Interesting People mailing list archives
IP: Washington Update 3-02-98
From: Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>
Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 18:35:43 -0500
FARNET'S WASHINGTON UPDATE --- MARCH 2, 1998=20 FARNET (<http://www.farnet.org>http://www.farnet.org) is a non-profit=
public
interest=20 Internetworking organization with a primary focus on the education,
research=20
and related communities.=20 IN THIS ISSUE:=20 HOUSE JUDICIARY SUBCOMMITTEE SPLIT ON WHETHER THE UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND
IS A
TAX=20 NEW TECHNOLOGIES MAY PROVIDE GREATER PROTECTION FOR COPYRIGHT OWNERS, BUT QUESTION OF FAIR USE REMAINS=20 __________________________________________________________________________ _______=20 HOUSE JUDICIARY SUBCOMMITTEE SPLIT ON WHETHER THE UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND
IS A
TAX=20 February 27 - Is the Universal Service Fund a system of discounts, or a=
tax
in disguise? The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law heard testimony last Thursday on that topic from=
citizen
advocacy groups and state utility commission administrators.=20 The FCC's Universal Service Order requires the collection of approximately $2.25 billion annually from telecommunications companies for the Universal Service Fund. Congress has already scaled back that figure, limiting it to $625 million for the first six months of 1998. The presence of USF
charges on
consumer telephone bills has also been a source of controversy.=20 Committee Republicans and a taxpayer group testifying before the committee described the USF as an "implicit tax" which, because enacted by the FCC,
the
general public was never given the opportunity to debate. Committee
Democrats
and a state public utility commissioner took issue with that assessment. Ranking minority member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) stated that the USF is a "discount system", and "should not be misinterpreted as a tax." Julia Johnson, Chair of the Florida Public Service Commission and member of the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, noted that the definition=
of
POTS (plain old telephone service) has expanded, countering arguments that the new USF is different than the subsidies established for POTS under the Telecommunication Act of 1934. She further stated the USF process "is not=
a
tax, but a methodology of discounts."=20 The "tax" issue isn't the only source of contention concerning the=
Universal
Service program. As reported in the January 20 issue of the Washington
Update
(<http://www.farnet.org/contents/update/1998/19980120.html>http://www.farn et.org/contents/update/1998/19980120.html), the FCC is evaluating whether Internet Service Providers should be reclassified as "telecommunications carriers", possibly requiring them to pay into the Fund. ISP's are=
currently
considered "enhanced service providers". As such, they rely on telecommunications carriers and typically contribute to the end-user
revenues
of telecommunications carriers, but do not pay directly into the Fund.=A0=
(The
FCC is to issue a report to Congress on this and other issues by April 4.)=
=20
Despite the controversy surrounding the USF on many fronts, the Schools=
and
Libraries program is moving forward. The Schools and Libraries Corporation has received over 19,000 applications since its website became
operational on
January 30, and procedures are now in place to match up applicants and potential vendors.=20 For more information on the hearing: <http://www.house.gov/judiciary/5.htm>http://www.house.gov/judiciary/5.htm=
=20
NEW TECHNOLOGIES MAY PROVIDE GREATER PROTECTION FOR COPYRIGHT OWNERS, BUT QUESTION OF FAIR USE REMAINS=20 March 2 - The elusive "technological fix" in the attempt to protect
copyright
owners in the digital age may be a bit closer. The Association of American Publishers in conjunction with the Corporation for National Research Initiatives has developed an electronic identification system for=
materials
on the Internet.=20 Known as the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) (<http://www.doi.org/>http://www.doi.org/) system, it works like this: The Directory Manager assigns a prefix code to any publisher willing to pay=
the
initial registration fee of $1000 plus an annual maintenance charge of=
$.01
per DOI prefix. Publishers may assign the prefix to any size item (book, article, abstract) and file type (text, audio, video). A central database directs users who click on a DOI to the proper web site, where the=
publisher
or distributor will present conditions for purchasing the content itself=
(or
licenses for its use).=20 Still in the prototype stage, DOI has been used by over a dozen U.S. and European publishers to link article abstracts to availability of full=
texts
and for ordering books and CD-ROMs on-line.=20 While the DOI does provide a means for tracking copyright ownership,=
acting
alone it does not prevent unauthorized copying of content once it is obtained. However, several companies have recently introduced technology that, in conjunction with a DOI-type system, may well serve the interests=
of
copyright holders in the digital age. Intel Corp. and four consumer electronics companies developed a system where a user may purchase a=
limited
license for the use of digital material (one viewing of a movie, for instance). The license, stored on the user's computer after purchase, contains a "key" to unlock the scrambled, copyrighted content. The user=
may
then make use of the material according to the license purchased. (<http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/con21998.htm>http://www. intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/con21998.htm).=20 With the introduction of new technologies such as these, some in the education sector are asking if and how educational fair use rights will be guaranteed. Mark Stefik, a scientist at the Palo Alto Research Center, has suggested creating "fair-use licenses" that would permit teachers and students to make a limited amount of copies. (The Washington Post, p. 5 (Business Section) - Feb. 23, 1998)=20 __________________________________________________________________________=
=20
Written from FARNET's Washington office, "FARNET's Washington Update" is a=
=20
service to FARNET members and other interested subscribers. We gratefully=
=20
acknowledge EDUCOM's NTTF and the Coalition for Networked Information=
(CNI)=20
for additional support. If you would like more information about the=
Update=20
or would like to offer comments or suggestions, please contact Garret Sern=
=20
at garret () farnet org.=20
******************************** See you at INET'98, Geneva 21-24, July 98 <http://www.isoc.org/inet98/>
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- IP: Washington Update 3-02-98 Dave Farber (Mar 02)