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M$ Monitor: [Net]escaping IE, and more
The Micro$oft Monitor
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Published by NetAction Issue No. 5 July 1, 1997
Repost where appropriate. Copyright and subscription info at end of message.
* * * * * * *
In This Issue:
[Net]Escaping IE
Senators Step In
Beyond U.S. Borders
About The Micro$oft Monitor
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[Net]escaping IE
If you can't get your PC to stick with Netscape Navigator as your preferred
Web browser, NetAction wants to hear from you. At a recent conference at
the University of California at Berkeley, antitrust attorney Gary Reback
demonstrated how newer versions of Windows 95 continue to open Web sites
with Microsoft's Internet Explorer even after the user has selected Netscape
Navigator as the default browser.
If this has happened to you, NetAction would like to hear from you as soon
as possible, by E-mail at: akrause@igc.org, or by phone at 415-775-8674.
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Senators Step In
Last week, three members of the U.S. Senate asked the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) to take back responsibility for the government's
investigation into Microsoft antitrust violations. The investigation was
initiated by the FTC in 1990 but was transferred to the Department of
Justice (DOJ) when the FTC's four sitting Commissioners deadlocked in 1993
over how to proceed with the case.
Although Justice officials signed a consent decree with Microsoft in 1994,
industry complaints of anti-competitive practices have continued. Now that
there are five Commissioners at the FTC, many Washington insiders want the
investigation returned to the FTC because of the agency's stronger track
record on antitrust enforcement.
Both the FTC and DOJ have authority to initiate antitrust action, but
neither agency will investigate a company that is under investigation by the
other agency.
The request to transfer the investigation from Justice to the FTC was made
by Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., in a June 25 letter co-signed by Sens. Ted
Stevens, R-Alaska, and Craig Thomas, R-Wyoming. Burns indicated that he had
received complaints about the investigation from a number of companies.
Stevens and Burns serve on the communications subcommittee of the Senate
Commerce Committee.
Two days later, Sen. Slade Gorton, R-Wash., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.,
circulated a letter to their Senate colleagues urging them not to sign
Burns' letter and defending Justice's efforts.
Consumer pressure is needed now to convince other senators to join Burns,
Stevens, and Thomas in urging that the case be transferred. Please call
your senators today. Tell them that the Justice Department is soft on
Microsoft, and urge them to support Senator Burns' request to transfer the
case back to the FTC.
It's especially important that residents of Washington and Arizona ask
Senators Gorton and McCain to retract their June 27 letter urging Senate
colleagues not to sign the Burns' letter. Residents of Montana, Wyoming,
and Alaska should thank Senators Burns, Thomas and Stevens for their efforts!
All Senators can be reached through the Congressional switchboard:
Phone: 202-224-3121
If you're not sure who your Senators are, check the online Congressional
directory, at:
<http://congress.nw.dc.us/congressorg/congdir.shtml>
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Beyond U.S. Borders
Complaints about Microsoft's anti-competitive activities aren't limited to
the United States, even though the company is subject to this nation's
antitrust laws. Since launching the Consumer Choice Campaign, NetAction has
heard from concerned cyber-consumers in Canada, the United Kingdom, and
Australia who want to mobilize within their own borders to pressure
regulatory authorities to stop the Microsoft monopoly.
Since several individuals have asked NetAction for assistance in contacting
other consumers who share their concerns, NetAction will serve as a
clearinghouse for cyber-consumers who want to mobilize in other nations. If
you are a resident of a nation other than the U.S., and you would like to be
in contact with other cyber-consumers in your country who want to mobilize
against Microsoft, send an E-mail message to NetAction (akrause@igc.org).
We will send you back a list with the names and E-mail addresses of others
in your nation who are interested in mobilizing to stop the Microsoft monopoly.
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About The Micro$oft Monitor
The Micro$oft Monitor is a free electronic newsletter, published as part of
the Consumer Choice Campaign <http://www.netaction.org/msoft/ccc.html>.
NetAction is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to educating the
public, policy makers, and the media about technology-based social and
political issues, and to teaching activists how to use the Internet for
organizing, outreach, and advocacy.
To subscribe to The Micro$oft Monitor, write to: <majordomo@manymedia.com>.
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at any time, send a message to: <majordomo@manymedia.com>. The body of the
message should state: <unsubscribe monitor>
NetAction is supported by individual contributions, membership dues and
grants. For more information about contributing to NetAction, contact Audrie
Krause by phone at (415) 775-8674, by E-mail at akrause@igc.org, visit the
NetAction Web site at: <http://www.netaction.org>, or write to:
NetAction * 601 Van Ness Ave., No. 631 * San Francisco, CA 94102
To learn more about how activists can use the Internet for grassroots
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Copyright 1997 by NetAction/The Tides Center. All rights reserved.
Material may be reposted or reproduced for non-commercial use provided
NetAction is cited as the source. NetAction is a project of The Tides
Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.