Communications-related Headlines for 2/10/97

Communications-related Headlines for 2/10/97 (too long for words)

Service note:
Over the past couple of weeks, many subscribers have contacted us with
problems receiving Headlines. Team CPP has recently hired a number of
underemployed elves -- looking for post holiday work -- who are busy fixing
these problems and punishing the guilty. We hope to have our act together
soon. Thanks for your patience. [from does not equal twenty]

The puzzle of making the Internet into a competitive broadcast medium

Internet Venture Breaks the TV Mold

Intelligent Software Finding Niche

Instead of Flood of Competition, the Communications Act Brought a Trickle

About 700 On-Line Newspapers, but Only One Charges for Everything

A Wider Public for Noncommercial Radio

In the FCC.-required children's education programs, everything
old is new again

IRS Planning More Audits of Nonprofits

Ameritech Is Dealt a Setback by FCC In Its Filing for Long-Distance Service

Time Warner-Turner Deal Gets Final FTC Approval

State of the Union? Simpson-Obsessed

White House calls for "expediting" digital licenses

Clinton's Budget: $47B from spectrum

Hundt differs with Quello, Chong on ratings hearing

Campaign reform needs constitutional fix, senators say

Battle looms over leased-access

New FCC Cable Leased-access rules

THE 1996 TELECOM ACT -- ONE YEAR LATER
*********************************************
From=20New York Times (D5) (http://www.nytimes.com/)
Title: The puzzle of making the Internet into a competitive broadcast medi=
um
Author: Denise Caruso
Issue: Internet sales/services
Description: Even though there is not much demand for it, it can't yet be
done very smoothly, and it demands all of a user's attention, companies are
still promoting and designing streaming video products. Several
broadcasting corporations are supporting video on the Web in hopes of
developing the Web's capacity as a mass medium.

From=20the New York Times (D5) (http://www.nytimes.com/)
Title: Internet Venture Breaks the TV Mold
Author: Steve Lohr
Issue: Internet Sales/Services
Description: The Mining Company, a start up business in New York, is
breaking the trend of offering a few big "channels" of information, a style
promoted by many of the large online service providers. The Mining
Company wants to use the Web's wealth of special interest information to
get users. It plans to offer users 500 sites to choose from, from
basketball to soap opera details. The company is hiring part-time site
leaders who would act as a human databases and offer online tips for where
to get the most reliable, interesting information on their topic.

From=20the New York Times (D5)(http://www.nytimes.com/)
Title: Intelligent Software Finding Niche
Author: John Markoff
Issue: Info/tech
Description: Research in artificial intelligence and smart software is
being done more by commercial and entertainment enterprises than by
traditional research organizations.

From=20the New York Times (D7)(http://www.nytimes.com/)
Title: Instead of Flood of Competition, the Communications Act Brought a
Trickle
Author: Mark Landler
Issue: Telecommunications Act of 1996
Description: The Telecommunications Act promised competition, but
delivered only millions of articles about how there is no competition.
Industry experts have stated that the bill was based on a faulty idea: "It
assumed that the cable industry was ready and willing to become a
full-fledged competitor to the telephone industry nationwide. Cable was to
be the blunt instrument that broke open the 80-year-old telephone monopoly.=
"
But Cable decided not to do that, and long-distance companies are having
difficulty leasing local lines to provide local service.

From=20the New York Times (D8)(http://www.nytimes.com/)
Title: About 700 On-Line Newspapers, but Only One Charges for Everything
Author: Iver Peterson
Issue: Internet Sales/Servce/Journalism
Description: The Wall Street Journal is the only online paper that charges
subscription fees to access its site. So far, the online version has
70,000 subscribers, and other newspapers are watching carefully. Users
say that they are willing to pay for the specialized information found in
the Journal. Advertisers are trying to decide if they want to reach a
small group of paid subscribers or lots of freeloaders.

From=20the New York Times (D8)(http://www.nytimes.com/)
Title: A Wider Public for Noncommercial Radio
Author: Andrea Adelson
Issue: Radio
Description: In response to shrinking Federal funds and a not-so-friendly
Republican congress, the Public Broadcasting System has upped the
requirements radio stations must meet to receive funding. These criteria
include a minimum audience size and evidence of local financial support.
In Los Angeles, three of the public radio stations were told that they had
not so far met these requirements, and each station is using different
techniques to gain listeners. Some radio supporters feel that the new
requirements will force radio stations to abandon innovative programming.
Others feel that the requirements make radio stations get their acts
together.

From=20the New York Times (D8)(http://www.nytimes.com/)
Title: In the FCC.-required children's education programs, everything
old is new again
Author: Lawrie Mifflin
Issue: Children's Television
Description: When the FCC decided to require broadcasters to show three
hours of educational kids' tv a week, Chairman Hundt was hoping for a world
where "the creative community can invent a whole new art form: the art of
teaching children with television." As broadcasters present their
children's lineup for 1997, however, the main art form on display is
reruns. Most broadcasters are sticking with old shows and reruns of old
shows. CBS, who has nothing to lose since their kids' shows aren't ranked
very high, is designing some new programs.

From=20the Wall Street Journal (A3) (http://www.wsj.com/)
Title: IRS Planning More Audits of Nonprofits
Author: Elizabeth MacDonald
Issue: Nonprofits
Description: The WSJ got ahold of an IRS plan which stated that the agency
will increase the number of audits on nonprofits, and that an audit could
be triggered by a group's high media profile. The IRS is interested in
those groups it suspects could be guilty of support or opposition to a
candidate running for office. The far right is unhappy because it feels
as though the IRS is investigating primarily conservative groups,
particularly conservative religious groups.

From=20the Wall Street Journal (B6) (http://www.wsj.com/)
Title: Ameritech Is Dealt a Setback by FCC In Its Filing for Long-Distance
Service
Author: Leslie Cauley and Bryan Gruley
Issue: Telephone Regulation
Description: The FCC has rejected a section of Ameritech's filing to provi=
de
in-region long-distance service -- almost guaranteeing that the company
will have to withdraw its application. The Justice Dept has asked the FCC
to reject the application, and the FCC must weigh carefully the Justice
Dept's advice.
In its application Ameritech stated that it had reached agreements allowing
AT&T access to Ameritech's local network. In reality, however, no such
state-approved pact had been reached.

From=20the Wall Street Journal (B8)(http://www.wsj.com/)
Title: Time Warner-Turner Deal Gets Final FTC Approval
Author: WSJ staff reporter
Issue: Media Mergers
Description: The FTC approved the $7.5 billion acquisition of Turner
Broadcasting System by Time-Warner. To avoid anti-trust violations, the
new megacompany will open many of its cable systems to a second news
channel to create competition for CNN.

From=20the Washington Post (D1)(http://www.washingtonpost.com/)
Title: State of the Union? Simpson-Obsessed
Author: Howard Kurtz
Issue: Journalism
Description: State of the media: OJ vs Bill Clinton. A look at the media
frenzy around the recent court decision and the commitment to air the State
of the Union address. Kurtz writes that OJ is the real news since the
address was only "C-SPAN verbosity." "For much of the public there is a
growing disconnect between Beltway news ... and their own lives." A second
page headline reads, "What's the Real Public Interest?"

from Broadcasting & Cable (p.7)(http://www.broadcastingcable.com/)
Title: White House calls for "expediting" digital licenses
Author: Heather Fleming
Issue: ATV/Digital TV
Description: Vice President Al Gore has restated the Administration's view
that "broadcasters are trustees of the public airwaves. Digital technology
will greatly enhance the opportunity available to broadcasters to utilize
multiple channels. The public interest obligations should be commensurate
with these new opportunities. President Clinton plans to convene a special
advisory group to study and make recommendations on what broadcasters'
public interest responsibilities should be. The group would make its
recommendations within one year. In the meantime, the Administration is
asking the FCC to move ahead on issuing digital TV licenses. House Telcom
Subcommittee Chairman Billy Tauzin agrees with moving forward, but predicts
he and the FCC will disagree on broadcasters' responsibilities. He favors
relieving broadcasters of all obligations and letting public broadcasters
pick them up.

from Broadcasting & Cable (p.8)(http://www.broadcastingcable.com/)
Title: Clinton's Budget: $47B from spectrum
Author: Heather Fleming
Issue: Spectrum
Description: In plans to balance the federal budget, the Clinton
administration will continue to auction spectrum and hopes to raise $47.2
billion by 2002. Some observers believe that those estimates are too high.

from Broadcasting & Cable (p.8)(http://www.broadcastingcable.com/)
Title: Hundt differs with Quello, Chong on ratings hearing
Author: CM
Issue: V-Chip
Description: FCC Commissioners James Quello and Rachelle Chong are
resisting Chairman Reed Hundt's call for a hearing on the new TV
content-ratings system. Their resistence is drawing fire from Rep. Ed
Markey (D-Mass.) and Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND).

from Broadcasting & Cable (p.)(http://www.broadcastingcable.com/)
Title: Campaign reform needs constitutional fix, senators say
Author: Heather Fleming
Issue: Freetime for candidates
Description: Senators Ernest Hollings (D-SC) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) say
that the Constitution needs amending to allow limits on campaign spending.
A version of an amendment will be introduced in both the House and the
Senate soon.

from Broadcasting & Cable (p.21)(http://www.broadcastingcable.com/)
Title: Battle looms over leased-access
Author: Chris McConnell
Issue: Cable: Leased Access
Description: "They've done it wrong a second time," says Media Access
Project President Andrew Schwartzman of the FCC's new cable leased-access
formula [see below]. The public interest group expects to take the new
rules to court.

At the FCC (http://www.fcc.gov)
IMPLEMENTATION OF SECTIONS OF THE CABLE TELEVISION CONSUMER PROTECTION AND
COMPETITION ACT OF 1992: LEASED COMMERCIAL ACCESS. Amended the
Commission's rules pertaining to cable television commercial leased
access, including the calculation of maximum leased access rates.
Addressed comments and petitions for reconsideration filed in response to
the Order on Reconsideration of the First Report and Order and Further
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. (By Second Report and Order and Second
Order on Reconsideration of the First Report and Order). Dkt No.: CS-
96-60. Action by the Commission. Adopted: January 31, 1997. (FCC No.
97-27). CSB

COMMISSION REVISES CABLE TELEVISION LEASED COMMERCIAL ACCESS RULES; ADOPTS
AVERAGE IMPLICIT FEE FORMULA -- CS DOCKET NO. 96-60, (REPORT NO. CS 97-5,
ACTION IN DOCKET CASE). The Commission has adopted an order (FCC 97-27)
revising its cable commercial leased access rules. Action by the
Commission January 31, 1997, by Order (FCC 97-27)
. News Media Contact:
Morgan Broman (202) 418-2358. CSB Contact: Rick Chessen at (202) 418-7200=