GRANTS
NTIA's TOP Program Released Its Notice Of Availability Of Funds
(NTIA)
MERGER
Democrat On FCC Opposes AOL Deal (WP)
Russian TV Network Is Said to Be Talking to Turner (NYT)
WIRELESS
Taking The Offensive Against Cell Phones (NYT)
GRANTS
NTIA'S TOP PROGRAM RELEASED ITS NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS
Issue: Grants
On January 11, NTIA's TOP Program Released Its Notice Of Availability Of
Funds with a deadline for submitting proposals of March 22, 2001. Congress
appropriated $42.5 million for grants through TOP for Fiscal Year 2001. The
Application Kit contains the Notice and Guidelines for Preparing
Applications. For this year's grant round, TOP will hold Technical
Assistance Workshops in Washington, DC; Denver, CO; and St. Louis, MO to
give potential applicants an opportunity to find out more about applying
for grant funding.
[SOURCE: NTIA]
(http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/press/2001/topann011101.htm)
MERGER
DEMOCRAT ON FCC OPPOSES AOL DEAL
Issue: Merger
Commissioner Gloria Tristani of the Federal Communications Commission has
voted against America Online's merger with Time Warner out of concern that
the media combination would hurt consumers, prolonging what was supposed to
be a relatively speedy review by the agency. So far, three members have
voted and the deal cannot be ratified until all five have. The two
Republicans on the FCC - Michael K. Powell and Harold W. Furchtgott-Roth -
have already voted to approve the merger, and only one more vote in favor is
needed to sanction the giant media marriage. Commission Chairman William E.
Kennard and Commissioner Susan Ness could side with Tristani, their fellow
Democrat, but they are concerned that too many conditions on the merger
could put the commission in the awkward position of regulating the Internet
to the point of stifling innovation. Tristani's vote is not likely to derail
the deal, but insiders cautioned that it's still a fluid process. Under the
FCC's voting system, members can change their votes if significant changes
are made to the order outlining their decision. As of last night, the
commissioners still were wrangling over the language to be included in the
order.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E1), AUTHOR: Alec Klein]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/merger/6544-1.html)
RUSSIAN TV NETWORK IS SAID TO BE TALKING TO TURNER
Issue: Merger
Ted Turner is in talks to buy part of Russia's biggest independent
television network, NTV, which was founded and partly owned by Vladimir V.
Gusinsky, the Russian press tycoon. Gusinsky, a fierce critic of President
Vladimir V. Putin, is now under house arrest in Spain under orders from
Russia. For months he has sought a foreign investor to buy into his business
and block the government from gaining control. Sources say that the network
is in talks with a consortium of foreign investor interested in a acquiring
a 25 percent stake in the company. That would release NTV from it's the
control of its biggest shareholder, the government-controlled gas company,
Gazprom, which now owns 46 percent of the television network and holds
another 19 percent as collateral for a loan due in July.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Sabrina Tavernise]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/11/business/11MOSC.html)
(requires registration)
WIRELESS
TAKING THE OFFENSIVE AGAINST CELL PHONES
Issue: Wirless
A software engineer has developed a software that could automatically shift
a cell phone ringer to "vibrate" or turn it down a few notches whenever the
phone entered a quiet zone. Jeff Griffin was motivated by an embarrassing
situation in his church, when a woman's cell phone went off in the middle of
a sermon. "I said to myself, you know, there is a way to fix that, so that
poor woman won't have to remember to turn off her phone ever again."
Griffin's work is an attempt to solve the etiquette problems associated with
the shrill rings, and tortured electronic melodies that accompany the
addictive convenience of cell phones. According to recent industry figures,
more than 100 million Americans carry cell phones. Simply banning or
discouraging cell phone use seems to be the most popular technique so far.
"No Phone" signs are appearing in churches, classrooms, auditoriums, concert
halls and opera houses. Some people have equipped their buildings with radio
jammers that render cell phones useless. The software, which Mr. Griffin
calls Q-Zone, is not available on current cell phones. But the work of his
company, BlueLinx, is getting noticed as one of several attempts to solve
the etiquette problems of cell phones.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Lisa Guernsey]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/11/technology/11JAMS.html)
(requires registration)
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