- Clear signals for digital radio +/-
(BBC) The success of digital radio has been predicted at regular intervals over the past three years by both makers of radios and backers of the technology. But 2003 could be the year that the technology really takes off. So says Annika Nyberg, head of the World Forum for Digital Audio Broadcasting, the international forum set up to drive development of the technology and tell broadcasters and listeners what it can do for them.
- CSA - Communiqués de presse - TNT : les conventions des chaînes sont signées +/-
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(Communiqué de presse) Le Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel a pris acte avec satisfaction de la signature par chacun des éditeurs sélectionnés pour la télévision numérique terrestre (TNT) de leur convention relative à la diffusion du service de télévision par voie hertzienne terrestre en mode numérique. Ces conventions sont au nombre de 23 (20 nouvelles conventions et 3 avenants aux conventions existantes de TF1, M6 et Canal ). Chaque convention décrit les règles applicables à la diffusion du service, les caractéristiques générales du programme prévu, ainsi que les engagements pris par l'éditeur, notamment en matière de production et de diffusion d'oeuvres audiovisuelles et cinématographiques.
- EU - EP Report on Television without Frontiers +/-
(European Parliament) Draft Report on the application of Directive 89/552/EEC "Television without Frontiers" Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport. Rapporteur: Roy Perry
- FR - Diffusion sans convention de Tfou : le CSA demande l'arrêt de la chaîne +/-
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(CSA) Un courrier a été adressé au président de la société TF1 Entreprise, éditrice de la chaîne Tfou, dans lequel le Conseil exprime son vif regret que le lancement commercial de la chaîne ait précédé son conventionnement, en infraction à l'article 33-1 de la loi du 30 septembre 1986 modifiée. Le Conseil a demandé à la société d'interrompre sans délai la diffusion de la chaîne afin qu'il puisse examiner le dossier de conventionnement, en particulier les problèmes que pose l'imbrication entre un programme de télévision et des jeux interactifs directement accessibles par l'intermédiaire de ces programmes.
- US - FCC Travel Routinely Funded by Industry +/-
(Washington Post) Over the past eight years, Federal Communications Commission officials have taken 2,500 business trips to global tourist spots, most of which were paid for by the media and telecommunications companies the agency oversees, according to a study by the Center for Public Integrity in Washington,
- US - Murdoch Defends DirecTV Takeover +/-
(AP) News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch sought to assure lawmakers that his proposed acquisition of DirecTV, the nation's largest satellite television provider, would not harm competition or limit consumer choices. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing was the latest in a series on media consolidation held while the FCC considers whether decades-old ownership restrictions still reflect a market altered by satellite broadcasts, cable television and the Internet. The commission is to vote June 2 on overhauling the rules.
- US - Promoting the Public Interest in the Digital Era +/-
(FCLJ) by Henry Geller. In my view, it is time now to acknowledge that we no longer should care whether or not the commercial broadcaster plays in the public service field - that instead we want the commercial broadcaster to pay for its use of the public spectrum so that public broadcasting can be enabled to make a needed maximum contribution to educating and informing children and the electorate. The motto should be: Play if you want, but pay you must.
- US - Unlikely Alliances Forged in Fight Over Media Rules +/-
(Washington Post) The Federal Communications Commission's likely action to relax major media ownership rules is forging some unexpected political alliances. If the FCC votes to ease ownership rules, several organizations - left and right-- fear they will lose access to the public airwaves. For instance, for the first time a group known as "CodePink, Women for Peace" finds itself on the same side of a fight as the National Rifle Association.
- AU - Govt to close child porn loophole +/-
(ABC News) It is currently not an offence to download child pornography off the Internet in Australia, the Federal Government has revealed. Justice Minister Chris Ellison says it is an offence under the Customs Act to import child pornography into the country. But he says there are no laws that make it an offence to download child porn from the Internet. Senator Ellison says the Government is drafting a bill to close the loophole.
- Diary of an online porn baron +/-
(BBC) A Texan man sentenced to 1,335 years in prison for selling child porn recorded a secret diary, a diary that remains online even though its author will see out his days behind bars at a US state penitentiary. Despite the media furore thrown up by the Townshend case, Reedy's online diary was only discovered recently by the makers of Crash Of An Internet Porn King. We also received correspondence from Reedy written from the jail where he is now destined to see out his days. see also Guardian review.
- NL - Concern over rise in child porn +/-
(Expatica.com) Over 200 cases of child porn being circulated via the Internet were reported to Dutch police in 2002, an alarming increase on the 35 cases logged in 2001. The Dutch anti-child porn group Meldpunt Kinderporno said in its 2002 annual report, that 80 of the 226 cases reported to the investigation department of the national police, KLPD, wound up in court, double the amount in 2001
- SE - Sweden remands child-porn suspect, probe may widen +/-
(Reuters) A Swedish court remanded a man suspected of distributing child pornography over the Internet and Interpol said the case could lead to an international probe into a gang of Web-based paedophiles.
- UK - Stalker had sophisticated cyber plan +/-
(BBC) One computer, five phones and a sophisticated plan for stalking were used by cyber stalker David Cruz to harass his friend. Cruz's six months of stalking Chloe Easton by e-mail, internet and text messaging was cut short by his arrest in May last year. The American was jailed for five months at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court, bringing an end to a one-year police investigation.
- CN - Chinese censor online chat +/-
(BBC) The extent of Chinese Government censorship of what its people say in online chat rooms has been exposed by Reporters Without Borders. Messages critical of the Chinese Government either never appear or are purged from popular chat rooms, a study Living dangerously on the Net by the free speech pressure group has revealed. The study also found that Chinese law enforcement agencies regularly track down and even jail the authors of the critical messages. Reporters Without Borders estimates that China employs 30,000 people to watch what its people are doing online.
- CN - Internet operator jailed +/-
(BBC) A Chinese internet operator, Huang Qi, has been sentenced to five years in prison for subversion after he allowed articles about China's 1989 pro-democracy protests to appear on his website.
- DE - Landesmedienanstalten wollen gegen Sex-Werbung im Fernsehen vorgehen +/-
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(Heise) Die Landesmedienanstalten wollen gegen Telefonsex-Werbung und Sex-Clips im Privatfernsehen vorgehen. Eine Untersuchung habe gezeigt, dass viele der Sex-Spots im Verdacht stehen, verbotenerweise für Pornografie oder Prostitution zu werben, teilte die Direktorenkonferenz der Landesmedienanstalten (DLM) heute nach einem Treffen in Wiesbaden mit. Die Sex-Werbung nehme in den Nachtstunden einen derart großen Umfang ein, dass sich der Fernsehzuschauer ihr kaum noch entziehen könne. Die Rundfunkanstalten wollten sich nun für eine Reduzierung der Sex-Werbung und eine Entschärfung ihrer Inhalte einsetzen.
- DE - Schund muss gesperrt werden +/-
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(FOCUS) Seit April gelten neue Regeln für den Jugendschutz im Web, und die Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz (KJM) hat sich in Erfurt konstituiert. Sie soll festlegen, wie man Jugendliche beispielsweise vor Pornographie oder Gewaltverherrlichung im Fernsehen und im Internet bewahren kann. Gesprächsrunde: Wolf-Dieter Ring. Der Jurist leitet die neue Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz und koordiniert unter anderem die Gespräche mit der Internet-Branche; Stefan Aufenanger. Der Medienpädagoge lehrt als Professor an der Universität Hamburg und beschäftigt sich unter anderem mit der Wirkung von Medien auf Familien; Oliver Süme. Der Jurist ist im Vorstand des Verbands der deutschen Internetwirtschaft Eco für Recht und Neue Medien zuständig und Experte für Online-Recht; Jürgen Büssow. Der Diplompädagoge ist seit 1995 Präsident des Regierungsbezirks Düsseldorf und will illegale Inhalte aus dem Web filtern.
- RO - Romania forbids free access to online pornography +/-
(EDRi) Romania has adopted a new law to make free access to pornography illegal. Online pornography must always be protected by a password, and should always charge a fee per minute, to be declared with the fiscal authorities. Free access is explicitly forbidden in a law formally adopted on 20 May 2003. The law has raised a number of comments from the civil society and ISPs. The National Regulatory Authority on Communications ( ANRC) can receive claims regarding non-compliance with the law. In case of receiving such claims and after checking the contents of the site, ANRC may require internet service providers to block access to the respective site. If providers don't comply with these requests, they can be fined 100 - 500 millions lei (approx 2.700-13.500 euro). see unofficial translation.
- EU / WSIS - Commission sets out its objectives for the United Nations World Summit on Information Society +/-
(RAPID) The European Commission has adopted a Communication COM(2003) 271 on the forthcoming World Summit on Information Society setting out the main objectives for the EU at this Summit. This Summit, the first world-wide event in the field, is under the patronage of the United Nations and will be held in Geneva in December 2003, continuing in Tunis in November 2005. see EU input to WSIS.
- EU - European Commission launches a broad debate on the future of services of general interest in Europe +/-
(RAPID) On the basis of a Green Paper the European Commission intends to stimulate a discussion on the role of the European Union in promoting the provision of high-quality public services. It is the first time that the Commission has launched a full review of its policies relating to services of general interest. In its Green Paper, the Commission recognises that there is a need for an open debate on the overall role of the Union for defining the objectives of general interest that are pursued by those services and on the way they are organised, financed and evaluated. Comments should be sent to the Commission by 15 September 2003.
- EU - Report on Transparency Directive +/-
(RAPID) A European Commission report COM(2003) 200 gives a favourable assessment of the compulsory procedure under which the Member States give prior notification of draft national regulations governing goods and on-line services. This system, which is currently based on Directive 98/34/EC, has been applied to national regulations on products for nearly 20 years. It was recently extended by Directive 98/48/EC to include Information Society services, and it continues to prove its effectiveness as a tool benefiting the Internal Market and European enterprises. The report clarifies the central role which the notification procedure played between 1999 and 2001 in avoiding the creation of barriers to the free movement of goods and services.
- Promoting Innovation to Prevent the Internet from Becoming a Wasteland +/-
(FCLJ) by Zoë Baird. Achieving the potential of the Internet will depend on balancing often-competing interests: Industry’s goals may differ from those of consumers or civil society, and the State, too, may have different interests. Each of these interests is equally important to maintaining innovation at the individual layers, and across layers. If we are going to find a legitimate way to balance them, and prevent the Internet from becoming a wasteland, then we need to have the three sectors included in the local, national, and international policymaking processes. The future of the Internet may depend on such a pluralistic policymaking framework.
- AU - IIA extends campaign against spam +/-
(IIA) The Internet Industry Association is extending its national campaign against spam (junk email) for a further three months, due to popular demand and a continuing escalation in the spam problem.
- DE - Erster Anti-Spam-Kongress +/-
(Heise) Der 1. Anti-Spam-Kongress hat mehr Resonanz als vom Veranstalter erwartet. Offenbar sei der Bedarf riesig, "diesem großen Ärgernis endlich aktiv zu begegnen". Rund 120 Teilnehmer hörten sich Vorträge an, die sich aus verschiedenen Perspektiven des Themas Spam annahmen. Auch der Heise Zeitschriften Verlag war bei der Veranstaltung mit von der Partie: Verlags-Justiziar Joerg Heidrich erläuterte seine Einschätzung über rechtliche Möglichkeiten zur Spam-Bekämpfung. Bert Ungerer, Redakteur der Zeitschrift iX, stellte anhand eines selbst erstellten E-Mail-Filters die Möglichkeiten von E-Mail-Header-Analysen zur Diskussion.
- In-boxes that fight back +/-
(CNET News.com) by Declan McCullagh. The spam-blocking technique that's attracted the most attention among start-ups recently is a very simple one: Challenge-response (CR) technology. When your mailbox is protected by a CR system, anyone who tries to contact you will be greeted with a response saying something like "click on this link to deliver this message" or "type in the word you see in the box above." Well-designed CR utilities won't challenge mail from known correspondents or mail that you specifically asked to receive.
- KR - Government Introduces E-Mail Filter +/-
(Korea Times) Internet users will be able to block unsolicited e-mails by registering their e-mail addresses at www.nospam.go.kr, a state-run anti-spam Web site. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has banned companies from sending unsolicited e-mails, or spam, to Internet users registered with the spam-filtering site.
- US - Lawmakers, tech industry push spam law +/-
(AP) A broad international effort by government and industry is needed to stop the torrent of junk e-mail that threatens Internet commerce and correspondence, lawmakers were told.
- US - Spam, That Ill O' The ISP: A Reality Check for Legislators +/-
(CEI) by Hanah Metchis and Solveig Singleton. This paper assesses spam and its legal and technical solutions with an emphasis on the perspective of ISPs. We begin by navigating among several competing definitions of spam and outlining its most seriously problematic aspects for consumers, businesses, ISPs, and legitimate marketers. We go on to assess contractual, technical, and statutory solutions. Full report. Competitive Enterprise Institute is a non-profit public policy organization dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and limited government.
- UK - Hutchison signs 3G porn contract +/-
(Cellular news) The adult content company, Playboy Enterprises has signed a global content deal to give 3 exclusive, multi-year rights to provide Playboy's print, online and broadcast libraries to wireless customers in markets operated by Hutchison's 3G Companies. The UK service, which launched last week, represents the first market that PEI will serve.
- UK - MM02 rings up massive losses +/-
(Guardian) MMO2, the UK's third largest mobile phone group and the fifth biggest in Europe, has slumped to huge losses after becoming the first to admit that it paid hugely over the odds for its third generation mobile licences. The company, which was de-merged from BT in November 2001, reported full year pre-tax losses of £10.2bn despite doubling full year earnings to £859m.
- UK - Text please, we're British +/-
(BBC) A government-funded course is teaching adults how to send mobile text messages and download ringtones. The two-hour course in Birmingham is run by the Learning and Skills Council. as part of its Bite Size Intros scheme. The course organisers say it covers all aspects of using mobile phones, including sending text messages and creating an address book. Critics have called it a waste of taxpayers' money, with the Campaign for Real Education branding it a "disgrace".
- US - Cell phone new digital divide for teens +/-
(Wired) The cell phone has become a primary mode of socializing for teens and they will often avoid contact with peers that don't have cell phones, according to a study by Context.
- UK - Broadband hits two million +/-
(BBC) The UK has totted up two million broadband connections, according to the telecoms watchdog Oftel. The success will be seen as a sign that the UK is catching up with its European neighbours in the race to be the best place for fast net services. With new connections running at 35,000 a week, telecoms regulator Oftel is confident the UK can reach the top of the broadband league table.
- UK - Positive signs for online music +/-
(BBC) People are beginning to pay for music on the net but they are more likely to buy CDs online than to individual tracks, research suggests. But figures from internet measurement firm Neilsen/NetRatings found that free download service Kazaa was still the most popular music site in the UK, followed by sites selling CDs rather than digital downloads.
- UK - Women dominate texting craze +/-
(BBC) Women are at the vanguard of the texting revolution in the UK, a survey has found. According to the Mobile Data Association, 74% of women say they have used text messaging in the last two minutes compared with just 26% of men. The study also has good news for forgetful spouses, with about half of women saying they would rather receive a text message than a card on special occasions.
- US - Can price cuts boost broadband? +/-
(MSNBC) Despite a 50 percent jump in the number of U.S. homes signing on for broadband over the last year, the high-speed market is showing signs of slowing, according to a new survey Broadband Adoption at Home from Pew Internet & American Life. That could change with the price wars started by Verizon and other local telephone companies.