Oct. 19, 2000
8:00 AM ET.
Alert No. 45. |
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| News Briefs |
10/18. The Center for Responsive
Politics (CPR), a group which monitors federal election campaign
contributions, released its
analysis of Federal Election
Commission contributions data through Oct. 1. CPR Exec. Dir.
Larry Makinson stated that "Only a few years ago, it was said
of the computer industry it was just a fingernail on the body
politic. Its campaign contributions were miniscule, it had no
interest in Washington, it just wanted to be left alone. No more.
The past decade has seen a huge rise in contributions from the
computer industry ... In 1990, the computer industry ranked 55th out
of the 80 or so industries we track, giving about $1.3 million in
contributions. By 1996, they’d moved up to 33rd place, with $8.9
million. In 1998, they gave $9.5 million and inched upwards to 25th
place on the industry list. So far this election cycle, the industry
has given nearly $24 million, and they’re now in 8th place
overall." See, Makinson
statement.
10/18. Commerce Sec. Norman Mineta gave a speech
to the Rotary Club in Seattle in which he addressed international
trade issues. He stated that the "Clinton/Gore
Administration ... [is] vigilant about fair trade, by making sure
that all Americans get the benefits of our trade agreements. Not
only consumers, but also workers and communities that are hurt when
a plant closes because of foreign competition or because of unfair
trade practices -- as we have seen with steel." He did not
condemn, or disassociate the administration from, groups that
disrupted the WTO meeting in Seattle in Nov.
1999. He also addressed the "digital divide."
10/18. Sec. Mineta gave another speech
in Seattle regarding the "digital divide" and the Commerce
Department's transfer of computer equipment. He stated that "we
opened 500 offices around the country to carry out the decennial
census mandated by the Constitution. Now that the Census job is
nearly done, we have thousands of computers and printers and other
pieces of office equipment that we no longer need. The equipment is
worth $5.4 million. We thought about what we could do with the
excess goods, and we ultimately decided that we would do the most
good by donating much of that equipment to 80 minority serving
institutions." See also, DOC
release.
10/18. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates gave a speech in Belle Harbor,
WA, in which he addressed the "digital divide." See, MSFT
release touting its "digital divide" activities.
10/18. The FCC released a letter
[MS Word] to SBC stating a FCC
decision governing SBC's deployment of DSL
service. The letter was issued in CC Docket No. 98-141,
the FCC's antitrust merger review proceeding regarding the merger of
SBC and Ameritech. The FCC approved the merger in Nov. 1999, but
imposed a set of conditions
upon SBC. The effect of these conditions is to give the FCC
continuing regulatory authority over SBC activities. The conditions
require SBC to work with CLECs in a
series of collaborative sessions to obtain written agreement on
enhancements to its facilities to enable the provision of DSL
service. In the present matter, CLECs sought permission from the FCC
to submit to arbitration five matters upon which agreement was not
reached. The FCC decided that two should go to arbitration. The FCC
ruled on the other three. The letter is signed by Carol Mattey,
Deputy Chief of the Common Carrier
Bureau. See also, FCC's web
site section on its SBC-Ameritech merger review proceeding.
10/18. The National Music Publishers'
Association (NMPA), its licensing subsidiary, The Harry Fox
Agency (HFA), and MP3.com,
announced an agreement on a licensing arrangement that, if approved
by individual HFA music publisher principals, will permit the use of
over one million musical compositions on MP3.com. MP3.com has also
been sued by music publishers. See, MP3.com release.
10/18. Nancy
Nathanson, a City Councilor in Eugene, Oregon, was appointed to
fill a vacancy on the FCC's Local and State
Government Advisory Committee (LSGAC). See, FCC
release [MS Word].
10/18. Bill Clinton announced his intent to appoint Craig
Jarolimek to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and
Negotiations (ACTPN). Jarolimek, is a hog farmer in Forest River,
North Dakota, and President of the National
Pork Producers Council (NPPC). See, White
House release.
10/18. Bill Clinton announced his nomination of Tom Korologos
and Robert Ledbetter as members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
Korologos is a prominent Washington lobbyist. Ledbetter has been VP
and General Manager of WTVA TV in Tupelo, Mississippi, since 1977.
See, White
House release.
10/3.
pac.com, a California based political action committee that receives
contributions from high tech companies and executives, renewed its
July 28 request for an advisory opinion from the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
pac.com receives money contributions, as well as in kind
contributions of corporate stock -- both in companies whose stock is
traded on exchanges such as the NASDAQ, NYSE, and AMEX, and
companies whose stock is not traded on any public exchange. pac.com
seeks a determination from the FEC that for contribution reporting
purposes, the fair market value of stock contributions, for stock
that is not traded on any public exchange, is "the price per
share of such stock for which its purchase was offered to investors
at the most recent round of financing ..." pac.com is
represented in this matter by Ronald Turovsky of the law office of Manatt Phelps & Phillips. (AOR
No. 2000-30.)
Editor's Note: This column includes all News Briefs added to
Tech Law Journal since the last Daily E-Mail Alert. The dates
indicate when the event occurred, not the date of posting to Tech
Law Journal. |
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| Breaking News |
The Wall Street Journal interactive edition reports on Oct.
19 that when the COPA Commission releases its report to Congress on
Friday, it will advise against mandating porn filtering software in
schools and libraries. See, full
story. (Editor's Note: the COPA Commission is
scheduled to release its report on protecting children on the
Internet at 10 AM ET on Friday, Oct. 20 in Room HC6 of the Capitol
Building.)
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| New Documents |
FCC:
letter
to SBC re DSL disputes with CLECs, 10/18 (MS Word, FCC).
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| New and Updated Sections |
Calendar
(updated daily).
News
from Around the Web (updated daily).
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| Quote of the Day |
"I have seen recesses that are more productive than what we
have experienced since we started passing CRs.
These recesses, as I like to call them--7 days of continuation of a
resolution, and then 2 days, if that, of work, maybe 1 day of
work--are mind boggling. There ought to be some urgency here. ... If
we take a poll of where our colleagues are today, they are cast out
over all 50 States ..."
Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD), 10/17, on the floor of the Senate.
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