Telephone Regulation
Methodology for Determining Universal Service Support (FCC)
Bell Atlantic Tells FCC: 'Don't Mess With Access Charges' (TelecomAM)
AT&T to Pass Internet Costs To Callers (WP)
Campaigns
Adversaries Join Campaign to Improve Coverage of State, Local
Politics (WP)
Television
TV Ratings Frequently a Jumble to Parents (ChiTrib)
Antitrust
Antitrust Case Against Is on Horizon (WP)
U.S. Is Preparing to Sue Intel Over Its Microchip Monopoly (NYT)
Plans for Digital TV in Germany Suffer Setback As EU Commission
Blocks Bertelsmann Alliance (WSJ)
German Digital TV Deal Is Blocked by Regulators (NYT)
Internet
MCI Plans to Sell Internet Assets To British Firm (WP)
Microsoft Will Let Gateway Alter Screen (WP)
Sick of Junk E-Mail? Here Are Some Tips for Fighting Back (WSJ)
Arts
Site Showcases Films Made Especially for the Web
Technology
Lucent Unveils New Products to Expand Its Presence in
Data-Networking Market (WSJ)
** Telephone Regulation **
Title: Methodology for Determining Universal Service Support
Source: FCC
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Public_Notices/1998/da980987.html
Issue: Universal Service
Description: The Federal Communications Commission will hold an en banc
hearing on Monday, June 8, 1998, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 pm, in the
Commission meeting room, Room 856 at 1919 M. Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
The Commission has invited the state members of the Federal-State Joint
Board on Universal Service to also preside at this en banc. At the en banc
hearing, the Commission and the state members of the Joint Board will review
certain proposals for revising the methodology for determining federal
universal service support for non-rural carriers. The en banc will be
carried live on the Internet. Internet users may listen to the real-time
audio feed of the en banc by accessing the FCC Internet Audio Broadcast Home
Page. Step-by-step instructions on how to listen to the audio broadcast, as
well as information regarding the equipment and software needed, are
available on the FCC Internet Audio Broadcast Home Page. The URL address for
this home page is http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio/.
Title: Bell Atlantic Tells FCC: 'Don't Mess With Access Charges'
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Telephone Regulation
Description: Bell Atlantic Senior Vice President for Government Relations
Thomas Tauke told reporters that the FCC should "leave access charges alone
for a year" and "complete pricing
flexibility" as promised. "Don't mess with access charges," he said. FCC
Chairman Bill Kennard has said he'd like to reexamine access charges because
the competition that was supposed to lower rates has not materialized. Mr.
Tauke claims the FCC promised last year to hold a proceeding that would
allow local phone companies to adjust rates without FCC approval, but the
Commission has not followed through. Mr. Tauke also criticized AT&T's plan
to impose a new monthly charge on consumers to recover the costs of a
universal service program to hook up schools and libraries to the Internet.
Title: AT&T to Pass Internet Costs To Callers
Source: Washington Post (C4)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-05/28/158l-052898-idx.html
Author: WP Staff Reporters & News Service
Issue: Long-Distance/Universal Service
Description: AT&T Corp. said yesterday that starting in July it will begin
charging residential long-distance customers "a fee of about 5 percent of
the cost of their out-of-state calls to help subsidize Internet hookups for
schools, libraries and rural health care facilities. In addition, customers
will be charged a fee of 1.8 percent of their monthly charges for intrastate
long-distance calls." This move by AT&T could further fuel the growing
controversy over how to fund the schools and libraries program.
** Campaigns **
Title: Adversaries Join Campaign to Improve Coverage of State, Local Politics
Source: Washington Post (A4)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-05/28/131l-052898-idx.html
Author: Howard Kurtz
Issue: Campaigns
Description: Pew Charitable Trust is spending $7 million on several projects
designed to spur better media coverage and higher standards in state and
local politics. "It's about raising the quality of the conversation," said
Paul Light, who runs Pew's public policy department. "The main thrust is to
go directly to the American public and say we can do better...Americans
don't expect much from their candidates, and their candidates deliver." A
key focus of the projects is the "meager" television coverage of state and
local campaigns, which is often overshadowed by reports on crime and other
more "sensational" fare.
** Television **
Title: TV Ratings Frequently a Jumble to Parents
Source: Chicago Tribune (p1)
http://chicago.tribune.com/textversion/article/0,1492,SAV-9805280126,00....
Author: Tim Jones
Issue: V-Chip
Description: The TV ratings system has been in place for months, but is
anyone using it? The Kaiser Family Foundation released two polls yesterday
-- one found that 54% of parents reported that they used the rating system
to help them decide what their kids should watch; the other found that 36%
of kids 10 to 17 had decided not to watch a show because of it's rating
either to avoid the wrath of parents or the shame of watching a show
targeted at kids. Jones writes, "People want some controls, but they don't
entirely trust the television industry to be the ratings gatekeeper between
the TV set and their children." Vice President Al Gore attended the surveys'
release and encouraged parents to use the ratings system and the V-chip when
it becomes available. [See Kaiser Family Foundation at
http://www.kff.org/homepage/]
** Antitrust **
Title: Antitrust Case Against Is on Horizon
Source: Washington Post (C1,C2)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-05/28/163l-052898-idx.html
Author: Elizabeth Corcoran & David Segal
Issue: Antitrust
Description: Federal antitrust investigators are planning over the next week
to recommend that the Federal Trade Commission charge Intel Corp. with
unfairly using its market clout to "strong-arm" corporate customers.
Title: U.S. Is Preparing to Sue Intel Over Its Microchip Monopoly
Source: New York Times (A1)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/05/biztech/articles/28intel.html
Author: Joel Brinkley
Issue: Antitrust
Description: The Federal Trade Commission is preparing a antitrust suit
against microprocessor chip manufacturer Intel. Brinkley writes, "The suit
will accuse Intel of selectively withholding key technical information about
its microprocessors chips from the computer manufacturers with which Intel
is involved in patent and related product disputes. Without that data, the
manufacturers are unable to design new products." This may be the first of
multiple suits filed by the FTC against Intel.
Title: Plans for Digital TV in Germany Suffer Setback As EU Commission
Blocks Bertelsmann Alliance
Source: Wall Street Journal (A19)
http://wsj.com/
Author: Cacile Rohwedder & Julie Wolf
Issue: Antitrust/Digital TV
Description: "The European Union Commission rejected a planned television
alliance of Germany's Kirch Group, Bertelsmann AG and Deutsch Telekom AG,
the countries dominant telephone and cable group. The ban sets back the
companies, which had invested millions of dollars and delays development of
digital pay TV in Germany, Europe's largest market."
Title: German Digital TV Deal Is Blocked by Regulators
Source: New York Times (C4)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/yr/mo/biztech/articles/28hdtv.html
Author: Edmund Andrews
Issue: Antitrust/Digital TV
Description: The European Commission has blocked a digital television
alliance between Bertelsmann AG, Germany's giant publishing and media
conglomerate; Deutsche Telekom AG, the nation's telephone and cable
television company, and the Kirch Group, which owns the German rights to
billions of dollars worth of television programs and movies. The three
wanted to offer an array of pay-TV services including movies and sports and
dozens of television channels. Germany is the biggest television market in
Europe.
** Internet **
Title: MCI Plans to Sell Internet Assets To British Firm
Source: Washington Post (C1,C2)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-05/28/167l-052898-idx.html
Author: Mike Mills
Issue: Merger
Description: MCI Communications Corp. plans to announce the sale of its
Internet facilities to Cable & Wireless PLC of Britain. Sources familiar
with the case say that MCI hopes the deal will help facilitate approval by
European regulators of the company's merger with WorldCom Inc.
Title: Microsoft Will Let Gateway Alter Screen
Source: Washington Post (C3)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-05/28/169l-052898-idx.html
Author: Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Issue: Internet Browsers
Description: Gateway 2000 Inc., maker of personal computers, announced
yesterday that it "won a key concession" from Microsoft Corp. to modify the
screens that computer users first see when they turn on a computer equipped
with Windows 98. Gateway said that the modification would allow the company
to promote its own Internet-access service before users view a directory of
service providers selected by Microsoft. "We're extremely interested in a
high level of personalization and customization for our customers," said
Gateways's chief executive, Ted Waitt. "We don't believe there's one slice
[of Windows] that fits everyone out there."
Title: Sick of Junk E-Mail? Here Are Some Tips for Fighting Back
Source: Wall Street Journal (B7)
http://wsj.com/
Author: Rebecca Quick
Issue: E-Mail
Description: One of life's little annoyances (sometimes not so little) are
those irritating on-line pitches better known as spam. Rather than spend
your time waiting for the government to step in there are some common sense
rules you can employ to keep spam from jamming your email box. Email
filtering systems can help you weed out of those spammers lists that you are
already on and scan your mail to get rid of the stuff you don't want. You
also can report the really bothersome ones to their Internet service
provider or the Federal Trade Commission (who is now running a vigorous
campaign to squash the most obnoxious spammers). Other suggested options
are: Try to maintain a low-profile (which can be much easier to say than
do); Don't reply to junk email as that can alert the spammer that they have
a live one that actually reads her/his email; And if nothing else works
close down your existing account and start anew with a fresh, clean slate.
** Arts **
Title: Site Showcases Films Made Especially for the Web
Source: New York Times (CyberTimes)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/05/cyber/artsatlarge/28artsatlarg...
Author: Matthew Mirapaul
Issue: Arts
Description: New Venue is the first online film festival that is dedicated
to showing only movies made expressly for the Web. Each week New Venue will
showcase a brief feature created specifically for computer viewing. The
clips will be playable in either the QuickTime or Flash browser plug-in.
Jason Wishnow, founder of New Venue, said about the project: "I thought that
if filmmakers were to pay attention to the major constraints for movies on
the Web -- smaller image size, a lower frame rate, the pixelated quality
that comes out of compression, a difference in audio fidelity, and how it
has to be integrated into the overall Web page -- they might come up with
something very exciting." Since April, more than 40 filmmakers have
submitted flicks. While many seem to still be grappling with the new medium,
Wishnow hopes that "the ground is being laid for something new." The site is
scheduled to officially open on Monday, June 1st, but its producers have
agreed to grant early access to CyberTimes "arts( at )large" readers starting
today. You can access the New Venue site at:
http://dfilm.mpl.net/newvenue/index.html
** Technology **
Title: Lucent Unveils New Products to Expand Its Presence in
Data-Networking Market
Source: Wall Street Journal (B6)
http://wsj.com/
Author: Stephanie N. Mehta
Issue: Technology
Description: Lucent Technologies Inc. has unveiled a group of products that
will help telecommunications carriers manage their voice and data traffic
over their networks. The new system is expected to boost Lucent's bid to
compete with other computer-networking companies.
*********