A Service of the Benton Foundation (http://www.benton.org)
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MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Grass Roots Fight Media Gigantism
E-GOVERNMENT
E-government 'Needs Rebooting'
TECHNOLOGY
Implantable Human Tracking Chip Launched
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
GRASS ROOTS FIGHT MEDIA GIGANTISM
[Commentary] New York Times columnist William Safire describes how general
managers of 75 stations owned and operated by Big Media descended on
Wednesday's House Appropriations Committee meeting. He says the group's
purpose was to "squelch" the bipartisan movement in Congress that seeks to
nullify the FCC's "cave-in to the networks' lust to gobble up more
independent stations." But Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia urged his GOP
colleagues to vote their consciences, and the "networks' power play was
foiled" by the passing of an amendment to hold the ownership cap to 35
percent of the national TV audience. Safire attributes this result to the
combined force of "right-wingers upholding community standards," "lefties
eager to maintain diversity of opinion in local media," and the "independent
voters' mistrust of media manipulation." This growing grassroots sentiment
against media gigantism is getting through to legislators who would normally
be influenced by the big-media lobby. According to Safire, Wednesday's
victory in the House committee was only a skirmish about half the battle,
but public opinion is on the march.
SOURCE: Seattle Post-Intelligencer; AUTHOR: William Safire
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/131277_safire18.html
E-GOVERNMENT
E-GOVERNMENT 'NEEDS REBOOTING'
The Work Foundation, a UK think tank, says in a new report that the British
government should downgrade its target of getting all public services online
by 2005. Instead, it should focus on increasing the number of people using
services through the Internet. Report author Noah Curthoys writes,
"E-government currently offers neither a bonus for use nor a penalty for
avoidance." The suggestion of compelling people to use online services
created some controversy at a reception to launch the report. "I think that
would be wholly wrong in a democratic society," said Val Shawcross, e-envoy
at the Greater London Authority. Ian Kearns of the Institute for Public
Policy also argued against compulsion, instead suggesting that a public
interest company be set up to help get people who are not using the Internet
online. Steve Beet, from Pricewaterhouse Coopers, thought that incentives
were a better idea than compulsion: "If you offer a high quality service --
and we do not in e-government -- people would migrate to using it," he said.
SOURCE: BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3073037.stm
TECHNOLOGY
IMPLANTABLE HUMAN TRACKING CHIP LAUNCHED
Applied Digital Solutions has launched Mexican sales of VeriChip, a
microchip that can be implanted under a person's skin and used to confirm
health history and identity. The microchip, which borrows from technology
for tracking pets, is about the size of a grain of rice and is implanted in
the arm or hip. A scanning device is used to download a serial number,
which is used to access name, blood type and other information from a
database. Company officials said they are working on developing a similar
technology that would use satellites to help find missing people. While the
idea of a human tracking chip has raised privacy concerns in the United
States, it is more popular with Mexicans, who are constantly looking for
ways to protect themselves against crime. Antonio Aceves, the director of
the company distributing the chip in Mexico, said that in the first year the
company hopes to implant chips in 10,000 people and ensure that at least 70
percent of all hospitals have the technology to read the devices.
SOURCE: CNN; AUTHOR: Associated Press
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/07/18/human.chip.ap/index.html
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