Communications-Related Headlines for June 18, 2003

A service of the Benton Foundation (http://www.benton.org)
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COPYRIGHT
Senator: Trash Illegal Downloaders' PCs

PHILANTHROPY
Tough Times Shut Down Turner Philanthropy

UNIVERSAL SERVICE
Phone Service Program Under Fire

E-GOVERNMENT
Dutch E-Government Voting Incites Controversy

WI-FI
Event: The First Annual Defcon Wi-Fi Shootout

COPYRIGHT

SENATOR: TRASH ILLEGAL DOWNLOADERS' PCS
Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said
that he favors developing technology to destroy remotely computers that
continue to download files illegally after two warnings. The senator, a
composer who earned $18,000 last year in song-writing royalties, has said
that damaging someone's computer "may be the only way you can teach somebody
about copyrights." Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont called Hatch's suggestion
too drastic. "The rights of copyright holders need to be protected, but some
draconian remedies that have been suggested would create more problems than
they would solve," he said in a statement. "We need to work together to find
the right answers, and this is not one of them." Some legal experts suggest
that Hatch's provocative remarks were more likely intended to compel the
industry to step up efforts to protect copyrights online. A spokesman for
the Recording Industry Association of America, representing the major music
labels, said Hatch was "apparently making a metaphorical point that if
peer-to-peer networks don't take reasonable steps to prevent massive
copyright infringement on the systems they create, Congress may be forced to
consider stronger measures."
SOURCE: CNN.com; AUTHOR: Associated Press
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/06/18/download.music.ap/index.html

PHILANTHROPY

TOUGH TIMES SHUT DOWN TURNER PHILANTHROPY
The Turner Foundation has decided not to award new grants in 2003, a result
of a thinning endowment, investment failures and past overcommitment.
Founder Ted Turner pledged $1 billion to the United Nations, $600 million of
which is still owed, while a $250 million pledge to the Nuclear Threat
Initiative is also behind its payment schedule. These and other commitments,
while paid through a separate philanthropy, have handcuffed the foundation.
Turner has long been a source of funding for environmental advocacy groups,
including some described as "extremist" by critics. "This is been a terrible
loss for the environmental community," said Chris Pabon, director of
foundation relations for Friends of the Earth. Others were not so
sympathetic. "I think that's great," said Alan Gottlieb, president of the
Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise. "Crazy environmental extremist
groups that like to shut businesses down ... won't be getting funding."
SOURCE: The Washington Times; AUTHOR: Audrey Hudson
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20030618-013108-7671r.htm

UNIVERSAL SERVICE

PHONE SERVICE PROGRAM UNDER FIRE
Consumers who receive subsidized local phone service through the US
Universal Service Fund (USF) end up paying a fee for using long distance
through major long-distance carriers or Baby Bells that now sell long
distance. The fee goes back into the same fund that discounted their local
service. Since 1983, consumers have paid a percentage of their
long-distance phone bill for the USF, which funds discount plans such as
Lifeline for low-income households. Changes in the industry, including
increased use of email, cell phones and bundled long-distance plans, have
contributed to a shrinking pool of USF money. The FCC recently rejected
AT&T's request to subtract revenues it receives from Lifeline customers in
calculating its quarterly contribution to the USF, leading AT&T to pass the
cost to Lifeline customers. Like most long-distance companies, AT&T charges
a premium on the USF to regular customers. In fourth quarter 2002, AT&T
charged customers 11 percent, although it only had to contribute 7.3 percent
of its revenues. Consumer groups have complained about the overcharging and
lack of auditing on the use of funds.
SOURCE: Daily Press; AUTHOR: Chris Flores
http://www.dailypress.com/business/local/dp-15972sy0jun15,0,3551478.story

E-GOVERNMENT

DUTCH E-GOVERNMENT VOTING INCITES CONTROVERSY
Dutch policymakers will begin discussing a bill that would allow Dutch
citizens living abroad to use the Internet to vote in the EU parliamentary
elections. Electronic-highway Platform Nederland (EPN), a Dutch foundation
promoting the appropriate use of information and communication technology,
is concerned that this international experiment in online voting could
become a target for hackers around the world. EPN would like to see the
risks reduced by fully testing the online voting system 'locally' before
launching it in a high-profile experiment, says EPN director, Peter van der
Wel. EPN prefers an open source solution to the software package selected
by the Dutch Ministry of Home Affairs. Open source code can be read and
understood by humans and checked by voters for possible security breaches.
Some Dutch privacy activists are against the whole idea of online voting.
Maurice Wessling of Bits of Freedom claims that online voting violates
voting secrecy and network hacking could reveal sensitive voter information.
SOURCE: EuropeMedia.net; AUTHOR: Joe Figueiredo
http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=16766

WI-FI

EVENT: THE FIRST ANNUAL DEFCON WI-FI SHOOTOUT
At this year's Defcon hacker conference in Las Vegas, the Oklahoma City 2600
group will host the first annual Wi-Fi "shootout." The shootout will be a
contest to see who can transmit the furthest 802.11b wireless signal without
the use of signal relaying. Contestants will compete in several categories,
using technologies ranging from unmodified commercial Wi-Fi equipment to
homemade antennas. (Antennas made from Pringles potato chip cans have quite
a cult following, for example.) The current world record for transmitting a
Wi-Fi signal is 310 kilometers, sent from a weather balloon floating over
Sweden to a receiver on the ground. The contest will take place on August
1-2.
SOURCE: Defcon.org
http://home.earthlink.net/~wifi-shootout/

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