WIRELESS
Wireless Valhalla: Hints of the Cellular Future (NYT)
A Review of the FCC's Spectrum Policies (House)
INTERNET
With Project Expanding Net's Reach, There Are No Strangers in
Paradise (NYT)
Advertising: AMedia Starts a Web Site to Draw
Asian-American Clientele (NYT)
Building a Better Web With Content Blueprints (NYT)
Auto Makers Sue Arizona Over Curbs on Web Activities (WSJ)
Kaufman & Broad Auctions Homes Online In First Large-Scale
Internet Property Sale (WSJ)
Down on the Farm, Up on Technology (NYT)
MERGERS/INTERNATIONAL
Telecom Mergers Come Calling On U.S. (WP)
Global Crossing Sells Local Phone Unit to Citizens Communications for
$3.65 Billion (NYT)
WorldCom Appears to Be Open To Selling Itself at Right Price (WSJ)
Telecoms Talks Stall, Japan Tells U.S. To Ease Rules (SJM)
France Will Open Its Airwaves To Common Global Standard (WSJ)
Death of Serb Named in Newspaper Sets Off Battle Over News Media
Restrictions in Kosovo (NYT)
WIRELESS
WIRELESS VALHALLA: HINTS OF THE CELLULAR FUTURE
Issue: Wireless
Although the US is the leader in personal computer and Internet
technologies, we're considered "Old World" when it come to The Next Big
Thing: wireless Internet communications. Market researchers are nearly
unanimous in predicting that in three years more people around the world
will gain access to the Internet through mobile devices than through
personal computers. But to preview this transformation, which some call the
"mobile lifestyle," one has to leave the United States. "You're just
starting to see it in the U.S., but here it is everywhere," said Rolf
Skoglund, a venture capitalist in Stockholm. Sweden has passed the United
States and is now the world's dominant "information economy," measured in
terms of the percentage of citizens who have access to computers, the
Internet, wireless phones and other information technologies. Finland,
Norway and Denmark round out the top five. These countries are at the
forefront of the new information economy based on wireless communications.
American technology companies are rushing over there to figure it out; learn
more at the URL below.
[SOURCE: New York Times (D1), AUTHOR: Peter Lewis]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/07/circuits/articles/13nord.html)
See Also
A HUTCHISON JOINT VENTURE IN WIRELESS
[SOURCE: New York Times (C4), AUTHOR: Stephanie Strom]
(http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/hutchison-wireless.html)
A REVIEW OF THE FCC'S SPECTRUM POLICIES
Issue: Spectrum
The Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection has
scheduled a hearing on Wednesday, July 19, 2000 at 10:00 a.m. in 2322
Rayburn House Office Building. This will be a legislative hearing entitled:
A Review of the FCC's Spectrum Policies for the 21st Century and H.R. 4758,
the Spectrum Resource Assurance Act. Witnesses will be by invitation only.
[SOURCE: House of Representatives]
(http://com-notes.house.gov/schedule.htm)
INTERNET
WITH PROJECT EXPANDING NET'S REACH, THERE ARE NO STRATEGIES IN PARADISE
Issue: Digital Divide
On the South Pacific island of Pago Pago, Pago Pago Elementary puts on
fundraising variety shows each year. To date the shows have paid off: a
public address system and plans for a new fountain. But the school's latest
addition, 25 high speed computes weren't had for a song. The computers,
hooked by satellite to a high-speed line in Hawaii, were financed by a $4
million grant from the E-rate program. In its third year, the program has
helped connect a variety of schools from Pago Pago to Aniak
Alaska, making stops at all points in between. Nearly $4 billion has been
awarded to schools and libraries in the United States and in territories
like Puerto Rico and Samoa. At the end of last year, 95 percent of the
nation's public schools had at least one site with Internet access, and 63
percent of all classrooms had been wired, according to the Federal
Communications Commission, which oversees the program. For all of the
successes of providing hardware and access, appropriate classroom use
remains an issue. "To date, there is no curriculum or lesson plan teachers
can follow," Ms. Bowles-Weilenman said. But the success of the of the
program is hard to argue. Once threatened by Republican lawmakers, the
program is no longer a point of debate. Both Vice President Al Gore and Texas
Governor George Bush have incorporated the program into the election
platform. "It's hard to attack success," said William E. Kennard,
the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
[SOURCE: New York Times (D8), AUTHOR: Jeer Classing]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/07/circuits/articles/13pago.html)
ADVERTISING: AMEDIA STARTS A WEB SITE TO DRAW ASIAN-AMERICAN CLIENTELE
Issue: Advertising
Print media Company aMedia, which specializes in the English-speaking Asian
American audience, is branching out online with aOnline.com. A recent report
by Forrester Research found that Asian-Americans ranked higher than white
Americans, African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans in both income and
education: Asian-Americans had a median annual household income of $65,000,
and 60 percent of them were college educated. More than three-fourths were
technologically inclined, also the highest rating of the four groups, while
their median age was 36, the youngest of the four groups. AMedia, which has
published aMagazine for 11 years, opted to go online because "there were
limitations inherent in the print product," said Jeff Yang, founder and
chief executive. "To create a mass medium for Asian-Americans, you have to
go where they are. Seventy percent of them, 7.5 million, are online."
[SOURCE: New York Times (C8), AUTHOR: Jane Levere]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/financial/columns/071300amedia-adcol.html)
BUILDING A BETTER WEB WITH CONTENT BLUEPRINTS
Issue: Jobs
Information architect. How long do you think that job title has been around
-- did you dream of being one when you were growing up? Its a job that is
becoming increasingly more important as the world moves to the Web -- making
sure that visitors to a site will be able to find their way around easily.
"With apologies to 'Shoeless Joe,' the maxim 'If you build it, they will
come' simply does not apply to the Web," said Colin Furness, a senior
information architect at Iguana Studios. "And many storefronts have not
figured this out yet. Poor useability that alienates users -- especially mom
and pop -- is cheap and easy, which is perhaps why it is so plentiful." The
information architect's job, Mr. Furness said, is to organize the structure
and content of all the material on a Web site, as well as figure out how
users can effectively navigate through the site to find the one or two
things they might be looking for. Once this blueprint has been laid out, the
Web site's graphic designer will concentrate on the visual look of the site.
Or, to put it into building terms, the information architect decides where
the window will go, and the designer decides what the window will look like.
[SOURCE: New York Times (D11), AUTHOR: JD Biersdorfer]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/07/circuits/articles/13usee.html)
AUTO MAKERS SUE ARIZONA OVER CURBS ON WEB ACTIVITIES
Issue: Ecommerce
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of
International Automobile Manufacturers sued the state of Arizona to block
its new dealer-franchise law. The law includes limitations on Internet
operations for car manufacturers. The groups also are seeking a temporary
injunction to stop the law from taking effect on Monday. In Arizona and
other states, these laws forbid car makers from selling directly to
consumers and have become roadblocks to manufacturers' efforts to develop
online sales. Dealers have been successfully pushing states to beef up the
laws around the country. Manufacturers complain Arizona's updated
dealer-franchise law limits existing business practices outside of franchise
agreements, including offering financing directly to consumers over the
Internet. The alliance represents 13 major auto makers.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (A6), AUTHOR: SHOLNN FREEMAN]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB963441943576410378.htm)
KAUFMAN & BROAD AUCTIONS HOMES ONLINE IN FIRST LARGE-SCALE INTERNET PROPERTY
SALE
Issue: Ecommerce
Kaufman & Broad Home Corp completed what
housing experts say is the first large-scale auction of residential
properties on the Internet Sunday, selling 10 single-family homes and nine
lots in a Palm Springs (CA) subdivision in two hours. Last year, Kaufman &
Broad auctioned 50 condominiums in Sacramento (CA) in a traditional auction.
Sunday appears to be the first time that the Internet was used by a home
builder to clear out a large number of properties at once. While the homes
sold for less than the company thought they were worth, the amount of money
the company will likely save made the auction a success, according to Jay
Moss, Kaufman & Broad's general manager for southern California. "There's a
little bit of risk because you might not get the price you want," says
Mr.Moss. But given that the company sold the homes in one day instead of the
months it could have taken, "that's a risk I'm willing to take." Although
Kaufman & Broad's auction appears to have run smoothly, auctions in general
on the Internet have drawn enormous attention in recent months due to
growing reports of fraud. [House? You just purchased the beautiful tar pit]
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (A2), AUTHOR: PATRICK BARTA]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB963452602941995000.htm)
DOWN ON THE FARM, UP ON TECHNOLOGY
Issue: InfoTech
Farmers are using technology to begin "precision farming" - taking
the weather, pest damage and other aggravations out of agriculture. The
practice and tools involved involves the use of digitized maps to target
chemical spraying; the use of GPS systems to monitor and overlay data on
acres of fields, row by row; and tractors and farm vehicles that can tap
into the computer and GPS systems. While there are increased cost savings to
the farmers who use these technologies to manage their crop, the cost of the
technology itself is keeping small and medium farms from employing the
practices. There also is a divide for some farmers between the technology
and the application of it. "Most farmers do not want to spend hours and
hours in front of a computer," said John Reifsteck, who runs an 1,800-acre
corn and soybean farm in Champaign (IL). "You can get very frustrated when
all you want to do is print a nice map and things don't work that well."
[SOURCE: New York Times (D1), AUTHOR: Catherine Greeman]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/07/circuits/articles/13farm.html)
MERGERS/INTERNATIONAL
TELECOM MERGERS COME CALLING ON U.S.
Issue: Mergers/International
As the German national telecommunications carrier, Deutsche Telekom AG,
stakes out potential U.S. partners, some on Capitol Hill have articulated
concerns about competition and national security because the German
government owns a majority of the company. While the United States is
currently enjoying high-tech supremacy, the future holds no
guarantees -- particularly as a slew of foreign companies eyes opportunities
here. Deutsche Telekom has openly acknowledged its desire to buy a US
wireless business and a long-distance and Internet network to service
multinational business customers. Possible candidates include VoiceStream
Wireless, Qwest Communications, and even Sprint. "It's going to be tough,"
said Kevin Sullivan, an antitrust expert and law partner at King & Spaulding
in Washington. "Both the FBI and the Defense Department will have something
to say. . . . Deutsche Telekom's going to have to make some commitment to
decrease government ownership. They're going to have to commit to get well
below 50 percent." The Federal Communication Commission is not allowed to
license any company that a foreign government owns 25 percent or more of.
Despite the barriers for Deutsche Telekom, most experts predict that
globalization will prevail and the company will eventually will find its way
into the United States.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E1), AUTHOR: Peter S. Goodman]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31672-2000Jul12.html)
GLOBAL CROSSING SELLS LOCAL PHONE UNIT TO CITIZENS COMMUNICATIONS FOR $3.65
BILLION
Issue: Mergers
Global Crossing will sell its local phone operations -- ~one million phone
lines in Iowa, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin -- to
Citizens Communications for $3.65 billion in cash. Global Crossing is
concentrating instead on building a network capable of handling huge amount
of Internet and data traffic worldwide. Citizens is shedding its utility
business and increasingly focusing on telecommunications. "The downside of
this deal is that it removes an important source of cash flow for Global
Crossing," said Michael Hodel, a telecommunications analyst with
Morningstar, the mutual fund and stock analysis company. "But at least it
alleviates some concern over funding since the rest of their operations are
burning through cash." "Global Crossing is not doing a great job of
articulating strategy," said Jeffrey Kagan, an independent
telecommunications analyst. "It's a young company that seems to still be
deciding what they'll do when they grow up."
[SOURCE: New York Times (C10), AUTHOR: Simon Romero]
(http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/global-crossing.html)
WORLDCOM APPEARS TO BE OPEN TO SELLING ITSELF AT RIGHT PRICE
Issue: Mergers
WorldCom's bid to buy Sprint appears to have gone sour, and is now WorldCom
is open to
selling itself for the right price to suitors, including Germany's Deutsche
Telekom. Deutsche Telekom is in no hurry to make a move for Worldcom, taking
its time to flirt a little with numerous other U.S. phone companies.
Deutsche Telekom has
already submitted a bid for VoiceStream Wireless Corp., a highflying U.S.
wireless carrier, and may pay as much as $46.8 billion for company. Deutsche
Telekom is also searching for a landline partner, and would be more
interested in Sprint, which also has wireless, or Qwest Communications
International Inc., which may be an easier regulatory deal than WorldCom. "I
don't know why DT wouldn't want to talk to the best company in the U.S.,"
said WorldCom's CEO Bernard J. Ebbers . Industry observers say WorldCom
would be a perfect U.S. fit for the German giant. But if no one is ready to
pay Worldcom the price they are asking for, the company could survive
without merging with anyone. It is seen as being in a much stronger position
to remain a successful stand-alone concern than Sprint, its partner in the
failed $115 billion transaction that was blocked by the Justice Department
last month. [Bernie, you're selling? We hardly knew ya.]
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (A4), AUTHOR: News Roundup
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB963455341269729658.htm)
TELECOMS TALKS STALL, JAPAN TELLS U.S. TO EASE RULES
Issue: International
Japan-U.S. telecommunication deregulation talks stalled on Thursday after
Japanese negotiators demanded that Washington remove regulatory controls for
foreign firms trying to enter the U.S. market, the world's biggest. Tokyo
argues that U.S. rules can be used to bar entry of non-U.S. firms for
arbitrary reasons. Recently, according to media reports, the U.S. Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has raised national security concerns about
the $5.5 billion takeover bid for U.S. Internet service provider Verio Inc
by NTT Communications Corp, the Japanese phone giant's international arm.
Washington argues that interconnection rates charged by NTT are too high,
inhibiting growth of the communications industry in Japan. In this week's
talks, Washington demanded that NTT cut the fees it charges rivals for
access to its nationwide network of local phone lines by 41 percent. Both
President Clinton and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori have pressured
their negotiators to settle the issue of NTT rate cuts before they meet on
July 20 on the eve of the G8 summit on the southernmost Japanese island of
Okinawa.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Reed Stevenson (Reuters)]
(http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/breaking/reuters/docs/190310l.htm)
FRANCE WILL OPEN ITS AIRWAVES TO COMMON GLOBAL STANDARD
Issue: International/Wireless
France's military will open the country's airwaves to the Bluetooth wireless
networking technology, and move to other frequencies bowing to pressure from
the high-tech industry. Bluetooth enables computers, mobile phones and other
electronic devices to communicate with each other using a common standard,
and is scheduled to make its commercial debut around the world this summer.
France was the only remaining territory not to adopt the Bluetooth protocol,
as the French military already occupied the required radio frequency for its
own communications. The army has now agreed to change to other frequencies.
France's failing to enable Bluetooth's use in France would have led to
endless legal and commercial quandaries. Companies would have had to
manufacture a separate product line only for France. French citizens would
have been tempted to smuggle Bluetooth-equipped devices like wireless
headsets for mobile phones from other markets, while foreign visitors using
such devices would have risked heavy fines and even jail sentences.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (Interactive), AUTHOR: AMY BARRETT]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB963436386120465291.htm)
See Also:
CHINA TRANSFERS MOBILE PHONE BUSINESSES FROM MILITARY TO UNICOM, STUDIES CDMA
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (Interactive), AUTHOR: WSJ.com]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB963460894181779511.htm)
DEATH OF SERB NAMED IN NEWSPAPER SETS OFF BATTLE OVER NEWS MEDIA
RESTRICTIONS IN KOSOVO
Issue: Journalism/International
In Kosovo, the United Nations and the news media are waging a battle over
freedom of the press and vigilant justice. The United Nations administration
that rules Kosovo recently shut down the newspaper, Dita, for eight days
when a Serb was murdered after the paper accused him of crimes against
Albanians and published his name and photograph. Dita's publisher, Behlul
Beqaj, justified publication of the information by saying that the system of
justice in Kosovo was not working, and that there had been no punishment for
people accused of war crimes. Douglas Davidson, who has been appointed by
the UN as temporary news media commissioner in Kosovo, argues with Begaj's
logic. "Publishing names can put people's lives at risk," Mr. Davidson said
in a statement. "It is also violating a fundamental principle of Western
journalism that someone is innocent until proven guilty." But local Albanian
journalists and international media watch-dog groups have protested the
attempts to regulate media so strongly that the United Nations
administration is likely to abandon recently devised code of conduct that
has been imposed on the news media.
[SOURCE: New York Times (A12), AUTHOR: Steven Erlanger]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/europe/071300kosovo-media.html)
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