- Several years ago, Internet startups (MP3.com, Napster, EMusic.com, etc.) challenged major music distribution companies. A recent announcement, however, that Vivendi Universal is buying MP3.com shows how radically things have changed. During the past few months a number of the leading music startups have been absorbed, either in whole or in part, by the very labels they set out to challenge. Industry analysts are predicting that the five major record companies could wind up actually consolidating their power in an Internet age that some analysts thought would "shake the labels to their core." This is not the "Internet democratization" that many had hoped for. (New York Times, 22 May 01)

- School and library requests for discounted Internet connections and wiring are now far outstripping the resources available for the eRate program, forcing federal officials to revisit how the funds are distributed. The eRate program is an excellent example of a government program that works. With help from eRate discounts, 98% of US public schools now have Internet connections, according to new statistics issued by the Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics. But only 77% of instructional classrooms have Internet connections, and the number drops to 60% for schools with the highest concentrations of poverty. (New York Times, 15 May 01)

- According to a recent Reuters report, Microsoft has put up most of a $48 million dollar investment in eLearning software maker Blackboard. The new round of financing brings the total raised since launch to $100 million and the company plans to reach profitability in the next year. Other major stakeholders in Blackboard are AOL Time Warner, the Internet Capital Group and Pearson Education, a unit of the media conglomerate Pearson Plc, publisher of the Economist and the Financial Times. For more on this latest funding CLICK: http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/010416/n16494835_2.html

- Tension over ownership of intellectual property remains the focus of debate. Adopting an IP policy, however, won't end discussion. Faculty and institutions still need to agree on the context in which the institution's name/logo may appear on an electronic course, and on how the institution's conflict-of-interest and conflict-of-commitment policies apply to developing online courses, especially when used outside of the institution. Well-known academic institutions are not likely to simply watch while their faculty become free agents, working for competing universities and for, for-profit eLearning businesses. (Wall St. Journal, 10 May 01)

- In a recent statement, Andrew Graham, Master-Elect of Balliol College, noted that the newly founded Oxford Internet Institute will allow academics from a wide variety of disciplines to discuss how the Internet is changing everyday life, as well as the potential harm it may incur. Members plan to develop policy based on their findings. Issues that the institute will focus on include: the borderless nature of the Internet and how it relates to traditional notions of the nation/ state, privacy and law enforcement. The belief is that this new Institute will be the first of its kind for the study of the Internet's societal impact. The cost of the institute will be $22 million, much of which is being funded by the Shirley Foundation. (Reuters, 6 May 01)

- Scientists at the Los Alamos National Research Laboratory in New Mexico are connected around the globe through a scientific paper archive. They post papers targeted to specific areas of research. The papers can then be accessed without charge from 16 worldwide designated sites. The Web archive receives two million hits weekly from institutions outside the United States that include Africa, Iran and Cuba. The 10-year-old archive has become indispensable to foreign research institutions that would otherwise be excluded from the front lines of science. Without this Web archive, geographically isolated and previously undocumented researchers would have virtually no way to contribute to global scientific progress. (New York Times, 1 May 01)

- A conference at Santa Clara University recently explored the impact of technology on our sense of self. "Technology and Us - A Vision for the Future," included participants from the fields of education, business and journalism. According to journalist David Halberstam, Internet interaction methods are eroding important relationships, i.e. family ties and hometown links and fostering disconnection in the workplace. Head of ThirdAge Media, Mary Furlong, was more optimistic, stating that Internet groups help older adults widen their self-identity in the fast-changing world of technology. Editor of the journal "Technology and Culture," John Staudenmaier, remarked that another plus was that Internet users are more wary of the validity of information. (SiliconValley.com, 26 Apr 01)

- Academic programs about the Web, already present at the graduate level, are emerging in undergraduate studies. The courses deal with instruction employing Internet tools, security issues and applications, Web design, eCommerce and the social aspects of the Web. Only a handful of colleges and universities have organized these programs into areas of concentration or degree programs. Head of communications at the U of Illinois-Chicago is confident that his university will soon have a Ph.D. program on Internet studies. (Associated Press, 22 Apr 01)