BROADCASTING
Justice Dept. Staff Said to Be Opposing Satellite TV Merger
Report Finds FCC and Congress Off Course in the Transition to
Digital TV
INTERNET
All the News Google Algorithms Say Is Fit to Print
Experts To Chart A Way For Combating Online Racism
EDTECH
Making Good on Promises to Increase Funding for Special Education
BROADCASTING
JUSTICE DEPT. STAFF TO OPPOSE SATELLITE TV MERGER
In a rare move for the Bush administration, Justice Department staff members
have recommended that the government block a potentially anticompetitive
$11.2 billion merger of the two largest satellite television broadcasters,
DirecTV and EchoStar. The decision would be a major victory for News
Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch, who had sought to buy DirecTV and has
since waged a political and legal campaign to stop the EchoStar deal. DOJ
lawyers said that in many markets the deal would reduce competition from
three companies - DirecTV, EchoStar and a cable television company - to just
two, while eliminating competition in rural areas not served by cable. The
satellite companies argue that the deal is the only way to compete
effectively against increasingly large cable television companies. The
merger would create a company with more than 16 million subscribers, making
it the second-largest paid-TV company in the nation. The deal has faced
opposition from several prominent Senate Democrats as well as a large group
of state attorneys general. The decision by the antitrust staff cannot take
effect until division head Charles A. James approves it, although there are
signs that he will do so.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stephen Labaton]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/24/business/24MERG.html)
REPORT FINDS FCC AND CONGRESS OFF COURSE IN THE TRANSITION TO DIGITAL TV
In a report released today entitled "A Consumer-Friendly Industrial Policy
for the Transition to Digital Television," by Consumer Federation of America
finds that digital television (DTV) policies being advanced by the Federal
Communications Commission and some in Congress are anti-consumer and will do
little to speed the transition to DTV. "Under the current DTV transition
policies, consumers are being forced to pay more for less," said CFA
Director of Research Dr. Mark Cooper, adding that higher costs and reduced
functionality "are more likely to slow the transition and leave new digital
media less innovative than it otherwise could be." The report examines two
key DTV issues: a digital tuner mandate which will drive up television
prices but offer consumers marginal value and a proposed "broadcast flag,"
which will curb home recording rights. CFA believes Congress and the FCC
should adopt consumer friendly policies to accelerate the DTV transition.
This can be accomplished by establishing digital must-carry policies and
open set-top box standards, compelling broadcasters to provide appealing
digital content and protecting consumer fair use rights.
[SOURCE: Consumer Federation of America]
(http://www.consumerfed.org/backpage/092402cooper_digitaltv.html)
See Also:
TAUZIN ISSUES STATEMENT ON DIGITAL TELEVISION BILL RELEASES DRAFT
[SOURCE: House Committee on Energy and Commerce]
(http://energycommerce.house.gov/107/news/09192002_731.htm)
INTERNET
EXPERTS TO CHART A WAY FOR COMBATING ONLINE RACISM
A conference being held this week in Brussels brings together U.S. and
European policy makers and Internet experts to discuss strategies to combat
violence, racism and xenophobia on the Internet. The conference, organized
by Oxford University's Program in Comparative Medial Law and Policy, will
attempt to bring together different points of view on how to deal with
objectionable content on the Internet. "Conflict between a very liberal U.S.
approach to Free Speech and European countries' bans on incitement to racial
hatred is in danger of making the internet a safe haven for organized
racism," says Damian Tambini of the University of Oxford. "Most European
Race Hate sites are hosted in the US. State regulation is neither possible
nor desirable; the only route forward is for the industry itself to develop
an international strategy for dealing with race hatred, and this meeting is
an important step forward."
[SOURCE: SelfRegulation.info]
(http://www.selfregulation.info/iapcoda/press-020924.htm)
ALL THE NEWS GOOGLE ALGORITHMS SAY IS FIT TO PRINT
The popular U.S. based search engine Google announced on Monday that it will
now offer a news feature that uses search algorithms instead of humans for
its news page. Google's co-founder Larry Page says the company is trying to
leverage the experience of all the editors out there. The news featured on
the site comes from more than 4,000 web sites and is considered to be a
trial version, but Google may offer a fee based news service in the future
while syndicating news to other web sites.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Saul Hansell]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/24/technology/24GOOG.html)
EDTECH
MAKING GOOD ON PROMISES TO INCREASE FUNDING FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION
A new report by The Heritage Foundation recommends that Congress increase
funding for special education by transferring funds from a wide range other
programs. The report calls for the immediate elimination of over funding for
over 20 programs. Several of the programs the foundation suggests cutting
support the use of technology in the schools, including Community Technology
Centers and Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use
Technology.
[SOURCE: The Heritage Foundation, AUTHOR: Krista Kafer]
(http://www.heritage.org/Research/Education/bg1585.cfm)
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