Noteworthy Telecom & Broadband Articles This is a list of current articles, reports and other documents pertaining to Broadband, Internet, Telecom, Competition issues, Legislation and Policy, and Bell issues, from their monopoly control to their entry into Long Distance. These articles are excerpted from numerous sources that have daily digests or listings ---- We recommend that you visit these sites and see their entire catalog of materials or join their listserves. (Note: Some links may change over time. Please let us know if there's a problems news@newnetworks.com CyberTelecom http://www.cybertelecom.org TelecomWeb http://telecomweb.com DSLReports http://www.dslreports.com Benton Foundation http://www.benton.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'DIGITAL DIVIDE' PLAN IN PERIL, Washington Post, February, 5 2002 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23353-2002Feb4.html President Bush's proposed budget for next year would kill two widely heralded grant programs to help low-income, rural and other disadvantaged groups share in the benefits of high technology. The Technology Opportunities Program, a federal initiative aimed at bridging the "digital divide" through $45 million in grants to state and local agencies and nonprofit groups, would be eliminated by the proposed budget released yesterday. Also slated for elimination is a companion Community Technology Centers program funded through the Department of Education. "We're very disturbed that these investments will potentially be axed," said Norris Dickard, a senior associate at the Benton Foundation. The Technology Opportunities Program "has been a laboratory of how technology can empower low-income communities to solve social problems," said Dickard. The proposed Bush budget also would slash high-tech research grants, which went to corporations and universities, by 42 percent, from $185 million in 2002 to $108 million in 2003. FEDERAL GOV PUBLISHES INTERNET REPORT, NTIA, February 4, 2002 http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/dn/nationonline_020502.htm Today, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Economics and Statistics Administration released A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the Internet. The report -- based on the September 2001U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey -- provides comprehensive information on Americans' connectivity to the Internet, broadband services and computers. According to the study, in September 2001, 143 million Americans (about 54 percent of the population) were using the Internet. It also found that children and teenagers are more likely to use computers and the Internet than any other age group. Ninety percent of children between the ages of 5 and 17 (or 48 million) now use computers. The report's finding, however, still point large divides between technology "haves" and "have nots." People with mental or physical disabilities, for example, are stell less likely than those without such disabilities to use computers or the Internet. A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use Of The Internet, NTIA, February 4, 2002 http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/dn/nationonline_020502.pdf U.N. LOOKS TO NARROW TECH GAP, Associated Press, February 4, 2002 http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20020205/tc/global_tech_gap_1.html A two-year Global Digital Opportunity Initiative, announced Tuesday by the United Nations Development Program and the Markle Foundation, hopes to use communications technology to improve health care, education and economic development. The initiative, announced at the close of the five-day World Economic Forum, will provide high-tech consultants to help boost the information technology infrastructure of dozens of developing nations those. "New technologies, deployed appropriately, offer an unprecedented opportunity to meet global development challenges,'' said Zoe Baird, president of the Markle Foundation. Many delegates at the forum discussed development problems, including the so-called "digital divide," but few concrete initiatives were announced at the forum. On Account Of Enron..., Internet News, February 4, 2002 http://boston.internet.com/news/article/0,1928,2001_967931,00.html Global Crossing Denies Improprieties, Internet News, February 4, 2002 http://www.internetnews.com/fina-news/article/0,,5_967641,00.html Global Crossing Denies Charge of Employee, NYT,February 4, 2002 http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/05/technology/05GLOB.html Report of the Task Force on Broadband Communications -Italy, Italy, February 4, 2002 http://www.mininnovazione.it/broadband/documenti_pdf/sintesi_eng.PDF Study: European broadband stifled, Reuters, February 4, 2002 2002http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/ptech/02/04/broadband.study.reut/index.html Congress Blasted For Tech Legislation, Info World, February 4, 2002 http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/02/02/04/020204hncato.xml White House Slashes Technology Grant Program, Reuters, February 4, 2002 http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=technologynews&StoryID=568370 Digital Divide' Plan in Peril (TOP & CTC), Wash Tech, February 4, 2002 http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/15004-1.html Commerce Secretary Don Evans Releases Recommendations to Improve the Advanced Technology Program (ATP), DOC, February 4, 2002 http://osecnt13.osec.doc.gov/public.nsf/docs/Evans-Releases-ATP U.S. Web usage hits 54 percent (54% pop using net as of Sept 2001), MSNBC, February 4, 2002 http://www.msnbc.com/news/699335.asp?0si=-#BODY Census finds technology gains across age groups, USAToday, February 4, 2002 http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2002/02/04/tech-census.htm After Global Crossing, Is There Any Hope for Broadband? Business 2.0, February 05, 2002 http://www.business2.com/articles/web/print/0,1650,37642,FF.html Touch America: Qwest Is Cheating, Net Economy, February 5, 2002 http://www.theneteconomy.com/article/0,3658,s%253D902%2526a%253D22394,00.asp DARCY TING, et al. v AT&T Case No - C 01-02969 BZ Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law holding the legal remedies provisions in AT&T's Consumer Service Agreement illegal and unconscionable and enjoining AT&T from including those provisions in its Consumer Service Agreement., January 21, 2002 http://www.cand.uscourts.gov/cand/tentrule.nsf/4f9d4c4a03b0cf70882567980073b2e4/589888bdbbb8e87388256b430062108a?OpenDocument Ameritech Asked To Clarify Privacy Notices, Clec-Planet , January 21, 2002 http://www.clec-planet.com/news/01jan2002/21ameritech.html Broadband prices are rising, narrowing sales, study says Chicago Tribune,January 21, 2002 http://chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0201210002jan21.story?coll=chi%2Dbusiness%2Dhed Tech lobby pushes to make broadband a national priority, January 14, 2002 http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/svtop/broad011502.htm FCC PROPOSES $6 MILLION FINE AGAINST SBC COMMUNICATIONS, INC.. FCC, January 18, 2002 http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-219345A1.pdf Tech leaders see super-fast Web access as new manifest destiny, AP, January 18, 2002 http://www.businesstoday.com/business/technology/ap_webaccess01182002.htm Study: Broadband fees climbed in 2001, CNET, January 18, 2002 http://news.com.com/2100-1033-818013.html?tag=cd_mh Lawmakers Urge Stronger Telecom Act Enforcement From FCC, Wash Tech, January 18, 2002 http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/14741-1.html FCC PROPOSES $6 MILLION FINE AGAINST SBC COMMUNICATIONS, INC.. FCC, January 18, 2002 http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-219345A1.pdf USIIA 2002 Internet Policy Forecast, ISP Planet, January 18, 2002 http://isp-planet.com/news/2002/usiia_020118.html E-Data Telecom: Yankee Group Survey Shows Why InternetUsers Choose Not To Have Internet Access At Home,ITAA, January 18, 2002 http://www.itaa.org/isec/pubs/e20021-08.pdf US Women's Net Use Grows, Newsbytes, January 18, 2002 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/173781.html More women heading home to surf, CNET, January 18, 2002 http://news.com.com/2100-1023-818593.html Watch Out, They're Associating! , ISP-Planet, January 17, 2002 http://www.isp-planet.com/news/2002/assoc_020117.html TELECOM'S MAN OF THE MOMENT, USA Today, January 17, 2002 http://www.sciam.com/2002/0202issue/0202profile.html Recently celebrating his first anniversary as chairman of Federal Communications Commission, Michael K. Powell has established himself as a strong free-market advocate who has steadily advanced a mantra of "less regulation, more competition." Having initiated policy reviews on everything from cross-media ownership to how the radio-frequency spectrum should be allocated, Powell says he is eager to create "a coherent, cogent vision" of the commission's goals and activities. His critics, though, assert that he has to clearly articulate his policy goals. The trouble is that "he doesn't distinguish between diversity in the sense of variety of content and diversity in the sense of independence of voices and opinions," contends Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president and CEO of the Media Access Project, a public-interest law firm. "The test we're looking for is whether he'll try to use technology to promote the [media] diversity goals he talks about." [SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Julie Wakefield] Congress Took Enron Donations, LA Times, January 17, 2002 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64626-2002Jan17.html Does Fast Internet Need a Push?, Wash Tech, January 17, 2002 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45676-2002Jan14.html Broadband Fees Up; Adoption Rates Down, Cyberatlas, January 17, 2002 http://cyberatlas.com/markets/broadband/article/0,,10099_957511,00.html CEOs Issue Broadband Challenge, Internet News, January 17, 2002 http://www.internetnews.com/isp-news/article/0,,8_955511,00.html Groups Lobby For More Broadband, Wash Tech, January 17, 2002 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/173638.html ISPs form lobbying group, CNET, January 17, 2002 http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-8495031.html ISP Giants Form New Lobbying Group, Wash Tech, January 17, 2002 http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/14665-1.html An Economic Exploration into the Future of Industry Structure for the "Last Mile" in Local Telecommunications Markets, Paper , Phoenix-Center, January 15th, 2002 http://www.phoenix-center.org/pcpp/PCPP12.pdf High-Tech Giants Won't Take Broadband Bill Position, Newsbytes January 15, 2002 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/173653.html CABLE RATE HIKES OUTPACE INFLATION, USA Today, January 15, 2002 http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20020115/3771412s.htm TECH LOBBY PUSHES TO MAKE BROADBAND A NATIONAL PRIORITY, Washington Post January 15, 2002 http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/depth/broad011502.htm Bells To Pitch Their Point, ISP News, Jnaury 15, 2002 http://www.internetnews.com/isp-news/article/0,,8_953221,00.html Broadband Flavors, The Washington Post, January 15, 2002 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46134-2002Jan14.html ISP Giants Form New Lobbying Group , Newsbytes Jan 14, 2002 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/173633.html SBC's Whitacre Says Effective Broadband Policy Could Fuel Economic Recovery,SBC Communications Inc, Press Release, January 14, 2002 http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020114/142513_1.html High-Tech Companies Prod Bush On Broadband Agenda, Newsbytes January 14, 2002 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/173634.html Will 2002 Be The Year Of Broadband?, BBC, January 14, 2002 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1755000/1755343.stm Maryland Bills Take Aim at Verizon, Wash Tech, January 11, 2002 http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/14624-1.html Broadband Strategy got Enron in Trouble, Newsbytes, January 11, 2002 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/173311.html Should Telecom Regulations Be Scrapped?, ISP Planet, January 11, 2002 http://isp-planet.com/politics/2002/voice_cable_regulations.html FCC: Verizon Must Disclose Competition Audit Results, Wash Tech, January 11, 2002 http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/14598-1.html Divining the Future of Law and Technology, NYT, January 11, 2002 http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/11/technology/11CYBERLAW.html The nine assassins of broadband, ZDNet, January 10, 2002 http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/zd/20020110/tc/the_nine_assassins_of_broadband_1.html @Home pulling plug on cable partners, CNET, January 10, 2002 http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/cn/20020110/tc/_home_pulling_plug_on_cable_partners_1.html Applications May Lead Europeans to Broadband, CyberAtlas, January 10, 2002 http://cyberatlas.internet.com/markets/broadband/article/0,,10099_951951,00.html Former Dot-Com Shifts From E-Biz to G-Strings, January 10, 2002 http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20020110/wr/leisure_topless_dc_1.html Dumbest Headline of the Year --- So far. ----"Experts Foresee More Mass-Mailing Viruses In 2002", Tech Web, January 10, 2002 http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/cmp/20020103/tc/inw20020103s0004_1.html BPU Support of Verizon's Bid to Offer Long Distance Is Right Call for New Jersey Consumers, SOURCE: Verizon Communications, January 9, 2002 http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020109/nyw070_1.html Who's Holding Back Broadband?, By Lawrence Lessig, Washington Post, January 9, 2002 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11361-2002Jan7.html Tech Firms Cautious About Forming Broadband Group, by Teri Rucker <mailto:trucker@nationaljournal.com, January 9th, 2002 Requires membership. The DLECs' demise, Networks world Fusion, January 7, 2002 http://www.nwfusion.com/research/2002/0107feat.html Boxers or Briefs? Rep. Dingell's Airport Exposure, the Washington Post, January 8, 2002 http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A1 Dingell Asks For Investigation Of Recent Long-Distance Rate Increases, ATT, Telecom Web, January 9, 2002 http://www.telecomweb.com RCN TRANSFERS DSL CUSTOMERS TO BROADVIEW NETWORKS, press release, January 8, 2002 http://www.broadviewnet.com/RCN/RCNTrans_TelecomDSL.asp?scenario=0 QWEST COMMUNICATIONS CHAIRMAN AND CEO JOSEPH NACCHIO ASSUMES CHAIR OF NETWORK RELIABILITY AND INTEROPERABILITY COUNCIL, January 4, 2002http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Miscellaneous/News_Releases/2002/nrmc0201.html The Front Lines Newsletter, January 7, 2002 (This has a good rounfup of state issues:)http://www.thefrontlines-hlg.com/ 2002: The good, the bad, and the ugly, January 7, 2002http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/zd/20020107/tc/2002_the_good_the_bad_and_the_ugly_1.html DOJ revamps antitrust division, CNET, January 07, 2002 http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/cn/20020106/tc/doj_revamps_antitrust_division_1.html Europe's Broadband Users Have Much In Common - Report , Newsbytes, Jan 4, 2002 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/173400.html DOJ OKs Verizon's Rhode Island Long-Distance Bid , Newsbytes, January 4, 2002 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/173399.html Telecom Bonds 2002: Hell, Purgatory and Heaven-SSB, Reuters, January 5, 2002 http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20020105/tc/telecom_bonds_salomon_dc_1.html Senate Leader Stumps For More Tech Funding, Tax Breaks Newsbytes, Janury 4, 2002 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/173403.html A $230 a Month Cable Bill? Time Warner cable aims sky high, Daily news, Janury 5th, 2002 http://www.nydailynews.com/2002-01-05/News_and_Views/Media_and_Business/a-137241.asp CompTel calls on FCC to make RBOC audits public, COMPTEL, January 3rd, 2002 http://www.comptel.org/press/jan3_2002.html The Competitive Telecommunications Association (CompTel) today sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging it to disclose critical data about the magnitude and scope of Verizon Communication’s discriminatory treatment of unaffiliated carriers, alluded to in Verizon’s Section 272 Biennial Audit Report for New York. CompTel is opposed to the FCC’s apparent acquiescence to Verizon’s unilateral redaction of audit results. ISP News -- BellSouth: A DSL Success Story, January 3, 2002 http://www.internetnews.com/isp-news/article/0,,8_948321,00.html BellSouth's "Howling Repudiation' Says Coalition, Clec-Planet January 4, 2002 http://www.clecplanet.com/news/01jan2002/04howling.html Telecom Suffered Record Layoffs In 2001, Newsbytes, January 3, 2002 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/173367.html Michigan Governor Pushes Broadband Deployment, Telecom Web, January 4, 2002 http://www.telecomweb.com/broadband/feature.htm Verizon Seeks Advantage Over Smaller Competitors, New York Times December 16th, 2001 http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/15/nyregion/15VERI.html?todaysheadlines TOTAL NUMBER OF INTERNET ADDRESSES SHRINKS, Washington Post, January 3, 2002 http://www.washtech.com/news/netarch/14421-1.html The total number of Internet addresses worldwide fell in December for only the second time in nearly six years, according to a survey by Netcraft. The fall has been put down to a drop in the practice of domain name speculation. Netcraft also predicted that the drop off in domain-name speculation would boost the percentage of Internet addresses that are "active" at any given time on the Web. Former ICANN President Mike Roberts said that during his tenure with the organization that manages the Internet's addressing system, no more than two-thirds of all registered domain names were being actively used at any time. SBC Overcharging, According to Court, Telecom Daily, January 2, 2002 http://www.faulkner.com/telecom/default.htm Consumer demand for interactive TV has yet to meet industry expectations, CNET, January 2, 2002 http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-8324400.html Internet shrinks to fit, CNET January 2, 2002 http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-8335964.html?tag=mn_hd Predictions for 2002 Special Feature: VoDSL In 2002:, Dead Or Alive?, CMP, January 2, 2002 http://www.tmcnet.com/tmcnet/articles/1201ov.htm Qwest Plan Stirs Protest Over Privacy, NYTimes, January 2, 2002 http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/01/technology/01QWES.html State AGs Push Opt-In Rules For Telcos, Newsbytes, January 2, 2002 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/173328.html AT&T customers to see fee hike, CNET News.com, January 02, 2002 http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/cn/20020102/tc/at_t_customers_to_see_fee_hike_1.html Telephone deregulation's purpose is simple, Cleveland Plain Dealer, December 24, 2001 http://www.cleveland.com/editorials/plaindealer/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/opinion/10091898162039350.xml AT&T, MCI and Sprint Hike Rates, Washington Post, January 1, 2002 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46874-2001Dec31.html FCC Reconsiders Long-Distance Plan, AP, December 31, 2001 http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011231/tc/sbc_long_distance_2.html Comcast customers report migration snags, CNET, 12/31/01 http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/cn/20011230/tc/comcast_customers_report_migration_snags_1.html Telecommunications: The Broadband Deregulation Debate, WashTech, (Dec. 2001) http://www.washtech.com/specialreports/telecom_debate.html Missed Access Goal Costs SBC Another $1.95 Million, Reuters, 12/26/01 http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011226/tc/telecoms_sbc_dc_1.html Oversight needed? Mishaps fuel regulation debate, CNET, 12/26/01 http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-201-8247424-0.html?tag=lh Consumers face narrow broadband market, CNET, 12/26/01 http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-201-8245315-0.html?tag=lh Broadband Strives To Make Its Mark In 2002, Telecomweb, 12/25/01 http://telecomweb.com/broadband/feature.htm Dump on DSL, but it's still the best bet for biz, Microsoft bCentral, 12/25/01 http://www.bcentral.com/articles/enbysk/104.asp Demand Grows for Net Service at High Speed, NY Times,12/24/01 http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/24/technology/ebusiness/24DSL.html?ex=1010437470&ei=1&en=7844de2a3c180432 BellSouth withdraws long-distance bids, CNET 12/20/01 http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-8243634.html?tag=mn_hd Internet-only radio: an unfulfilled vision, Nando, 12/20/01 http://www.nando.net/technology/story/197996p-1923081c.html COMMERCE DEPT. HEARS BROADBAND ARGUMENTS The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Thursday closed its window for taking comments on how it should shape its broadband policy. The request for comments, originally made on Nov. 16, comes at a time when the House of Representatives is preparing for an early spring vote on the Tauzin-Dingell bill, which would increase the ability of incumbent local service providers - namely the Baby Bells - to offer countrywide DSL high-speed Internet access in competition with cable, wireless and other companies. Many competitive local telecommunications companies and long-distance companies, are opposed to this, however, saying that the Baby Bells must abide by the market-opening requirements of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 before receiving long-distance approval for DSL services. "Studies show demand for broadband is still low," said John Windhausen, president of the Association of Local Telecommunications Services (ALTS), an opponent of the Tauzin-Dingell bill. "There is no benefit to artificially stimulating the availability of broadband to consumers that have little or no interest in subscribing, but there is great risk in adopting policies that limit competition or competitive access to necessary facilities." [SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Robert MacMillan, (Newsbytes.com)] http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/14286-1.html STATEMENT OF FCC CHAIRMAN MICHAEL POWELL ON WITHDRAWAL OF BELL SOUTH 271 APPLICATION, 12/20/01 http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Powell/Statements/2001/stmkp146.html Comcast to Acquire AT&T Broadband In $72B Deal, Newsfactor 12/20/01 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/15451.html Congressional Opinion Varies On AT&T-Comcast Deal, Wash Tech 12/20/01 http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/14273-1.html Telecom Markets Still Growing, INews 12/20/01 http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article/0,,10693_943851,00.html Covad Claws Free Of Bankruptcy, INews 12/20/01 http://www.internetnews.com/isp-news/article/0,,8_943841,00.html The Future Of Information Access, Newsfactor 12/20/01 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/15379.html Study: Interactive TV Won't Find Success on the Web, Newsfactor 12/20/01 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/15445.html Local Baby Bells blamed for broadband blues, Infoworld, December 19, 2001 http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/01/12/19/011219hnbabybells.xml Internet Measurements: Myths about Internet data, CAIDA 12/18/01 http://www.caida.org/outreach/presentations/Myths2001/mgp00001.html DSL Prime: GOP vs. Tauzin-Dingell, ISP Planet 12/18/01 http://isp-planet.com/technology/dsl_prime/prime_letter_121801.html Your ISP's Best Bet For Reselling Cable Access, ISP Planet 12/18/01 http://isp-planet.com/business/2001/going_cable.html Predictions for 2002 Special Feature: VoIP Addresses Availability, Cost, And Quality Of Service, TMC, 12/18/01 http://www.tmcnet.com/tmcnet/articles/1201ty.htm Predictions for 2002 Special Feature: What's Next For IP Telephony, TMC 12/18/01 http://www.tmcnet.com/tmcnet/articles/1201wc.htm Net2Phone posts wider loss on expenses, CNET 12/18/01 http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-8210481.html?tag=cd_mh Update on State and Local Revenue Loss From Internet Sales GAO-02-83R, December 6., GAO 12/18/01 http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0283r.pdf BellSouth to cut 1,200 more positions, CNET 12/14/01 http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-8176816.html?tag=cd_mh Qwest reports more losses; plans to cut another 7,000 jobs, NWFusion 12/14/01 http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2001/1213qwest.html Speed limits anger AT&T customers, CNET 12/10/01 http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-201-8052920-0.html?tag=tp_pr ISPs See More Broadband Disasters, INews 12/7/01 http://siliconvalley.internet.com/news/article/0,2198,3531_935511,00.html Gates appeals on broadband access, Guardian 12/7/01 http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,7496,614651,00.html Broadband woes hobble Net ads: Gates, Times India, 12/7/01 http://timesofindia.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=1926069685 McLeodUSA Sells Wholesale ISP Assets, INews 12/7/01 http://www.internetnews.com/isp-news/article/0,,8_935791,00.html Judge delays Excite@Home decision, CNET 12/7/01 http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-8102356.html?tag=mn_hd Calif. ISPs Predict More Disasters On Horizon, Inews, 12/7/01 http://www.internetnews.com/isp-news/article/0,2171,8_935511,00.htm Feds To Draw 'Map' Of Internet (by the National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center which is a part of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency - NISAC is a partnership between DTRA and Los Alamos),, Newsfactor 12/7/01 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/15181.html Hacker explains recent exploits inside WorldCom network, CW 12/7/01 http://www.computerworld.com/storyba/0,4125,NAV47_STO66412,00.html DSL Prime Editorial: NRC vs. Tauzin-Dingell, ISP Planet 12/5/01 http://isp-planet.com/technology/dsl_prime/prime_editorial_120501.html Nortel, SBC and Northwestern U. Trialing Optical Systems, Opt Net 12/5/01 http://www.opticallynetworked.com/news/print/0,,10515_934301,00.html Michigan Pushes Broadband, FCW 12/5/01 http://www.fcw.com/geb/articles/2001/1203/web-mich-12-05-01.asp Lawmaker Says Broadband Vote Still On For December,, Wash Tech 12/5/01 http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/14035-1.html @Home To AT&T Migration Progress, INews 12/5/01 http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article/0,,3_934441,00.html Excite@Home to cease in February, MSNBC 12/5/01 http://www.msnbc.com/news/665584.asp?0si=- Excite @Home mess proves it: Regulate the Net...and now!, MSNBC 12/5/01 http://www.msnbc.com/news/667833.asp?0si=- Excite@Home to go out of business Feb. 28, USAToday, 12/5/01 http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001/12/05/excite-out-of-business.htm Microsoft ready to thwart AOL, USAToday 12/5/01 http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/invest/2001/12/05/microsoft-to-thwart-aol.htm Is Anyone Minding the Cable Store?, INews 12/5/01 http://www.internetnews.com/isp-news/article/0,2171,8_934231,00.html Will DSL benefit from @Home fall?, MSNBC 12/5/01 http://www.msnbc.com/news/667791.asp?0si=- Online Ad Spending Falls 9 Percent, Reuters 12/5/01 http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=internetnews&StoryID=428537 Speech by Chairman Powell At the Association for Local Telecommunications Services, Fcc 12/5/01 http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Powell/2001/spmkp111.html Is High-Speed Internet About To Crash?, Newsfactor, 12/4/01 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/15091.html Broadband Deregulation Around The Corner - Verizon Chief, Wash Tech 12/4/01 http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/14006-1.html Bringing broadband to the home: more steam for Internet Access, ITU 12/4/01 http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2001/27.html Deals Keep @Home Viewers Connected, Newsbytes 12/4/01 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172667.html Microsoft backs two bids vs. AOL, MSNBC 12/4/01 http://www.msnbc.com/news/667087.asp?0si=- Some answers for @Home customers, MSNBC 12/4/01 http://www.msnbc.com/news/667034.asp?0si=- Many @Home customers still offline, MSNBC 12/4/01 http://www.msnbc.com/news/665584.asp?0si=- Three Giants Square Off in the Bidding for AT&T Broadband, NYT 12/4/01 http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/04/business/04PLAC.html Excite@Home pulls Plug, CNEWS 12/4/01 http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSTechNews0112/03_excite-ap.html Deals may keep @Home users connected to Net, USAToday, 12/4/01 http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001/12/01/excite-att-shutdown.htm Some Excite@Home customers still without access to high-speed Internet service, Nando 12/4/01 http://www.nando.net/technology/story/185572p-1799669c.html Study: Internet Likely to Power U.S. Economy Over Next Decade, Newsfactor 12/4/01 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/15097.html REMARKS OF MICHAEL K. POWELL, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION. CMMR. At the Association for Local Telecommunications Services, Crystal City, VA DOC-218086A1.doc DOC-218086A1.pdf DOC-218086A1.txt, FCC 12/4/01 http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-218086A1.pdf No more public funds for BT's broadband push, Guardian 12/4/01 http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,7496,611511,00.html ONLINE PEOPLE GIVE LESS TIME TO TV, Issue: Internet The Web is gaining on television in the battle for attention from the Internet generation, according to the UCLA Internet Report 2001, an annual survey of the Internet's impact on American life funded by the National Science Foundation. The study, to be released today, found that Internet users watch 4½ hours a week less television than do non-Internet users. And the longer people have been online, the less they watch TV. But broadcasters dispute the notion that Internet use is cutting into their business. "You can't view the Internet and TV as some sort of zero-sum game," said Dennis Wharton, a spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters. "Because you use one new medium, don't automatic assume that it draws away from another. [The study] seems to suggest that you can't walk and chew gum at the same time, and you can." The study also found that the number of people with Internet access continues to rise. More than 72 percent of Americans have Internet access, up from 67 percent last year, according to the study. Among those without access, 44.4 percent expect to get online in the next year. [SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Alec Klein] (http://www.washtech.com/news/media/13901-1.html) WorldCom Claims 'First' with 2-Way Space-Based Broadband, Newsfactor 11/28/01 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/15010.html Cox To Build Own High-Speed Network, MSNBC 11/28/01 http://www.msnbc.com/news/664153.asp?0si=- Excite@Home could unplug service Friday, CNET 11/28/01 http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-7996444.html?tag=cd_mh North American DSL Market Reaches 4.7 Million, CLEC Planet 11/28/01 http://www.clec-planet.com/news/000111/nov28north.html Telecom Firms Step Up Fight Against Bill, Wash Post, 11/27/01 http://www.washtech.com/news/telecom/13857-1.html Price war could kill small ISPs, CNEWS 11/27/01 http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSTechNews0111/27_bellrogers-cp.html 'Broadband fiasco' looms, Guardian 11/27/01 http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,7496,606143,00.html Top ISPs Report, NWFusion 11/23/01 http://www.nwfusion.com/research/topisp.html FCC Authorizes SBC to Provide Long Distance Service in Arkansas and Missouri, FCC 11/23/01 http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/News_Releases/2001/nrcc0146.html SBC 271 Statements: Abernathy , FCC 11/23/01 http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Abernathy/Statements/2001/stkqa110.html SBC 271 Statements Martin, FCC 11/23/01 http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Martin/Statements/2001/stkjm113.html SBC 271 Statements: Copps , FCC 11/23/01 http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Copps/Statements/2001/stmjc127.html Big telcos nearly dominate broadband arena, USAtoday 11/23/01 http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/invest/2001/11/23/telcos-broadband.htm Can broadband revive tech industry?, ZDNet 11/23/01 http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2826887,00.html?chkpt=zdnnp1tp02 Broadband Bill To Move Forward, Infoworld 11/19/01 http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/01/11/16/011116hnbroadbill.xml Number of U.S. Internet Subscribers Drops Again, Inews 11/16/01 http://www.internetnews.com/isp-news/article/0,2171,8_924691,00.html Competitors Rail Against SBC Abuses, INews 11/16/01 http://www.internetnews.com/isp-news/article/0,2171,8_925231,00.html JUSTICE WITHHOLDS SUPPORT FOR BELLSOUTH'S BID TO SELL LONG DISTANCE IN GEORGIA, LOUISIANA Issue: Competition The Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires incumbent carriers like BellSouth to make "unbundled network elements," such as local loops, switch ports, and transport facilities, available to competitors for lease on the basis of incremental cost. In return, the Baby Bells may apply to provide long-distance service. The Department of Justice on Tuesday declined to support BellSouth application to the Federal Communications Commission to provide long-distance telephone service in Georgia and Louisiana. [SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Dow Jones Newswires] (http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB1005092682739023160.htm) (requires subscription) Broadband defectors on the rise, MSNBC 11/7/01 http://www.msnbc.com/news/654135.asp?0si=- AT&T Is Sticking to Timetable on Cable Unit, NTY 11/7/01 http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/07/business/07CABL.html Broadband suffers economy's pinch, CNET 11/7/01 http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-7789746.html?tag=tp_pr Cox Begins Its First Open Access Broadband Trials, INews 11/7/01 http://www.internetnews.com/isp-news/article/0,2171,8_917471,00.html BROADBAND DEFECTORS ON THE RISE Issue: Broadband Broadband subscribers are beginning to do what some believed could not happen: abandon a new technology for an older one. Specifically, consumers are dumping their broadband connections in favor of dial-up. While it is yet to be determined whether these defectors will eventually re-up, what is clear is the economy, continuing broadband price hikes and a lack of compelling broadband content are prompting some to cancel their higher-speed connections. The impact is noticeable in the San Francisco Bay Area, where thousands of high-tech employees have lost their jobs. CNET notes that the defectors may not show up in the industry's earnings reports: broadband providers report quarterly growth in the overall number of subscribers - not losses. "I think the churn is just now beginning," adds Imran Khan, a Yankee Group research analyst. The industry disputes the analysis: EarthLink spokesman Kurt Rahn says that high-speed subscribers would "rather sell their grandmothers" than go back to a pokey dial-up connection. Maybe, but home broadband consumers can rely on their office's fast connection, rather than incur the cost at home. According to a recent Jupiter Research study, fewer than half of broadband subscribers used their connections for heavy multimedia use - they are still basically downloading email and surfing the Web as usual, practices not worth a $50 per month broadband bill. [SOURCE: CNET News.com, AUTHOR: John Borland] (http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-7789746.html) ALL CAUGHT UP IN HIGH-TECH HOMEWORK Issue: Edtech In classrooms these days, the old-fashioned papier-mâché volcano is being replaced with flash-animated Web graphics that illustrate such concepts as wave movement. Most teens with Internet access (94%) say they use it for schoolwork, and nearly 75% say the Net was the major source of information used in a recent school project, according to a September report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The U.S. Census says two-thirds of homes with school-age children have a PC. But assigning homework ''gets tricky,'' says high school teacher Jill Berge. ''We have to be careful about requiring things that all students don't have access to.'' Being aware of students who don't have home computers is important to teachers assigning technology, says Dennis Harper, president of Generation Yes (www.genyes.org), a program that works with teachers to incorporate technology into lessons. Another challenge is that many teachers don't know how to use technology themselves, and many don't have much incentive to teach it, because technology use isn't a factor on most states' standardized tests. [SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Karen Thomas] (http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20011106/3597984s.htm) Top U.S. ISPs by Subscriber: Q3 2001 (In Q2, ISP Planet reported that the top 20 ISPs made up 91% of the market; now, in Q3, ISP Planet is reporting that the top 20 ISPs make up only 58% of the market), ISP Planet 11/5/01 http://isp-planet.com/research/rankings/usa.html AT&T Broadband raises some rates, MSNBC 11/2/01 http://www.msnbc.com/news/651792.asp?0si=- Cable rate hikes at AT&T Broadband, CNET 11/2/01 http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-7759791.html?tag=cd_mh Rival Sues Verizon Alleging Antitrust Violations, Wash Tech 11/2/01 http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/13521-1.html THE NET: IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT SHOPPING, Issue: Internet Almost everybody uses the Net to get information and do research and, of course, to send e-mail. But only 61% use it to shop, and even fewer, 38%, use it to download music. That's according to a survey of Net users out today from Internet provider Prodigy. The findings provides yet another piece of evidence that the Net is still an informational -- rather than just a purely commercial - medium. The study also reveals that younger users tend to have a much more emotional connection with the Net: 21% of respondents 18 to 24 call the Net their ''best friend." Most of those surveyed (93%) predict that in 10 years the Net will still be helping people stay in touch, not isolating them. [SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Janet Kornblum] (http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20011031/3582459s.htm) WHAT DO BROADBAND CUSTOMERS WANT?, Issue: Broadband According to a study by McKinsey, Jupiter Media Metrix and Vividence, consumers want: "a faster, more intense experience." The companies asked what happens to consumers who have switched from a narrowband connection to a broadband pipe? Overall, they found that, as a proportion of time spent online Web surfing drops, although the hours actually spent on the Web increases. They also found that broadband is being adopted by a broad cross-section of age, family composition, sex and income, with penetration rates as high as 20 to 30 percent in some parts of the U.S. Additionally, once people have set up their broadband connection, they spend 27 percent more time online overall, average 37 percent more sessions a month, and view 17 percent more pages a month. [SOURCE: CNET News.com, AUTHOR: McKinsey Quarterly] (http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-201-7724280-0.html0 ISPs Push Heavy Users To Broadband, Cyberatlas, 10/30/01 http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171577.html Broadband Set to Surge, Top ISPs Lead the Way,, Newsfactor 10/30/01 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/14462.html DSL, Wireless Growth Nudge Verizon's Profit, Inews, 10/30/01 http://www.atnewyork.com/news/article/0,1471,8471_912821,00.html REMARKS OF KEVIN J. MARTIN, COMMISSIONER, FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION,. CMMR. AT THE NATIONAL SUMMIT ON BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT, OCTOBER 26, 2001, (As Prepared for Delivery), "Framework for Broadband Deployment" DOC-217205A1.doc DOC-217205A1.pdf DOC-217205A1.txt, FCC 10/30/01 http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-217205A1.pdf REMARKS OF MICHAEL K. POWELL, CHAIRMAN, FCC,. CMMR. AT THE NATIONAL SUMMIT ON BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT, WASHINGTON, DC DOC-217168A1.doc DOC-217168A1.pdf DOC-217168A1.txt, FCC 10/26/01 http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-217168A1.pdf Colt: bandwidth demand will fall, Guardian 10/25/01 http://www.guardian.co.uk/internetnews/story/0,7369,579073,00.html SBC Communications plans to cut several thousand jobs, Nando 10/22/01 http://www.nando.net/technology/story/149083p-1459248c.html Public 'Net access takes a Hit, NWFusion 10/22/01 http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2001/1022starbucks.html Net loss: Many pull out data from Web, Times India 10/22/01 http://timesofindia.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=630195973 CONSUMERS UNION WARNS AGAINST HIKES IN PAYPHONE CHARGES Issue: Telephony In response to a petition by the Texas Payphone Association to allow payphone operators to charge for local calls based on the length of the call, Consumers Union (CU) urged the Public Utility Commission to maintain its current prohibition on time sensitivity in local payphone pricing. According to CU, removing the prohibition on pricing payphone calls by time has the same effect as a flat rate increase to 75 cents or a dollar. In a response filed today with the PUC, CU emphasizes that the rule in question offers crucial consumer protections to the approximately 445,000 Texas households that don't have their own phones. Such low-income families depend on payphones for their day-to-day business, often with little control over the length of the essential calls. [SOURCE: Consumers Union] (http://www.consumersunion.org/finance/payphonesw1001.htm) SBC'S REGULATION RANT FALLS FLAT Issue: Earnings SBC CEO Edward E. Whitacre has placed the blame for SBC's quarterly results on the backs of regulators - not the economy nor the September 11th attacks. "I cannot overstate the impact regulation has had on growing our business," Whitacre said. "We are more heavily regulated than ever." Whitacre also said regulation's effect of raising the cost of business is the reason why SBC is cutting its capital spending by 20 percent and eliminating "several thousand jobs." Some just aren't buying what Whitacre is selling however: analysts said that perhaps Whitacre was peeved about recent events. Last week, the FCC imposed a $2.52 million fine against SBC for allegedly providing the commission with inaccurate information while seeking to gain approval to offer long-distance service in Oklahoma and Kansas. David Simpson, counsel for CISPA, which has filed suit against SBC over its domination of the DSL market in California says that Whitacre's remarks are "not a credible argument. SBC is regulated because it monopolizes." Other analysts believe the speech was an attempt to gear up support from Congress. "SBC wants broadband relief, but it's going to be tough," said Thomas Morabito, an analyst at McDonald Investments. "Do you think Congress really cares about this bill right now?" An SBC spokesman said the company didn't have any motives other than to point out that "inconsistent public policy" has hurt results just as much as a slowing economy has. [SOURCE: CNET News, AUTHOR: Larry Dignan] (http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-7618699.html) FCC SAYS LONG-DISTANCE ACCESS RULES OK, Issue: Telephony Long-distance telephone companies are not entitled to refuse reasonable requests for service and subsequent charges from smaller telephone companies, the Federal Communications Commission said in a ruling released Monday. AT&T criticized the FCC's action, saying it had faced unreasonable rates on business that it had never requested. "This is an extraordinary and unwarranted interference with the commercial marketplace that is inconsistent with the requirements of the Telecom Act," the company said. "We plan to appeal today's decision.", [SOURCE: CNET News, AUTHOR: Reuters Wire] (http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-7619265.html) SBC unveils $6 billion high-speed Net effort http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-853954.html http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/indepth/docs/sbc101999.htm Baby Bell breakup movement gains ground, CNET News.con, August 10, 2001 http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-6818658.html Structural Separation (HB 4764): Michigan can still lead the way to real phone competition http://www.mctpa.com/ss.html