PRIVACY
Senator Raises Privacy as Federal Web Site Issue (NYT)
Bush Administration Remains Focused On Privacy (WP)
TELEPHONY
Another F.C.C. Clearance for Verizon (NYT)
JOURNALISM
Turner May Back Out of NTV Purchase (WP)
PRIVACY
SENATOR RAISES PRIVACY AS FEDERAL WEB SITE ISSUE
Issue: Privacy
Dozens of federal web sites continue to violate consumer privacy rules put
into effect by the Clinton administration, a United States senator said
yesterday. "The federal government should be setting the standard for
privacy protection in the Information Age," said Senator Fred Thompson
(R-TN) in a statement. A survey, still not complete, by Inspector Generals'
offices has already found that 64 sites continue to use "cookies" to track
Web site visitor's wanderings on the World Wide Web. The use of cookies by
federal Web sites was sharply restricted in June 2000 by the Clinton
administration; no federal site could use them unless an agency could
demonstrate a "compelling need" to gather the data.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: New York Times]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/17/technology/17PRIV.html)
(requires registration)
BUSH ADMINISTRATION REMAINS FOCUSED ON PRIVACY
Issue: Privacy
An administration spokesperson said that privacy will issues remain high on
the list of priorities for the Bush White House. Public interest groups have
urged the administration to appoint a chief privacy counselor to fill the
void left by Clinton administration privacy aide Peter Swire. White House
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) spokesperson Chris Ullman said it was
too early to say whether Swire's post would be filled, he did confirm that
the OMB will soon appoint the official who will be in charge of addressing
privacy policy. "There needs to be general oversight and agreement among the
agencies about how (to) do privacy policy," Center for Democracy and
Technology (CDT) Policy Analyst Ari Schwartz said today. "We have no one in
the executive branch focusing (exclusively) on privacy."
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: David McGuire (Newsbytes.com)]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/9085-1.html)
TELEPHONY
ANOTHER F.C.C. CLEARANCE FOR VERIZON
Issue: Telephony
The Federal Communications Commission has given Verizon Communications
approval to provide long-distance service in Massachusetts. This move
brings to five the number of states where large Bell local telephone
companies can enter into the fast-changing long-distance communications
business. By next year, analysts expect that the Bell companies could
compete with AT&T and other long-distance companies in as many as 20 states.
Under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, local phone companies must
convince the F.C.C., state by state, that they have opened their networks to
competitors before entering the long-distance market. The F.C.C.'s approval
of Verizon's petition was not unanimous. Commissioner Gloria Tristani voted
against it, expressing concern about the prices that Verizon charges
competitors to direct calls electronically to their destination.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Simon Romero]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/17/technology/17PHON.html)
(requires registration)
FCC AUTHORIZES VERIZON TO PROVIDE LONG DISTANCE SERVICE
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/News_Releases/2001/nrcc0112.html)
JOURNALISM
TURNER MAY BACK OUT OF NTV PURCHASE
Issue: Journalism
Investors led by Ted Turner may end negotiations to buy 30 percent of
Russia's only national independent television network now that it was taken
over by a government-connected gas company, Gazprom. Turner has said his
priority was to keep NTV an independent news voice. Gazprom was locked in a
two-week standoff with the network's journalists, who claimed Russian
President Vladimir Putin is using the Gazprom takeover to silence his
critics. Tatyana Blinova, spokeswoman for the ousted NTV leadership, said
more than 350 employees, including 85 percent of the
journalistic staff, had resigned as of Monday.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26734-2001Apr17.html)
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