Universal Service
Universal Service Administrator Proposes Consolidation (Telecom AM)
Gingrich Endorses Using Phone Tax to Pay for E-Rate (Telecom AM)
MCI Reduces Line-Item Fees to Reflect E-Rate Cut (Telecom AM)
Field Hearing on Universal Service (FCC)
First Amendment
A Reform That Endangers Free Speech (WP)
Disablities
Manufacturers Seeking 'Realistic' Rules on Serving Disabled (Telecom AM)
Access to Telecommunications Services and Equipment
to Americans with Disabilities (FCC)
Television
Preparing for battle (B&C)
FCC's cable rules up for review (B&C
Privacy
Privacy in the Digital Age (NYT)
Journalism
CNN takes a fall (B&C)
Technology
DVD Leads Race for TV Disks, But It Is Looking Over Its Shoulder (NYT)
We Got Your Email, Just Don't Expect a Reply (NYT)
Jobs
Labor Data Show Economy is Cooling (WSJ)
Education
Technology Finance Plan is Scuttled By University (NYT)
Lifestyles
We Can't Save Everything (NYT)
For the Officeless, A Place to Call Home (NYT)
Score One for Delaware (WP)
** Universal Service **
Title: Universal Service Administrator Proposes Consolidation
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Universal Service
Title: Universal Service Administrative Company Report and Plan of
Reorganization
Source: FCC
http://www.fcc.gov/ccb/universal_service/usacjuly.pdf
http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Kennard/Statements/stwek852.html
Author: Universal Service Administrative Company
Description: The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) submitted
"plan of reorganization" on July 2 to the FCC. The plan would consolidate
all universal service programs -- the high-cost support, the schools &
libraries program and the rural health care
program -- with USAC chief Cheryl Parrino in charge. FCC Chairman William
Kennard said the
Commission will seek comment on the plan and act quickly. "Further debates over
universal service should be about policy choices, not administrative structure."
Title: Gingrich Endorses Using Phone Tax to Pay for E-Rate
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Universal Service/Legislation
Description: House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) endorsed a plan to use funds
from the
three-percent telephone excise tax to pay for e-rate Internet subsidies. The
plan has been backed by Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Conrad
Burns (R-MT) and House Telecom
Subcommittee Chairman Billy Tauzin (R-LA). Rep Tauzin is expected to
introduce a bill
to use half of the tax for the e-rate and repeal the other half this
congressional session.
Title: MCI Reduces Line-Item Fees to Reflect E-Rate Cut
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Universal Service
Description: Reflecting the $1 billion cut in the e-rate program, MCI will
reduce new fees it was to start charging residential customers in July. MCI
said it will reduce its surcharge on
interstate and international calls to 5 percent from 5.9 percent for
residential
customers -- and will continue to exempt intrastate calls from new universal
service fees.
Title: Field Hearing on Universal Service
Source: FCC
http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Kennard/spwek820.html
Author: Chairman Kennard
Issue: Universal Service
Description: Chairman Kennard's 7/1/98 Statement before the US Senate
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation at the Field Hearing on
Universal Service in Anchorage, Alaska.
** First Amendment **
Title: A Reform That Endangers Free Speech
Source: Washington Post (A19)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-07/06/011l-070698-idx.html
Author: Nadine Strossen, Ira Glasser and Laura W. Murphy
Issue: First Amendment
Description: "Nine former leaders of the American Civil Liberties Union have
released a statement saying that they have changed their positions on
campaign finance and now disagree with legal scholars, Supreme Court
justices and the ACLU's long-standing policy to seek the highest
constitutional protection for political speech [E.J. Dionne Jr., "Politics
as Public Auction," op-ed June 19]. Our former ACLU colleagues say that our
opposition to current legislation allows members of Congress to hide behind
an unjustified constitutional smoke screen. We are untroubled by the
questions they raise and believe that it is they who allow members of
Congress and the president to hide behind so-called reforms that are
unconstitutional and ineffective. As long as measures such as
McCain-Feingold or Shays-Meehan are allowed to masquerade as reform, neither
Congress nor President Clinton will get serious about true reform, which we
believe lies in the direction of fair and adequate public financing...Yet
our former ACLU colleagues offer sweeping proposals that would constitute a
wholesale breach of First Amendment rights and that ignore the real-world
impact of limits on speech. They speak approvingly of efforts to impose
'reasonable limits on campaign spending' without saying specifically what
such regulations would do. But when we look at those consequences it is
clear that current campaign-finance measures would do immeasurable damage to
political speech."
** Disabilities **
Title: Manufacturers Seeking 'Realistic' Rules on Serving Disabled
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Disabilities
Description: In comments filed at the FCC June 30, the Information
Technology Industry Council (ITIC) said the Commission should: 1) Encourage
the use of specially designed equipment; 2) Establish a "bright line test"
for identifying which telecom functions should be accessible; and 3) Use
"practical economic considerations" to determine whether accessibility is
"readily achievable." The Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association
(CEMA) cautioned against "unnecessary mandates that would discourage product
availability and raise prices for all consumers."
Title: Access to Telecommunications Services and Equipment
to Americans with Disabilities
Source: FCC
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Comments/fcc98055/9855com.html
Issue: Disabilities
Description: Comments on FCC's Proposed Rules to Promote Access to
Telecommunications Services and Equipment to Americans with Disabilities (WT
Docket No. 96-198, FCC 98 -55).
** Television **
Title: Preparing for battle
Source: Broadcasting&Cable (p.22)
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/
Author: Paige Albiniak
Issue: Digital Television
Description: At a meeting last week, the National Association of
Broadcasters board expressed "serious concern" rather than vigorous
opposition to a possible recommendation from the Gore commission to adopt a
voluntary code of conduct. Led by CBS Senior Vice President Marty Franks and
A.H. Belo's Mike McCarthy, the board decided not to oppose a code before it
is even recommended. Mr. Franks' boss is CBS President Les Moonves, co-chair
of the Gore commission, and Mr. McCarthy's boss is Belo President Robert
Decherd, a member of the commission. Andrew Schwartzman, president of the
Media Access Project, said, "Perhaps I'm grasping at straws, but I hope that
in expressing a 'serious concern' rather than outright opposition, the NAB
is leaving the door open."
Title: FCC's cable rules up for review
Source: Broadcasting&Cable (p.38)
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/
Author: Chris McConnell
Issue: Cable
Description: In late June the Federal Communications Commission proposed
"tinkering with the limits on the number of cable systems that a company can
own." Currently, the limit is 30% of homes passed nationwide. TCI is
expected to exceed that limit soon. The FCC has never enforced the rule
because of a pending court case. Any new rules could have a major effect on
the cable industry and the proposed AT&T-TCI merger.
** Privacy **
Title: Privacy in the Digital Age
Source: New York Times (A14)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/editorial/index.map?116,105
Author: NYT Editorial Staff
Issue: Privacy
Description: Encryption technology, the encoding of digital information to
secure its privacy, is being used to protect transmitted information from
hackers or criminals. The F.B.I. and the Justice Dept. have largely dictated
the Clinton Administration's current policies toward encryption. These two
agencies block encryption makers from exporting their advanced technology
unless they agree to develop a method for lawmakers to gain access to it.
But now, according to industry officials, the U.S. controls on exports are
starting to backfire. More and more foreign companies are starting to supply
encryption technologies but are not including the method for law enforcement
agencies to gain access. "The F.B.I. should give up its losing fight against
encryption and work with industry to develop new means to catch criminals
who use it...Law enforcement agencies have to find a legal and ethical way
to stay ahead of technology, rather than stand in the way of it. Trying to
block advances in the digital age is futile."
** Journalism **
Title: CNN takes a fall
Source: Broadcasting&Cable (p.10)
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/
Author: Steve McClellan
Issue: Journalism
Description: A story reported by CNN and Time that the US government used
nerve gas on defectors during the Vietnam war has been retracted. The case
is a big blow to CNN and its new high-profile NewsStand series of TV news
magazines which were to exploit synergy between CNN and other Time Warner
holdings such as Time, People, Fortune, Entertainment Weekly, and Sports
Illustrated. CNN is reviewing its editorial standards and practices.
** Jobs **
Title: Labor Data Show Economy is Cooling
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://wsj.com/
Author: Jacob M. Schesinger
Issue: Jobs/Economy
Description: The government's most recent labor-market report suggests an
economic cooling as job growth slows. While Gross Domestic Product growth
fell to just 1 percent to 2 percent in June and unemployment jumped .2
percent, Labor Secretary Alexis Herman claims that, "The economy continues
to preform at a very stable pace." The most affected sector is
manufacturing, which has experienced almost 30,000 lost jobs as a result of
the General Motors strike and the Asian economic crisis. On the other hand,
the service sector has seen
large gains with the addition of 215,000 new jobs in the last month.
Finance, insurance, and real estate are the largest growth areas which
continue to grow "at a pace about 50 percent faster than the rest of the
economy."
** Education **
Title: Technology Finance Plan is Scuttled By University
Source: New York Times (D1,D7)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/yr/mo/biztech/articles/06univ.html
Author: Laurie Flynn
Issue: Education Technology
Description: Last fall, university officials from California State, the
U.S.'s largest college system, announced a proposal called CETI, California
Educational Technology Initiative. The plan was that a group of
high-technology companies, Microsoft Corp., Hughes Electronics, GTE and
Fujitsu America, would invest $300 million into the university's networks
and other technology infrastructure. In exchange for their investment, the
companies were promised revenue opportunities from services and products
like pager accounts and software sold to faculty and students. Last week,
the intensely debated plan was officially cancelled. GTE, the lead company
in the proposed partnership, announced that it would no longer participate
because it was unable to reach an agreement with the university on the
financial side of the deal. In May, both Microsoft and Hughes pulled out for
similar reasons. GTE's cancellation has also ended the participation of
Fujitsu. The university, which serves nearly 330,000 students, is now facing
a $70 million to $100 million deficit in its technology program. Chancellor
Charles Reed said that the university system would continue to try to
develop partnerships with private companies. At the same time considering a
bond issue or possible raising student fees in direct exchange for the much
needed technology upgrade.
** Technology **
Title: DVD Leads Race for TV Disks, But It Is Looking Over Its Shoulder
Source: New York Times (D1,D4)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/yr/mo/biztech/articles/06disk.html
Author: Joel Brinkley
Issue: DVD
Description: The latest recorded video technology to hit the market, DVD,
is boasting the sale of almost 600,000 players in the 15 months since it's
introduction. DVD, a CD-sized digital video disc that can also be used for
computer files and audio recordings, has seven times the storage capacity of
Cd-ROMs and CDs. While penetration is greater than that of either
compact-disc players or VCRs at the same age, the companies backing DVD are
ready for a battle. Not only are they concerned about competition from the
soon to be introduced spinoff technology called Divx, they also worry about
the threat posed by digital cable television's ability to offer pay-per-view
movies on demand. DVD backers give themselves about three years to be in 10
million homes before the availably of movies on demand "short-circuits the
sale of movies on discs."
Title: We Got Your Email, Just Don't Expect a Reply
Source: New York Times (D3)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/yr/mo/biztech/articles/06mail.html
Author: Pamela LiCalzi O'Connell
Issue: Email
Description: According to limited market research and anecdotal evidence,
unless a company is Web-based to start with, it is unlikely to have the
tools and policies to handle the inflow of messages from its Web site. "When
companies go on the Web they tend to immediately get overwhelmed by
messages," said Donna Hoffman, an associate professor at the Owen Graduate
School of Management at Vanderbilt Univ. "But some still don't see handling
this email as one of the most important customer service jobs. They haven't
created the proper policies or allocated the funds." Forrester Research
recently completed a report based on interviews with 37 companies that were
selected as particularity intent on customer email, averaging 500 in-coming
emails a day. It found that even among those highlighted companies, dealing
with the "deluge" and figuring out how to split the responsibility among
departments could be confusing.
** Lifestyles **
Title: We Can't Save Everything
Source: New York Times (A15)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/oped/index.map?47,144
Author: Deanna B. Marcum
Issue: Lifestyles
Description: With the ability to save practically everything -- from reports
to email -- on a computer hard drive or disk these days, you would think our
lives would become easier to manage. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
The amount of data we create on computers is growing exponentially, leaving
us with a quantity of information that humans have never had to deal with
before. One would think that electronic storage would save time and space.
"But the preservation of data over decades and centuries demands not only a
huge financial investment in computer hardware and software, but also the
institutional commitment to maintaining those systems." While experts are
searching for the best solution to this growing problem, one thing is
clearly NOT the solution and that is to save every piece of data generated.
Maybe its time to work on our critical judgement as to select items that
would be of the most value. "In our age, when too much information can numb
the mind and paralyze the will, knowledge may develop a new sort of
elusiveness."
Title: For the Officeless, A Place to Call Home
Source: New York Times (D1,D4)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/07/biztech/articles/06kink.html
Author: Laurie J. Flynn
Issue: Access
Description: Kinko's, once known as the 24 hour printing and copy shop, is
now doing what many envisioned cybercafes would do -- "offer an escape from
the isolation that this abundance of modern technology seems to have
created." Kinko's has met the digital age by also offering fax machines,
super-fast color printers and networks of computers equipped with a variety
of software programs and Internet connections. These additions to the
Kinko's repertoire have made it a blessing for people needing to make use of
a computer while traveling or the home-office worker that needs a little
extra help. Paul Orfalea, who founded the company in 1970, is hoping to get
people to spend more time, and thus, more money, at its stores. Besides
adding new equipment, the company is talking to Starbucks about opening
coffee shops next to some Kinko's stores. It is also considering opening up
"mini-Kinko's" in hotel lobbies and airports.
Title: Score One for Delaware
Source: Washington Post (F5)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Author: WashPost Staff Writer
Issue: Internet/Lifestyles
Description: In a recent survey of the Internet, MCI Communications Corp.
found that the most Internet-savvy people in the country live in ...
Delaware. On an average, people in that state scored an average 94 on a test
they took on an MCI World Wide Web site www.nettest.mci.com. The average
score is 82. District residents came in at 86, while those in Maryland
scored 85 and in Virginia the average was 80. The state at the bottom of the
list was Missouri, coming in at 65. In addition to states as a whole, the
survey found that despite the belief the Internet is more of a male kind of
place, women did slightly better than men -- 82 versus 80. (Now we finally
know the answer to why old Georgie boy REALLY crossed the Delaware.)
*********