Nortwestern University takes a lead in using the Internet to add sound and
sight to courses
AT&T and SBC Reportedly Talk of Huge Phone Merger
An Active Chief Is Leaving the FCC
Interpublic invests in an Internet provider aimed at young adults
Murdoch Gets Primestar Stake In Pact With His Cable Rivals
Is a $50 Billion Merger What Deregulation Was Really All About?
FCC Chairman Hundt Will Step Down
AT&T Talking To Bell Firm About Merger
Frappuccino and Fiction to Go?
WWW.Magazine
At the FCC, Hundt Signs Off
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
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Title: Nortwestern University takes a lead in using the Internet to add
sound and sight to
courses
Source: New York Times
Author: William Honan
Issue: Education
Description: In Class Notes column, Honan profiles Northwestern University,
the fountain of young, impressionable policy wonks. NWU has invested $5
million in wiring classrooms and other technological aides. Instructors are
using technology enhance classes will historic speeches, compiling resources
via the World Wide Web, and teaching courses concurrently in Illinois and
Manchester, England.
Title: AT&T and SBC Reportedly Talk of Huge Phone Merger
Source: New York Times (D1)
Author: Mark Landler
Issue: Mergers
Description: In what could be the mother of all mergers (well, at least
until Disney decides to take over the US Government), executives have
confirmed that AT&T and SBC are engaged in merger talks. The proposed merger
would be valued at $50 billion and would result in a company with 90 million
ling distance customers, 30 million local subscribers, and dominance in
California and Texas. "AT&T is acting like Humpty Dumpty, trying to put
itself back together again," said an industry consultant. Call out the
king's horses.
Title: An Active Chief Is Leaving the FCC
Source: New York Times (D1)
Author: John Broder
Issue: FCC
Description: "The best chairman in the history of the Federal Communications
Commission" announced he will step down from as soon as a successor is
named. During Chairman Hundt's tenure, the Commission issued new licenses
for digital television, set rules for children's educational television,
tried to bring greater competition to cable TV, attempted to harness the
explosion in wireless communications, negotiated an international
telecommunications agreement, and began deregulation of the nation's
telephone system.
Title: Interpublic invests in an Internet provider aimed at young adults
Source: New York Times (D5)
Author: Stuart Elliott
Issue: Internet/Advertising
Description: Interpublic, the world's third-largest agency company, is
investing in Tripod which targets "the transition generation, young adults
who are moving from college to the workplace." "The deal is emblematic of
how the huge agency companies that dominate Madison Avenue are staking
claims in cyberspace" by investing in independent companies.
Title: Murdoch Gets Primestar Stake In Pact With His Cable Rivals
Source: New York Times (D5)
Author: Steve Lohr
Issue: Satellite TV
Description: Rupert Muroch's News Corp tentatively agreed to relinquish some
satellite assets in return for a minority, nonvoting share of DBS operator
Primestar Partners, run by cable TV giants Time Warner and TCI.
Title: Is a $50 Billion Merger What Deregulation Was Really All About?
Source: Wall Street Journal (A1)
Author: John J. Keller and Bryan Gruley
Issue: Mergers
Description: AT&T's merge discussions with SBC "is sparking a hot debate
over whether such a megagiant would simply be too big for the country's --
and consumers' -- good." Even if the two companies reach an agreement,
federal regulators are going to be carefully scrutinizing the merger --
"twice the size of the largest merger in corporate history." Some will
argue that AT&T is trying to recreate a monopoly. The companies will argue
that once strengthened by AT&T, SBC would be more willing to open its local
markets, increasing competition and lowering customer rates. The Telecom Act
was supposed to let companies compete with another giving consumers more
choices and better prices. But in reality, companies don't want to get into
turf wars and would rather merge. Because of AT&T's plans, the newly
formed British Telecom-MCI company could start scoping out its own Baby Bell
to buy.
Many lawmakers, liberals and conservatives alike, are not thrilled with the
proposed deal.
Title: FCC Chairman Hundt Will Step Down
Source: Wall Street Journal (A2)
Author: John. R. Wilke
Issue: FCC
Description: FCC Chairman Reed Hundt will resign and end his four year
tenure as head of the FCC. He'll probably stay around another 6 months
while a successor is found. Some of the finalists for Mr./Ms.
Communications America include: William Kennard, FCC general counsel just
nominated for Commissioner seat by President Clinton; Commissioner Susan
Ness; and
Kathleen Wallman, former head of FCC Common Carrier Bureau and current
policy advisor
at the White House.
Title: AT&T Talking To Bell Firm About Merger
Source: Washington Post (A1)
Author: Mike Mills
Issue: Mergers
Description: AT&T is talking about merging with SBC Communications, one of
the country's biggest telephone carriers. If the merger talks went through
and the merger was approved, it would reunite a large section of the Ma Bell
system which was broken up in 1984. The merger could cut down on
competition since AT&T has been offering local phone service.
Title: Frappuccino and Fiction to Go?
Source: Washington Post (C1)
Author: David Streifeld
Issue: Lifestyles!
Description: Starbucks, provider of coffee and coffee-affiliated
beverages, is going to start selling Oprah's Book Club Choices. Starbucks
will give the profits from the book sales to charitable foundations.
Title: WWW.Magazine
Source: Washington Post (C1)
Author: Howard Kurtz
Issue: Internet Publishing
Description: Feed Magazine, an online journal covering culture and
technology, has been one of the success stories in online publishing.
The founders envisioned a world of small publications cohabiting the web
with large corporate presences. But instead, today, to stay alive, most
small journals are making deals with big companies. Small online Zines have
a less news oriented, more culture talk kind of focus, dude.
Title: At the FCC, Hundt Signs Off
Source: Washington Post (D9)
Author: Paul Farhi and Mike Mills
Issue: FCC
Description: Hundt is stepping down from his post as FCC Chairman. Reed
Hundt once quoted Jabba the Hud, Star Wars Villain, to describe his time at
the FCC: "Someday you will learn to appreciate me." In this 3 and 1/2
years as FCC Chairman Hundt got "new cable TV price regulations,
"children's educational" TV program requirements, and new rules to guide TV
viewers and
stations into the "digital" broadcasting era." While Hundt was not too
popular among corporate folks, public interest advocates appreciated Hundt's
mantra to establish "private competition in communications and public
benefits from communications." There is a lot of turnover on the 5-member
commission.
Only Commissioner Susan Ness will remain after Hundt leaves. The article
also has small info box about just what the FCC does.
Title: Taking the Initiative to Fill 19,000 Technology Jobs
Source: Washington Post (D9)
Author: Peter Behr
Issue: Education Technology
Description: Forty District of Columbia leaders from business, government, and
community organizations launched a campaign to create
"technology training courses and computer networks in D.C. schools and
community organizations." The plan is to help train qualified candidates
for the 19,000 unfilled technology jobs in the area. The project is using DC's
Ballou High School's technology initiative as one of their models. [see
Headlines 3/7/97]
leaders believe that getting the hardware will be the easy part and getting
principals and teachers to support the effort will be more challenging.
At the FCC
Chairman Hundt's 5/27/97 speech "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow"
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