DIGITAL DIVIDE
Federal Agencies Risk Violation Of Web-Access Law for Disabled
BROADBAND
Commerce Chairman Hollings Blasts Bells, Broadband Bill (Newsbytes)
INTERNET & SOCIETY
Study: Kids Commonly Pressed for Sex Online (Washington Post)
DIGITAL DIVIDE
FEDERAL AGENCIES RISK VIOLATION OF WEB-ACCESS LAW FOR DISABLED
Issue: Digital Divide
Even as the federal government is overhauling all its Web sites to meet the
requirements of a new law that takes effect Thursday, officials acknowledge
that few federal agencies fully comply with the new requirements. The law,
which spells out how government Web sites must work with software tools used
by blind or deaf people and how computer keyboards must accommodate people
with limited arm movement, was hailed by supporters as one of the most
significant civil-rights milestones since the Americans with Disabilities
Act. The Justice Department, however, says tens of thousands of federal Web
pages -- even after Thursday -- might be in violation of the law. Later
this week, the National Council on Disability will release a report that
faults the Bush administration for failing to accommodate disabled users of
technology. It will ask Mr. Bush to appoint a national commission and hold a
White House summit to address the government's efforts to become more
accessible.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Ted Bridis And Glenn R. Simpson]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB992988273310996412.htm)
(requires subscription)
BROADBAND
COMMERCE CHAIRMAN HOLLINGS BLASTS BELLS, BROADBAND BILL
Issue: Broadband
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ernest "Fritz" Hollings (D-SC)
relentlessly attacked the Tauzin-Dingell broadband deregulation bill and the
Baby Bell incumbent carriers that would benefit from the bill as they
attempted to defend the measure. BellSouth Corp. Executive Vice President
Margaret Greene argued that there currently exists local competition in
BellSouth's markets, and that the company did not attempt to delay complying
with the 1996 Telecommunications Act. House Rep. Edward Markey, who
testified in the hearing and is known as a leading opponent of the
deregulation bill, accused the Baby Bells of using court cases to delay
implementin. Hollings bluntly stated that the case for the bill is "the
biggest bunch of nonsense I ever heard of." Following the hearing, House
Rules Committee Chairman [SOURCE: Newsbytes, AUTHOR: David McGuire]
(http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/167020.html)
INTERNET & SOCIETY
STUDY: KIDS COMMONLY PRESSED FOR SEX ONLINE
Issue: Internet & Society
One in five young people who used the Internet at least once a month last
year received unwanted sexual solicitations. Police, school officials or an
Internet service provider were notified of the solicitations only one-tenth
of the time, according to a study released by the Journal of the American
Medical Association. The telephone survey conducted over seven months from
1999 to 2000 and subject to a subsequent professional researchers peer
review found that a quarter of those who received unwanted solicitations
reported feeling upset or afraid as a result. The majority of children who
reported feeling distressed were between the ages of 10 and 13, and had been
contacted online by strangers who had asked to communicate with the young
people by voice, mail or in person. Although parents and kids report
frustrated attempts at tracking down Internet child molesters, the study
suggests that people need to be made more aware of where to go to report
inappropriate Internet communication with kids. One such place is the
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline (www.
cybertipline.com).
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Nicole C. Wong]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/10608-1.html)
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