Million
Source: New York Times (A23)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/national/smithsonian-gift.html
Author: Jerry Gray
Issue: Philanthropy
Description: California real estate developer and former owner of the NFL's
Seattle Seahawks Kenneth Behring said last night that he will donate $20
million to the Smithsonian Museum, the largest grant in the 151-year history
of the national museum system. "There are no strings attached to my offer,
except that the money be used for education," Mr. Behring said. At an
official announcement planned for today, the Smithsonian will reveal plans
to direct the money to the National Museum of Natural History.
** Arts **
Title: Key Theatre Locking Up At Year's End
Source: Washington Post (C1)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1997-11/06/2181-110697-idx.html
Author: Chip Crews
Issue: Arts & Humanities
Description: The Key Theatre, a Georgetown independent movie house, will
close at the end of the year due to financial pressures from advertising
rates to new methods of movie distribution. David Levy, owner of the movie
house, said in a statement, "Unfortunately, the enormous changes in the
movie business in the last few years have left no room for the independent
theater." Levy also cited the editors of the Post, saying, "Honestly, the
editors of the Washington Post don't have a lot of interest in the stuff we
show. You have to fight to get covered." When the Biograph Theatre closed in
the summer of '96, the Key's 4 screens became the city's primary commercial
outlet for small independent and foreign language films.
** FCC **
Title: Harold Furchtgott-Roth Sworn names personal staff
Source: FCC
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Miscellaneous/News_Releases/1997/nrmc7082.html
Issue: FCC
Description: Steve Kaminer has been named Interim Senior Legal Advisor.
Steve has most recently served as Legal Advisor to the Chief of the Office
of Engineering and Technology. Prior thereto, among many other jobs, he was
Legal Advisor to Commissioners Sherrie Marshall and Mimi Dawson. Katie King
has been named Interim Legal Advisor. Katie most recently has served as an
Attorney Advisor in the Universal Service Branch of the Common Carrier
Bureau. Previously, Katie served as communications counsel to the Senate
Commerce Committee when Congress considered and passed the
Telecommunications Act of 1996. Ginger Clark has been named Confidential
Assistant. Ginger served most recently as Commissioner James Quello's
Confidential Assistant. Prior to that, she worked for the Mass Media Bureau,
the Common Carrier Bureau and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. Dolly
Johnson has been named Staff Assistant. She most recently has served as
Administrative Staff Assistant in the Office of Communications Business
Opportunities. Prior to that, she was a Staff Assistant with Chairman Alfred
Sikes and also served Commissioner Patricia Diaz Dennis as a Staff Assistant.
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