Responding to concerns that Europe is lagging behind the US in harnessing the benefits of the digital economy, the European Commission has unveiled plans to help make Internet use cheaper, faster and safer. A commission spokesman said every school in Europe should have an Internet connection by the end of 2001, with further investment to ensure there is at least one PC for every 15 students by 2004. The plan also calls for increased competition on local networks to drive down the price of access.
"Other regions are already experiencing Internet-led growth," said Erkki Liikanen, European Enterprise commissioner. "The Commission's proposals should ensure that by 2002, Europe will be at the forefront of this wave." The e-Europe Action Plan will be submitted for approval to EU leaders at the June summit in Portugal. Liikanen said the EU should also work to increase the level of European content on the Internet, pointing out that of the 100 most-visited sites, 94 are US-based. He said particular attention would be given to promote Internet content in languages other than English.
No Sale: An online company trading in Internet domain names has threatened legal action against a person it claims offered to buy www.bertieahern.com and other related addresses, for £5 million but failed to complete the deal. TransNames claims a person calling himself Bertie Ahern made the offer on April 14th. A Department of the Taoiseach spokeswoman said that no offer was made by Mr Ahern or the Government to buy the addresses.
Pirates Prosper: The illegal copying and distribution of software in Ireland is continuing at the rate of 51 per cent with one in every two software programs installed illegal, according to the Business Software Alliance.
Regulating Privacy: In a reversal of policy the Federal Trade Commission has asked the US Congress for authority to regulate how companies use personal information collected on websites. The FTC recommended legislation to bolster its ability to oversee online privacy, concluding that the industry had failed to safeguard privacy through self-regulation.
Ms Fightback: Microsoft is trying to use the US government's words against it arguing that the Justice Department once insisted that splitting up the company would be "against the public interest". The government did not seek a break-up five years ago in a previous case against Microsoft, saying "such remedies would not necessarily benefit competition and would. . . act against the public".
Bet On Wap: Sports betting service Eurobet has unveiled a new WAP-based betting capability. The company says it has simplified the interface to take account of the small screens on mobile phones but users otherwise get the same sports and odds as on its existing Net betting service.
Tax Mate: Dublin-based Internet consultancy TaxMate, has announced details of a fully inclusive Internet tax portal service for Ireland and the UK. The new service, www.sortmytax.com, will allow people fully complete their tax returns online. The company has also launched a £20,000 competition to pay an individual's tax bill for one year.
Selling Up: Leading Irish advertisers spent £6.1 million on online marketing last year and the spend is set to nearly triple over the next 12 months, according to an ICAN/AAI survey. ICAN, the online advertising company, together with the Advertisers Association of Ireland, commissioned Amarach Consulting to conduct the research among the country's leading advertisers.
A New Chapter: Three US publishers have announced electronic distribution ventures indicating that the industry is set to make more digital books available. Random House has released Michael Crichton's novel Timeline online while Simon & Schuster followed suit with 15 Star Trek titles, saying the books would appeal to "early adopters" of technology. Meanwhile, Time Warner Trade Publishing has set up a new division to handle e-publishing.
Access All Areas: The Information Society Commission has announced plans to create Ireland's first directory of public Internet access points. The ISC wants cybercafes, libraries, Internet kiosk owners and other venues open to the general public with Internet access to register their venue in the new directory at www.isc.ie.
Class Of Millions: Seonad Cook, who recently designed and implemented computer literacy courses for teachers under a Department of Education sponsored initiative, has moved into the private sector and set herself the goal of training 1,000,000 Irish people in basic computer and Internet skills over the next two years. She is planning to kick off what is being billed as the single biggest training scheme undertaken in the State in August and plans to set up a country-wide network of franchises providing trainers wherever they are needed.
In Brief...first-e, the Internet bank, has been launched in Germany following an initial pilot programme. . . The New York Times has approved a new class of stock to track the assets of its online businesses. . . NewMediaCV is to expand operations with the establishment of NewMediaExecutive, a business division launched to meet demand for senior management executives. . .