I know, I know-I’ve been so focused on our local City Council and Mayoral elections that I’ve been ignoring some of my other topics and themes. My apologies. Here are a couple of current news items and thoughts about two of my original blogging themes: Our Cyberspace & Our Cyberplace. Even the mainstream media and news sources haven’t had much to say about the following items discovered online – what about that?
Extracted from BENTON’s COMMUNICATIONS-RELATED HEADLINES
Thursday, October 12, 2006
AT&T-BELLSOUTH MERGER
FCC Delays AT&T/BellSouth and Net Neutrality Votes
AT&T, BellSouth merger passes antitrust test
* Statement by Assistant Attorney General
* Criticism of DofJ Decision
* Press Releases
* Additional Coverage
Internet/Broadband
* Google and the Myth of an Open Net
* It’s time for the Feds to subsidize broadband
Journalism
* FCC is No Place for TV News Regulations
* A Newspaper Invetigates Its Future
* British Court Ruling Gives Boost To Serious Journalism
WOW! Look at all this information that relates to “Our Cyberspace” (the world) and “Our Cyberplace” (Petaluma, CA, USA). And, it is only a click away, on the Internet. If you do not have access to our World Wide Web (WWW) and if you are not computer literate, you are missing out on important information that various groups are communicating using computer technology and telecommunication 24/7. For example:
* DOJ Rubberstamp on AT&T/BellSouth Merger Recreates the MA Bell Dynasty, Sells Out Customers – “DOJ’s rubberstamp on this merger suggests the Justice Department has thrown in the towel on competition between the Bell phone companies,” said Gene Kimmelman, senior vice president for Consumers Union. “The Justice Department has abdicated responsibility to promote the competition it promised when it broke up AT&T 20 years ago,” he added. “In the end, the majority of consumers will end up paying inflated prices that result when Bell companies merge anddominate local, long distance, wireless and Internet services in their territories.” http://www.hearusnow.org/other/newsroom/phoneservices/dojrubberstamponattbellsouthmerger/
There is and has been a lot going on in Washington that will have a significant impact upon how and I will be able to send and receive messages and information using ICT. Many citizens will not become aware of any new policies or regulations until it is a “done deal.” This is one of the reasons why PetalumaNet was created over 10 years ago, in 1995 – “To promote greater use and understanding of computer technology and telecommunications in all sectors of our community.” This is why I became a blogger in 2003. Here is another story for you to ponder.
A NEWSPAPER INVESTIGATES ITS FUTURE (Source: New York Times, AUTHOR: Latharine Seelye)
Newspaper are all looking for ways to gain readers, and many have hired consultants to help them. In an unusual twist, The LOs Angeles Times is looking to chart its future by using its own reporters and editors, who rank among the best investigators in the business. The Times is dedicating three investigative reporters and half a dozen editors to find ideaas, at home and abroad, for re-engaging the reader, both in print and online. The newspaper’s editor, Dean Baquet, and its new publisher, David Hillere, plan to convene a meeting today to start the effort, which is being called the Mahatten Project. A report is expected in about two months. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/12/business/media/12paper.html (requires registration)
What is this story all about? The L.A. Times is worried about its future? Aren’t our two local newspapers, the Petaluma Argus-Courier and The Press Democrat owned by the New York Times Company, too? Are our local papers also as concerned and worry? You bet they are. Nationally and locally, readership of print newspapers has been dropping. Many news media, TV and radio, as well as newspapers have created online editions and websites. Let’s click on the above link and see what else Katharine Seelye has to report.
“Those involved in the project said they did not want to be passive by-standers as their paper, like many metro dailies, struggle to transform itself in the Internet age. … We shouldn’t be waiting for corporate headquarters or a think tank or a consultant to come up with ideas to secure our future. … We realized we had to act fast or we wouldn’t have anything to act for.”
I’m glad to read those words; however, my mind flashes back several years to what was taking place in Petaluma, CA, USA — our favorite river town, but I’ll save that story for another blog. Stay tuned, but here is a clue… remember what has been PetalumaNet’s motto for sometime … “The greates resource of any community is the collective wisdom, knowledge and creativity of its citizens.”