FCC
Lawmakers Urge Stronger Telecom Act Enforcement From FCC (WP)
FCC Approves Reorganization Portion Of Reform Effort (FCC)
INTERNATIONAL
=A31m Fund to Attract Women to Tech (BBC)
ANTITRUST
Plan to Split Up Antitrust Oversight Stalls(NYT)
FCC
LAWMAKERS URGE STRONGER TELECOM ACT ENFORCEMENT FROM FCC
Issue: FCC
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Thursday sent a letter to Federal
Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell urging him to adopt =
strict
standards governing Baby Bell phone companies make their networks =
available
to competitors. Under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 local Bell
companies must provide their competitors with access to the unbundled
network elements (copper loops etc.) necessary to offer =
telecommunications
services in Bell-controlled regions. "Congress enacted the 1996 Act in =
order
to bring innovative voice and data services to all Americans from a
multitude of service providers at reasonable prices," the lawmakers =
wrote.
"Without better enforcement of the Act, we may soon regress to the days =
of
monopoly telecommunications."=20
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: David McGuire (Newsbytes.com)]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/14741-1.html)
FCC APPROVES REORGANIZATION PORTION OF REFORM EFFORT
Issue: FCC
As part of a plan to reform the agency, the FCC yesterday formally =
approved
the creation of new bureaus and reorganization of others. A Media =
Bureau,
which will be comprised of staff and functions from the current Mass =
Media
Bureau and Cable Services Bureau, was established. A Wireline =
Competition
Bureau will be responsible for the policy programs of communications =
common
carriers and ancillary operations (other than wireless =
telecommunications
services). Also established, was a Consumer and Governmental Affairs =
Bureau,
which will be responsible for the consumer and governmental affairs =
policies
to enhance the public's understanding of the Commission's work and to
facilitate the FCC's relationships with other governmental agencies
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Miscellaneous/News_Releases/2002/nrmc0202.ht=
ml)
INTERNATIONAL
=A31M FUND TO ATTRACT WOMEN TO TECH
Issue: International
A =A31 million fund has been established in the UK to help bring more =
women
into the technology and telecommunications industry. Secretary of =
State for
Trade and Industry Patricia Hewitt, announced the fund at a Women in IT
conference in London this week. The fund will be available to any =
technology
or telecoms company to help make working hours more flexible for women
returning to work after having a family. "It is a high priority to get =
more
women to take up IT careers. It is an issue for the wider economy. When
[tech] firms are forced to recruit from half the talent pool it is not
surprising that there are skills shortages," said Hewitt. The =
conference on
Wednesday also looked at why younger girls avoid the subject in the =
first
place. To this end, a scheme to run computer clubs for girls has been =
set up
by the e-skills NTO (National Training Organisation) - a not-for-profit =
firm
that works with business, government and educators to ensure the UK =
stays
competitive. The club-in-a-box - which has been designed with the help =
of
teenage girls - will be distributed to schools across the UK and has =
been
devised to be girl-friendly by delivering key computer skills in a way
teenage girls can relate to.=20
[SOURCE: BBC]
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1765000/1765709.stm)
ANTITRUST
PLAN TO SPLIT UP ANTITRUST OVERSIGHT STALLS
Issue: Antitrust
A plan by the Bush administration to overhaul antitrust reviews and =
give the
Justice Department responsibility for oversight of all mergers =
involving
communications, entertainment and software companies was at least
temporarily scuttled today after protests from Capitol Hill. The plan, =
which
would end the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust oversight of those
industries and give it responsibility for others, was supposed to be
announced at a news conference today. But the news conference was first
postponed and then canceled without explanation. News reports outlining =
the
plan this week drew complaints from Senator Ernest F. Hollings, the =
South
Carolina Democrat who is the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. =
He
said through a spokesman that he had "very substantial concerns" about
shifting any antitrust oversight from the trade agency - which does not
answer directly to the White House - to political appointees at the =
Justice
Department. Consumer and free-speech groups warned that the plan =
appeared to
be an attempt by the administration to fulfill its goal of relaxing
media-ownership rules and making it easier for media and communications
companies to merge.=20
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Philip Shenon]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/18/business/18MERG.html)
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