Communications-related Headlines is a free daily online news
service provided by the Benton Foundation. It will keep you up
to date on important industry developments, policy issues, and
other pertinent communications-related news events. This service
is available online at (www.benton.org/News/).
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COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES for MARCH 6, 2000
INTERNET
Web Research Transforms Visit to the Doctor (NYT)
Internet Providers Try to Make Free Access Pay (NYT)
PRIVACY
DoubleClick´s Competitors Relieved, for Now (Cyber Times)
Clinton Warns Net Industry To Set Standards for Privacy (WSJ)
INTERNATIONAL
Move to Allow E-tailers to Advertise on French TV Fuels Debate,
Backlash (WSJ)
Rogers Communications Sets Sights High in Canada (WSJ)
China Releases an Entrepreneur Convicted of Internet Subversion
(WSJ)
SATELLITE
McCaw Says He Won't Rescue Iridium (WSJ)
MEDIA & SOCIETY
Media Violence - The Government Response (FCC)
INTERNET
WEB RESEARCH TRANSFORMS VISIT TO THE DOCTOR
Issue: Health/Internet
The Internet is having a profound impact on the relationship between
patients and doctors. With an estimated 100,000 medical Web sites online,
patients can look up any disease, drug or medical condition in seconds.
"It's a massive revolution," said Dr. Rita Charon, a specialist in internal
medicine at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons. "It
altogether shifts what goes on when a patient comes in with pages of
downloaded stuff and half the time the doctor looking at it has never seen
it before. There's a whole new set of emotions present." While many doctors
are resentful of demands being placed on them by Internet savvy patients,
the Web has empowered many people to become more involved in decisions about
their own health care. "Patients now have an active role," said John Franz,
a 42-year-old engineer who uses the Internet for health research. "With
managed care you almost have to. It's up to you now, and if the doctor's not
going to support that, you don't have to be involved with them."
[SOURCE: New York Times (A1), AUTHOR: Gina Kolata]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/03/biztech/articles/06inte.html)
INTERNET PROVIDERS TRY TO MAKE FREE ACCESS PAY
Issue: Internet
Lycos and NBC Interactive have just announced they would join a slew of
companies offering free Internet service. As free-access becomes a growing
trend, many still wonder weather this trend will alter the financial
fundamentals of the Internet industry. NetZero, the largest of the free
service providers, says its registered user base has reached 3 million --
which ranks it with Internet access providers like Earthlink and Microsoft's
MSN, although still well behind America Online's 20 million paying
subscribers. Many analysts, however, wonder whether consumers are willing to
be a captive audience to advertisers. A recent Jupiter study predicted that
by the end of 2003 only 13 percent of Internet users would receive access to
the network through a free provider. Despite the questions, many companies
are jumping on the free access bandwagon. Charles Katz, chief executive at
1stUp, the company behind AltaVista's free service and Excite@Home's
FreeLane acknowledges that free Internet service is not for every consumer
-- particularly those who object to Web sites' collecting data about them.
But his service is a viable alternative for consumers.
[SOURCE: New York Times (), AUTHOR: Laurie J. Flynn ]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/03/biztech/articles/06free.html)
PRIVACY
DOUBLECLICK´S COMPETITORS RELIEVED, FOR NOW
Issue: Privacy
Privacy Advocates were not the only ones who cheered DoubleClick's
announcement last week that they would hold off on matching names and other
data with its database of information about Internet users. The company's
competitors were glad to hear it too. The announcement came just as advocacy
groups and legislators were beginning to look beyond DoubleClick at other
online advertisers' privacy policies. At least one company, 24/7 Media is
has been planning to marry offline data about consumers' spending habits
with data compiled about their online viewing habits much the way that
DoubleClick did. 24/7 believes that because its methods are slightly
different from DoubleClick's consumers shouldn't have a problem with them.
Privacy groups don't agree. As Congress and the Federal Trade Commission
continue to investigate online privacy - and as the industry pushes for
self-regulation - more subtle nuances about the methods of advertising
networks will almost surely be discussed, leaving some to wonder whether the
industry's self-regulation plans could survive such scrutiny.
[SOURCE: Cyber Times AUTHOR: Bob Tedeschi]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/03/cyber/commerce/06commerce.html)
CLINTON WARNS NET INDUSTRY TO SET STANDARDS FOR PRIVACY
Issue: Privacy
President Clinton delivered on Friday a blunt warning to the high-tech
industry: Either adopt minimum privacy standards or the government will do
it. "I hope that all of you will work with us and work together among
yourselves to maximize the possibilities of an open Internet by securing
Americans' fundamental right to privacy," the President said to a group of
tech industry executives in San Jose Calif. With these comments, the
President effectively put the industry on notice that unless it can put its
own house in order, political pressure will grow to have the government take
on the task.
[SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Interactive, AUTHOR: Alex Keto]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB952127598514787472.htm)
INTERNATIONAL
MOVE TO ALLOW E-TAILERS TO ADVERTISE ON FRENCH TV FUELS DEBATE, BACKLASH
Issue: International
In an effort to promote the growth of the Internet in France, the nations
broadcasting watchdog, the Conseil Superieur de l'Aduiovisuel (CSA) said
that Internet retailers should be exempt from the 1992 law prohibiting
retailers, media, film companies and publishers from advertising on
television. The statement drew criticism from France's Culture Minister,
Catherine Trautmann who sent a letter to the CSA's president urging the
group to review its decision. If Internet retailers are permitted to
advertise on television, then traditional retailers could promote themselves
by advertising their Web sites. The government fears this loophole. The CSA,
however, feels that the exemption will help French Internet companies
compete with those in other countries around the world.
[SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal (A27E), AUTHOR: Sarah Ellison]
(http://interactive.wsj.com)
ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS SETS SIGHTS HIGH IN CANADA
Issue: Cable/Competition
Rogers Communications, a leading cable provider in Canada, is seeking to
compete head-on with Bell Canada, Canada's dominate telecommunications firm,
by becoming the one-stop shop for Canadians communication needs. Rogers
Communications, through its early investments in "two-way cable", is able to
offer cable Internet service to nearly 5% of the Canadian population. In
comparison, fewer than 1.5% of US cable households have cable Internet. The
two-way cable will also allow Rogers to offer Web surfing and e-mail on
television sets. Recently, Rogers acquired the company Groupe Videotron,
which is developing Internet protocol technology to provide cable customers
phone service over their cable connection. Bell Canada, on the other hand,
is moving to offer video over its phone lines. The problem is that the
technology involved with transmitting video over phone lines hasn't been
perfected yet and is expensive to roll out in homes. "The question is who
gets there first, and ultimately it's going to be easier for Rogers to offer
telephone than it will be for Bell Canada to offer video," said Michael
Harris of Kinetic Strategies, a firm that tracks the North American cable
industry.
[SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal (B4), AUTHOR: Mark Heinzl]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB952294062383588371.htm)
CHINA RELEASES AN ENTREPRENEUR CONVICTED OF INTERNET SUBVERSION
Issue: Internet/Political Discourse
Lin Hai's role as China's first "cyberdissident" came to a close Sept. 23,
when he was released six months ahead of completing a two-year prison term.
Mr. Lin was sentenced in January 1999 for "inciting the overthrow of state
power" because he shared 30,000 Chinese e-mail addresses with VIP Reference,
a pro-democracy Internet journal based in the U.S. At the time, Mr. Lin was
running a company supplying Web design and other services, and his family
argued that he was just sharing user addresses to promote his business. Mr.
Lin's case highlighted the fear of the Internet among Chinese authorities,
who like the medium's economic promise but not its potential for aiding
political challenges to the regime. "They realized once they had him in
detention that he's not your hard-core dissident," says one diplomat.
[SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal Interactive, AUTHOR: Leslie Chang]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB952284245377547038.htm)
SATELLITE
MCCAW SAYS HE WON'T RESCUE IRIDIUM
Issue: Satellite
Iridium, the satellite-phone system, is on the verge of liquidation after
Craig McCaw walked away from his proposed $600 million rescue plan. McCaw
had recently outlined plans to seize control of Iridium and combine it with
ICO Global Communications, another satellite-phone venture. It appears that
McCaw dumped Iridium in favor of a deal between ICO and the company
Teledesic. "After careful examination of Iridium's technologies, we
determined that there are closer synergies between ICO and Teledesic," said
Eagle River President Dennis Weibling. Eagle River is McCaw's investment
firm. Motorola, the prime contractor for Iridium, said it would not be the
sole provider of additional financing. It has already lost several billion
dollars supporting the company. If no financing partner is found, Motorola
has the option of taking the 66 Iridium satellites out of orbit, at a cost
of $70 million, by letting them burn up in the atmosphere before they fall
to earth.
[SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal (A13), AUTHOR: Scott Thurm]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB952126240208133879.htm)
MEDIA & SOCIETY
MEDIA VIOLENCE - THE GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
Issue: Media & Society
Text of Commissioner Gloria Tristani's remarks at Emory University.
Commissioner Tristani spoke government response to media violence.
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Tristani/2000/spgt004.html)
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The Benton Foundation's Communications Policy and Practice (CPP)
(www.benton.org/cpphome.html)
Communications-related Headline Service is posted Monday through Friday. The
Headlines are highlights of news articles summarized by staff at the Benton
Foundation. They describe articles of interest to the work of the Foundation
-- primarily those covering long term trends and developments in
communications, technology, journalism, public service media, regulation and
philanthropy. While the summaries are factually accurate, their often
informal tone does not represent the tone of the original articles.
Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (kevint@benton.org), Rachel Anderson
(rachel@benton.org), Jamal Le Blanc (jamal@benton.org), Nancy Gillis
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