From: "Swisher, Bob" <bswisher@ou.edu>
To: "'it-fyi@listserv.ou.edu'" <it-fyi@lists.ou.edu>
Subject: FW: Edupage, 5 May 1999
Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 14:16:05 -0500
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Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, an international nonprofit association
dedicated to transforming education through information technologies.
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TOP STORIES for May 5, 1999
FCC Mulls Boosting Internet Funding for Schools, Libraries
Clinton and SEC Pledge to Get Tough on Internet Trading Fraud
Internet Address Firm Subject of Antitrust Probe
Wang Sold to Dutch Group for $1.8bn
ALSO
Gore Lets Parents in on Children's Internet Safeguards
A Virtual Student Teaches Himself
Business Benefits Seen in Internet2
FCC MULLS BOOSTING INTERNET FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES
The FCC may provide an additional $1 billion in funding for a program to
provide Internet connections to schools and libraries. FCC Chairman
William Kennard believes funding should be upped to $2.25 billion next
year to provide Internet technology to rural areas. The FCC had
approved $1.9 billion in funding for the first year and a half of the
program. Kennard is trying to convince the other commission members to
approve additional funding at the agency meeting next week. While FCC
officials indicated that the additional funding should not cause an
increase in consumer phone bills, legislators and consumer groupsare
likely to fight the plan. (Wall Street Journal 05/05/99)
CLINTON AND SEC PLEDGE TO GET TOUGH ON INTERNET TRADING FRAUD
President Clinton and SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt made separate pledges
Tuesday to crack down on fraudulent Internet trading practices. Clinton
unveiled a package of consumer protection initiatives for the financial
services industry, and called on the Justice Department to boost its
prosecutions of Internet fraud. He also promised to provide more
training for federal and state prosecutors in the area of Internet
fraud. "If we want to seize the Internet's full potential, we have to
stay ahead of those who would use this open medium to manipulate stock
prices, commit fraud in online auctions, or perpetuate any other type of
financial scam," Clinton said. Meanwhile, Levitt said the SEC was
increasing its surveillance of online stockbrokers' business and
advertising practices, warning them to maintain the highest standards of
practice. Levitt will double the number of SEC Cyberforce attorneys and
analysts this year, to 250, and will askfor an additional $11 million in
funding for the agency's fraud unit next year. (Financial Times
05/05/99)
INTERNET ADDRESS FIRM SUBJECT OF ANTITRUST PROBE
The Justice Department has launched an inquiry into allegations that
Network Solutions (NSI) has violated antitrust laws by retaining
absolute ownership of a database of customer names and electronic
addresses, according to sources. The allegations have been leveled by
several NSI rivals who claim they need access to the database in order
to effectively compete against the company. NSI is arguing that language
in the company's agreement with the National Science Foundation allows
the company to claim ownership of any intellectual property created in
the address-registration process. NSI's Christopher Clough contends it
is "very clear" that NSI has the rights to the data. In addition, NSI
claims that releasing the data could cause privacy problems that would
allow Internet retailers to send out millions of bulk e-mail messages.
A Justice department spokeswoman says the department is "looking into
the possibility of anti-competitive practices in the Internet address
registration industry." (Washington Post 05/05/99)
WANG SOLD TO DUTCH GROUP FOR $1.8BN
Dutch IT company Getronics has acquired the struggling Wang Global for
about $1.8 billion. The deal will make Getronics the top IT service
provider in Europe, and give the company a significant presence in the
U.S. Wang is one of the best-known names in the computer industry, but
filed for bankruptcy protection in 1993 and has been struggling to
redefine itself ever since. Together, the combined company will be able
to make the big technology investments required to succeed in the
rapidly-changing industry, which neither could afford on its own.
(Financial Times 05/05/99)
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GORE LETS PARENTS IN ON CHILDREN'S INTERNET SAFEGUARDS
After invoking the recent tragedy in Littleton, Vice President Al Gore
yesterday said that he will outline on Wednesday Internet protections
for children, including safety advice, a list of child-friendly Web
sites, and Web browsing tools. The safeguards are part of an agreement
with computer industry executives, brokered by Gore, that aims to ease
parents' concern about their children's online wanderings, Gore said.
Another aim of the initiative is to place resources for parents "one
click away" from many Web sites. With those goals in mind, the
companies will provide links to filtering software and monitoring
programs. In related news, FCC Chairman William Kennard unveiled Tuesday
an addition to the FCC Web site -- the Parents, Kids, and Communications
section -- that leads visitors to technologies that shield children from
harmful material on the Internet and other mediums. Kennard also said
that schools and libraries receiving federal e-rate funding should come
up with "acceptable use policies." (Washington Post 05/05/99)
A VIRTUAL STUDENT TEACHES HIMSELF
Western Governors University is a new breed of virtual university that
is using technology to reach students who are unable to get to
traditional classrooms. The university provides a central Web site that
lists the distance-learning courses offered at participating schools and
allows students to easily search for a college course online, enroll,
and start working toward a degree with just a few mouse clicks. But
even more unusual is the school's goal of helping people to get degrees
based on what they already know, what they teach themselves, or what
they learn through any other method. No professors, syllabi, or
textbooks are required. Students simply must pass enough standardized
tests and turn in enough independent projects to convince the university
that they know the material. Many universities have long offered
correspondence courses and allowed students to get some credits by
simply passing a test, and some observers say Western Governors is not
as revolutionary as it may seem. But WGU officials say they are the
first to offer degrees based entirely on third-party testing, which
unravels the faculty role by placing the authority to design, deliver,
and test a course of study in the hands of several groups rather than a
single professor. Meanwhile, critics say that basing a student's degree
simply on standardized tests cannot measure the higher-order thinking
that is fostered in a university environment. (Chronicle of Higher
Education 05/07/99)
BUSINESS BENEFITS SEEN IN INTERNET2
Although Internet2 is so far used mostly by universities, its developers
say that eventually its high-speed technology will help improve the
Internet and thus offer benefits to businesses. Companies could benefit
if new technologies ensure high-quality video and audio links over the
Web, for example. Texas A&M researcher James Wall has already seen the
benefits of Internet2 -- he's saving $1,000 per hour in satellite link
fees to test an intelligent communications manager used in trauma care.
The Internet2's high-speed nature -- operating at about 2.6 Gbps -- is
ideal for systems such as Wall's. But some Internet2 application
developers say that bandwidth isn't everything, and are calling for
end-to-end systems that can control and prioritize traffic. "We can put
out tons of data, but we can't deal with the data," says University of
Oklahoma researcher David Jahn. Currently, Internet2 is "like drinking
water from a fire hose," he says. (Computerworld 05/03/99)
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Edie Clark, Editor
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UPCOMING EDUCAUSE CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS:
Information Resources for the 21st Century
May 5-7, 1999, Portland, Oregon
http://www.educause.edu/conference/regional/nwacc/1999/
CUMREC '99 Breaking Through: 2000 and Beyond
May 9-12,1999, San Antonio, Texas
http://www.cumrec.com/cumrec99/
For additional information on these conferences see
http://www.educause.edu/conference/conf.html
For information on other technology related
educational conferences see
http://www.educause.edu/ir/events.html
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OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS
EDUCOM REVIEW is a bimonthly print magazine on information technology
and education. U.S. subscriptions are $18 a year.
CAUSE/EFFECT is a quarterly practitioner's journal about managing and
using information resources on college and
university campuses. U.S. subscriptions are $52 a year.
For additional information on these and other EDUCAUSE Publications see:
http://www.educause.edu/pub/pubs.html
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COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
News abstracts Copyright 1999, Information Inc., Bethesda, MD
Edupage Copyright 1999, EDUCAUSE
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EDUCAUSE, an international nonprofit association dedicated to
transforming education through information technologies