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Monday, January 24, 2005 |
If you're registered at the New York Times' site, you may just get an
email soon (or already) from Harris Poll Online that might be worth
filling out. I got mine today, and they test-marketed several
"subscription plans" for NYTimes.com. The notion du jour is that you
might be willing to pay $8 a month to read some combination of News,
Op/Ed and/or fluffy stuff (arts, books, society pages) . Access to the
entire NYT archive for a higher price was also asked, as was a Salon
style, 24-hour access to the whole site for $1 (in micropayment
accounts).
May not be on the immediate horizon, but if the polling is less than a
resounding NO, you'll be seeing something like this plan in a few
months. And you can also bet that the writers of those stories
(freelance or not) will not get a cut of those payments. The NYTimes
has yet to settle with Jonathan Tasini and the other writers involved
in the copyright-theft case of a few years ago.
4:27:13 PM 
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The AP is reporting that the largest known Wi-Fi hotspot
is nearing completion in Philadelphia. A pricing plan is to be
announced the week after the Super Bowl, but wireless Internet access
will be free in all city parks. They also suggest there will be
something of a sliding scale, allowing poor folk to participate.
I suspect it's that last part that has provoked legislators around the
country to get their free-market dander up and attempt to ban similar
projects. Pennsylvania banned projects similar to Philadelphia's right
after it was announced last year. Federal Computer Week reported earlier this month that similar bills are before 17 legislatures this year (though I'm disappointed that there isn't a list).
I don't know whether Wi-Fi is a right comparable to jobs and health
care, but the Internet must belong to all of us if it's going to be
anything real. Check with your local legislators to see if something's
up in your state, and do something about it.
4:10:20 PM
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© Copyright 2005 Mike McCallister.
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