Please read the articles I cited. READ carefully others concerns from many many valued resources... at "best" case: Links: http://www.fcc.gov/ http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,32789,00.html http://www.bellatlantic.com/ At worst: Forwarded to this list by permission ==================================== Subject: [netz] Digital Divide (fwd) Date: Sun, 28 Feb 1999 23:46:39 -0500 (EST) From: Jay Hauben <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] I am forwarding this post from the Universal Access -Canada mailing list. It I think fills in a piece of the current scene. >From CCEN.UCCB.NS.CA ---------- Forwarded message ---------- >Date: Thu, 4 Feb 1999 16:41:34 -0500 >From: Stephen Bajjaly <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Digital Divide FYI From Edupage: DIGITAL DIVIDE Reviewing changes in phone and cable markets since Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, a report by the Consumers Union and the Consumer Federation of America says that discounts are going only to the high-end customers, and not to the masses. "Instead of rapid deployment of advanced technologies from increased private sector investment, we have a growing 'Digital Divide' between those who make intensive use of the telecommunications network and those who do not." (San Jose Mercury News 4 Feb 99) The full report is available online at http://www.consunion.org/other/telecom4-0299.htm. An Executive Summary is also available. Stephen T. Bajjaly College of Library & Information Science University of South Carolina http://www.libsci.sc.edu/Stephen/bajjaly.htm ================================================ Nor is this just one company, or one telcos attempts Subject: [netz] State: NM Vote Sunday 2/28/99 ???Telc Deregulation??? Date: Sun, 28 Feb 1999 11:35:02 -0500 From: "P.A. Gantt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Organization: Electronic Media Design and Support To: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> SB 408 will remove state oversight over telecommunications data services 'forever' Dateline Santa Fe, NM: Full Senate will vote on SB 408 to deregulate U S West Sunday, 2/28/99. Session scheduled for 1:30 pm to debate/vote on two telecom bills. ======================================================================== Or is it Truth or Consequences, NM? ;^P "Michael A. Stone" wrote: > > >The FCC's ruling today on calls to local ISPs has resulted in a > >record amount of traffic to IDG.net. To help you understand the > >issues behind this complicated story, the editors at IDG.net > >created this special newsletter. > > > >FCC rules ISP calls are long-distance in nature > >(Source: Network World Fusion) In a long-anticipated vote, the > >U.S. Federal Communications Commission decided that dial-up > >Internet calls are interstate in nature and not local. > > there's been some confusion about this ruling online. yes, the FCC upheld > a decision that traffic oevr GTE high-speed lines was partially interstate > in nature, because some of the traffic over those lines originated in one > state and was delivered to another. OTOH, the FCC also restated a > previous ruling that local (7-digit) calls to an ISP *cannot* be billed as > long-distance calls. > > the ruling does open a door for telcos which might allow them to charge > some sort of metered rate for online traffic, but it won't be your average > long-distance charge. for one thing, the telcos know it would drive > people away from their service and onto other options, like cable modems. > there are indeed short-sighted business people out there, but this is an > obvious enough losing scenario that even the average PHB can see the flaws. > > there's also some debate on whether the telcos will see enough benefit from > metered rates to make them worthwhile at all. network technology is still > evolving rapidly, and there's a great deal of competition among the > alternative technologies. if a company invests a few hundred million in > the latest fiber system, they *want* enough people using it to secure the > stability of that technology for the future. the last thing they want to > do is drive potential customers to some other technology, which will then > lock the market and make their own stuff obsolete. > > nobody's sure, yet, whether the added income from metered rates can > overcome the cost of being on the losing side in the technology wars. > telcos will probably push for some kind of metered rate is possible, but > the end user will see those rates subject to a *lot* of competition. the > difference of a half-cent per minute translates to $150K per year for a > dedicated connection. numbers like that make it sensible for ISPs to shop > around. -- P.A. Gantt, Computer Science Technology Instructor Electronic Media Design and Support Homepage http://user.icx.net/~pgantt/ mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Subject=etech http://horizon.unc.edu/TS/vision/1998-11.asp Common sense is not common, and conventional wisdom is not wisdom. But at least you can have conventional sense. ~~ Daily Whale ____________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join The NEW Web Consultants Association FORUMS and CHAT: Register Today at: http://just4u.com/forums/ Web Consultants Web Site : http://just4u.com/webconsultants Give the Gift of Life This Year... Just4U Stop Smoking Support forum - helping smokers for over three years-tell a friend: http://just4u.com/forums/ To get 500 Banner Ads for FREE go to http://www.linkbuddies.com/start.go?id=111261 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
