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Text File | 1995-01-01 | 11.4 KB | 408 lines

FCC Approves Low-Orbit Satellite Licenses 02/01/95 WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 FEB 1 (NB) -- Pushing the advent of worldwide wireless communications, the Federal Communications Commission has awarded licenses to three companies that plan to launch fleets of small, low-earth orbit satellites. The FCC signed off on licenses for: Iridium, a consortium headed by Motorola; Globalstar, a Loral and Qualcomm joint venture; and TRW. The regulators denied licenses for two smaller companies, Constellation Communications and Mobil Communications Holdings, saying they had not demonstrated financial muscle needed to launch the systems. They may apply again next year. Iridium plans a $3.3 billion system of 66 satellites, beginning in 1998. The venture has lined up $1.6 billion in capital from partners around the world, including Sprint, Bell Canada, and a German telecommunications company. Globalstar would orbit 48 satellites at a cost of about $1.8 billion, using simpler satellites than Iridium. Loral and Qualcomm say they have raised about $492 million and plan to raise another $300 million in a public stock offering. TRW has proposed a $2 billion system using 12 satellites. It would provide owned, data and fax service in the US, beginning in 1999. The biggest potential competitor in the satellite communication business has not applied for a federal license. That competitor is the International Maritime Satellite Organization, or Inmarsat, which has raised $1.4 billion from 38 telephone companies around the world. Inmarsat is an inter-governmental treaty organization made up of 76 international, government-run phone systems. Comsat Corp., the US government's representative in Inmarsat, is expected to apply for an FCC license later. The firms that just won licenses are expected to oppose Comsat, arguing that Inmarsat must open itself to private investors before it is allowed into the market. (Kennedy Maize/19950201/Press Contact: Rosemary Kimball, FCC, 202- 418-0500) President Ford Goes Online 02/06/95 NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1995 FEB 6 (NB) -- Former US President Gerald is going from the hallowed halls of the White House to the electronic bandwidth of cyberspace this Friday, February 10th at 1:00 pm EST, when he signs on to the Scholastic Network on America Online (AOL). He'll "chat" with students live and online about the presidency. John Lent, Scholastic Network director, told Newsbytes that President Ford's appearance online is the first in what's hoped to be several appearances by living presidents during the month of February, which is being dubbed "America's President's" month. In fact, "he (Ford) and his chief-of- staff have been practicing for the event," Lent said. A dedicated modem line has already been installed in Ford's California home for the event. Lent said that talks are underway with President Clinton's staff to bring the current leader online this month. Lent said he's also speaking with former presidents Carter and Bush about appearing in cyberspace. Lent said that former President Reagan "graciously" turned down the Network's "chat" offer. As far as what students and teachers can access, "we've created many rich resource libraries for teachers to get ready not only for the online event, but for America's President's Month," Lent said. Among other features, users can tap into libraries on each president, play an interactive game on the presidents, and participate in many online "discussions" via posting on bulletin boards. Lent said that NBC White House Correspondent Andrea Mitchell is also answering questions and bringing her experience to students online via board postings. The Network, which is a partnership between Scholastic Inc. and AOL, claims it is the first online service that is designed with the student and the teacher in mind. The Scholastic Network is a premium service on AOL. (Bob Woods/19950206/Press Contact: Drew Reid Kerr, Scholastic Network, 212-924-4735; Reader Contact: Scholastic Network, 800-864- 0425) CEOs Map Govt Role On Information Highway 02/13/95 WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A. 1994 FEB 13 (NB) -- The chief executive officers (CEOs) of 13 major American computer companies have called for the private sector to lead the development of a global information infrastructure. In a report by the Computer Systems Policy Project, the CEOs call for governments to remove regulatory and trade barriers that limit the growth of the information highway. The report, "Perspectives on the Global Information Infrastructure," describes the infrastructure as a "worldwide assembly of systems that integrate five components: networks, information equipment (such as telephones, televisions and computers), information resources, applications and people." The report makes seven major points: the global information infrastructure is already being established; the private sector must take the lead; the policy agenda must go beyond issues of concern to the telecommunications sector; deregulation and competitive markets are critical; governments and the private sector must work together to achieve global access, addressing issues of interoperability, market access, security, privacy and intellectual property protection; commercial testbeds, sponsored jointly by industry and government, will help identify potential barriers to fully developing the information highway and point the way to solutions. "The U.S. government should work aggressively with other governments and within the appropriate international organizations to achieve competitive, deregulated markets," says the report. On the issue of universal access, the report says that, as the infrastructure evolves, "the private sector has a responsibility to work with governments to identify strategies, other than government mandates, for making essential services and information sources broadly accessible to people and communities." Michael Spindler, Apple CEO and chairman of the project's working group, said "The administration has done an outstanding job of launching the debate and creating significant international forums to discuss the (information infrastructure). Now it is up to the private sector to be a full participant in those discussions." The CSPP member companies include Apple, AT&T, Compaq, Cray Research, Data General, Digital Equipment, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Silicon Graphics, Stratus, Sun Microsystems, Tandem and Unisys. (Kennedy Maize/19950213/Press Contact: Beverly Barnes, CSPP, 202- 393-1010) Govt Technology Spending Battle 02/14/95 WASHINGTON DC, U.S.A., 1995 FEB 14 (NB) -- Abandoning the traditional pruning shears, House Republicans have taken a chain saw to the Clinton administration's technology spending plans. The House Appropriations Committee has voted 33-18 to eliminate the Technology Reinvestment Project, a controversial program that involves Pentagon and private sector financing of research. The committee cut $425 million from the program's fiscal 1995 budget and $77 million from fiscal 1994, essentially zeroing out the TRP program. The cuts are technically known as a "rescission" and were part of rescissions aimed at finding money for military readiness. "We hoped there would be an opportunity to debate these policy issues," Leo Reddy, president of the National Coalition for Advanced Manufacturing, told Newsbytes. He said he hoped the program would get a hearing in the Senate. Budget cutters and congressmen skeptical about Clinton's government- industry partnerships have also introduced a rescission to hack $107 million in funding from the Commerce Department's advanced technology program, run out of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R- Ga.) acknowledged that getting the spending cuts through the Senate is "a fair question." While Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Mark Hatfield (R-Ore.) is not a Pentagon fan, he has supported the technology partnership programs in the past. As the House was savaging Clinton's spending programs, the president and Vice President Al Gore were meeting with high-tech executives on the research and development tax credit. The president spent more than an hour and a half on Monday meeting with more than a dozen corporate leaders. The business executives were upset that Clinton's fiscal 1996 budget does not contain the R&D tax credit. The government created the credit in 1981 as a "temporary" spur to research, and it has been renewed ever since. Clinton promised in his 1992 campaigning to make the tax credit permanent. But the politics of budgeting has led the administration to back away from that promise. According to White House aides, supporters of the tax credit must find five years' worth of off-setting cuts if they are to make the credit permanent. The administration fears that the Republicans will grab the offsets to use to reduce the deficit, rather than fund the R&D tax credits. "Finding a way to pay for the credit through offsets is tricky," veteran lobbyist Ken Kay told Newsbytes. Kay is spokesman for a group called the Working Group on R&D. The R&D credit has bipartisan support. Recently, Rep. Robert Matsui (D-Calif.) and Rep. Nancy Johnson (R- Conn.) circulated a letter in the House soliciting support for a permanent credit. (Kennedy Maize/19950214/Press Contacts: Sally O'Dowd, NACFAM, 202- 662-8965; Ken Kay, 202-393-1010) Court Hits White House Records Policy 02/15/95 WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1995 FEB 15 (NB) -- A federal judge has told the Clinton administration that documents and computer files from the White House National Security Council are subject to the Freedom of Information Act and must be preserved. In a dispute going back to 1989, when President Ronald Reagan left office, US District Court Judge Charles Richey ruled that the NSC must keep all records intact, including computer backup tapes and computer disk drives. Records may be destroyed only by officials acting solely as advisers to the president, Richey ruled. Last year, after 20 years of saying it was a federal agency, the NSC claimed that it was not an agency and therefore not subject to the information act. Richey called that assertion "arbitrary and capricious." He said the Clinton White House definition of the NSC as not an agency is "contrary to history, past practice, and the law." Richey ordered the White House to create new guidelines for records and access by February 27. The lawsuit that led to Richey's order was filed by historian and former Washington Post reporter Scott Armstrong and Ralph Nader's Public Citizen group in order to prevent the Reagan and Bush White House staff from destroying electronic mail records from the Iran-Contra affair. "By rejecting the Clinton administration's effort to exempt the NSC from the records preservation laws, this ruling assures that important records documenting national security will be preserved," said Michael Tankersley, a Public Citizen lawyer who represented Armstrong and the others. Richey's ruling is the latest in a series of decisions against the White House. In August 1993, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a lower court injunction against destroying magnetic tapes and computer records. In March, 1994, the Clinton administration adopted its new definition of the NSC, a definition Richey rejected. (Kennedy Maize/19950215/Press Contact: Michael Tankersley, Public Citizen, 202-833-3000)