Communications-related Headlines for 6/5/97

Commercials Tempt Public TV Stations

Hand in Small Hand Around the Internet

Tentative Accord to Sell Monitor Radio

Microsoft Moves to Rule On-Line Sales

TV Industry To Modify Rating Code

Microsoft's Bill, on Capitol Hill

The Airwaves Meet the Airways in New Frequent-Flier Promotion

Telcos File Joint Petition for Stay on FCC's Access Reform, Price Cap Rules

"Bandwidth Crisis" Seen for Online Services Traffic

Rules and Policies on Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecommunications
Market

Not So FAST

Questions and Answers on Universal Service Benefits for Rural Health Care
Providers

Headlines Wonkettes on the Move?
*********************************************
Title: Commercials Tempt Public TV Stations
Source: New York Times (A1)
Author: Lawrie Mifflin
Issue: Public Television
Description: [Front page headline points readers to article on B1:
Commercials on Public TV? Some Stations Are Tempted] PBS station executives
in Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, St.Louis, Minneapolis-St.Paul, and Miami
are considering broadcasting programs containing commercials two nights a
week. The proposal was developed and written by Lawrence Grossman, a former
president of PBS and NBC News. Mr. Grossman hopes that the revenue would be
used to create new, high-quality programming for the stations. The plan
would have to be approved by the Federal Communications Commission.

Title: Hand in Small Hand Around the Internet
Source: New York Times (C2)
Author: Laurie Flynn
Issue: Internet
Description: "Web publishers have awakened to the idea that they need to
offer not only material appealing to children, but a little supervision as
well." Some sites -- like PBS Kids Backstage -- are designed to make it
difficult, if not impossible, for kids to leave once they've entered. There
is also software to restrict kids from going to sites with violent or sexual
content.

Title: Tentative Accord to Sell Monitor Radio
Source: New York Times (D6)
Issue: Mergers/Public Radio
Description: The Christian Science Church will sell Monitor Radio to World
Times, publisher of The World Newspaper. Monitor Radio supplies news to more
than 200 public radio stations. The agreement is contingent on enough
stations agreeing to continue to carry the programming after the sale.

Title: Microsoft Moves to Rule On-Line Sales
Source: Wall Street Journal (B1)
Author: David Bank
Issue: Online Sales/Service
Description: Microsoft is positioning itself to be the prime virtual
middleman: bringing sellers and buyers together on the World Wide Web. Last
month Microsoft launched Sidewalk, a series of local guides to regional
arts, entertainment, and culture, in New York and Seattle. Microsoft wants
to use Sidewalk to pull users into other Microsoft-supported commercial
sites: Expedia for traveling, Music Central for CDs, Cinemania for movies,
Carpoint for auto sales, and Pampercity for diapers. "Microsoft plans to win
a major share not only of the $66 billion local advertising market but also
of sales and distribution charges in the markets for airline tickets ($100
billion), automobile sales ($334 billion) and retail goods ($1.2 trillion)."

Title: TV Industry To Modify Rating Code
Source: Washington Post (C1)
Author: Paul Farhi
Issue: V-Chip
Description: Yesterday, representatives from the broadcast and cable
industry told Congress that they would consider adding more content
information to the ratings system, such as using the letters S, V,L, and the
most needed T for significant amounts of sex, violence, language, and the
subversive bean by-product, tofu. At first, Fox and Ted Turned announced
that they would add more content info, and now it looks like the rest of the
industry is following. Child advocacy groups would also like the ratings to
be left visible on the screen longer and for parents to be included in the
show evaluation process.

Title: Microsoft's Bill, on Capitol Hill
Source: Washington Post (D3)
Author: Elizabeth Corcoran
Issue: Microsoft/Industry Trends
Description: Bill Gates and a handful of other high-powered technology
people went lobbying yesterday. They wanted lawmakers to understand just how
much the high-tech industry is helping the national economy, and therefore,
just how carefully lawmakers should listen to the industry's legislative
wish-list.

Title: The Airwaves Meet the Airways in New Frequent-Flier Promotion
Source: Washington Post (D3)
Author: Paul Farhi
Issue: TV/Disturbing Marketing Trends
Description: ABC and American Airlines have this new deal, see. So if you
are a member of American's AAdvantage club and you can prove you watch ABC
shows by correctly filling out a questionnaire on the inner-plot workings of
"Coach" or other ABC shows, you can get more frequent flyer miles. ABC and
American see this as a great marketing move.

Title: Telcos File Joint Petition for Stay on FCC's Access Reform, Price
Cap Rules
Source: Telecom AM
Issue: Universal Service
Description: Southwestern Bell, PacBell, and Nevada Bell (all part of SBC)
filed a joint petition with the FCC to stay its decision on access charge
reform and price caps. The petition addresses four regulations which order
telecos to 1) exclude unbundled network elements from Part 69 access
charges; 2) reduce price cap indices (PCI) to reflect the completion of
the amortization of equal access non-capitalized costs; 3) reduce their PCIs
by a new productivity factor of 6.5 percent; and 4) reduce their PCIs due to
the use of a 5.3 percent productivity factor in 1996, instead of the new 6.5
percent factor. Interested parties may file comments with the FCC by June 9.

Title: "Bandwidth Crisis" Seen for Online Services Traffic
Source: Telecommunications Reports Daily
Issue: Internet
Description: Mike O'Dell of UUNET says bandwidth demands may be 1,000
today's levels within three years. In the past, carrier infrastructure
planning methods were based on population growth. O'Dell thinks these
methods are obsolete since the new capacity driver is "bandwidth-hungry
communications devices." O'Dell predicts that high-speed access to the
Internet will never become plentiful or cheap.

At the FCC
FCC Initiates Proceeding to Review Rules and Policies on Foreign
Participation in the U.S. Telecommunications Market, (IB Docket No. 97-142).
6/4/97

Chairman Hundt's 6/3/97 Speech "Not So FAST" at the Museum of Television and
Radio in New York, NY, is now available online.

Questions and Answers on Universal Service Benefits for Rural Health Care
Providers.

*********
Rumors are flying about Washington speculating that Benton wonkette and
Headlines co-author Susan Goslee is leaving the foundation to a) become a
poetess-in-residence in Alabama, b) switch jobs with FCC Chairman Reed Hundt
[think about it, Mr. Chairman...the hours here are great and you'll get to
work on all the public interest concerns you've already raised], c) take
over as Commiezarette of Baseball, or d) become the author of a new Style
Headlines on the fashion and footware needs of telecom analysts. Mz. Goslee
was unavailable at press. Mr. Taglang
(kevint( at )benton.org), however, is available and longing for spam so email
away.