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Newsline. 
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So far the FCC investigation into the sale of these illegal high power 
cordless telephones has resulted in the issuance of several citations 
and fines by the agency's Enforcement Bureau.  Its also gotten a few 
that bothered ham radio communications on two meters off the air.  (FCC) 
 
** 
 
ENFORCEMENT:  SBC TO PAY $3.6 MILLION IN CONSENT DECREE 
 
SBC Communications will pay $3.6 million to federal regulators for 
filing inaccurate information in applications to provide long-distance 
service in four states. The consent decree resulted from Federal 
Communications Commission investigations of S-B-C applications to enter 
the long-distance markets in Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.   
 
In agreeing to the consent decree the company admits no wrong doing.  In 
fact, SBC says that the inaccuracies were the result of good-faith 
efforts in describing highly technical matters and not the product of 
any intent to mislead.  (Published reports) 
 
** 
 
NAMES IN THE NEWS:  MITNICK SELLING LAPTOPS TO PAY LEGAL FEE 
 
Former computer hacker Kevin Mitnick, N6NHG, says that he is selling 
some of his personal items to pay a lawyer who is trying to save his ham 
radio license.  Mitnicks' request to renew his license earlier this year 
end up in it being designated for a hearing.  The items that Mitnick is 
auctioning off include his old Toshiba laptop computer which was taken 
by the government back in February of 1995.  As this is written, that 
computer is up on e Bay with a top bid approaching $10,000.  
 
A second laptop is also up for auction. It features a layer of 
fingerprint dust and red "X" marks where fingerprints were lifted.  It 
also includes a mouse still housed in an FBI evidence bag.  Both 
computers are signed on the bottom by Mitnick and former Apple executive 
Steve Wozniak.  (Published reports) 
 
** 
 
NAMES IN THE NEWS:  RAFY BRIEM N6FFT - TALKRADIO LEGEND -- RETIRES 
 
Talk radio legend Ray Briem, N6FFT, has retired.  Briem's last show was 
on Sunday evening September 28th  over Los Angeles radio station KRLA.  
Before moving to the 870 spot on the AM dial Briem spent several decades 
honing the art of late night talk over at KABC radio on 790 Kilohertz.  
While there his show was eventually put on the ABC radio network, 
nationwide.  (ASWLC) 
 
** 
 
NAMES IN THE NEWS:  A.PROSE WALKER, W4BW - S.K. 
 
A. Prose Walker, W4BW, the man considered as the father of the "WARC 
bands" has died.  Walker headed up the FCC's old Amateur and Citizens 
Division from 1971 to  1975.  While there, he made the initial proposal 
for the creation of the 10, 18 and 24 MHz bands at a conference in 
Geneva 1972.  Later, Walker organized and chaired the United States the 
Advisory Committee of Amateur Radio.  This committee took the initial 
steps to turn the idea into reality at the 1979 World Administrative 
Radio Conference.  
 
But there was another side of Walker that hams in the world above 50 MHz 
do not remember very fondly.  It was a set of highly restrictive 
repeater regulations  promoted by Walker back in the early 70's.  Among 
other things, these rules required the submission of what are today 
called engineering feasibility studies in order to get a required W-R 
prefix repeater license.  The regulations were so strict that repeater 
growth almost ground to a halt for the better part of half a decade.  
Eventually, the ham community lead by 73 Magazine publisher Wayne Green, 
W2NSD, rebelled against the Walker inspired rules.  They were repealed 
as a part of repeater deregulation a few years later. 
 
Walker was living in Rochester, New York, at the time of his death.  He 
was 92.  (ARRL, Repeater Remailer, W9JUV, 73 archives, others) 
 
** 
 
ON THE WEB:  INTERNET OUTAGE ON UUNET 
 
If you think that the Internet went away for a few hours on October 3rd, 
you are close.  What actually happened is that some users faced heavy 
delays reaching Web sites and accessing e-mail for a few hours because 
of widespread technical troubles on WorldCom's long-haul network.  
    
A WorldCom' backbone called U-U-NET carries most of the Internet traffic 
in the United States.  The problems began about 8 a.m. and about 20 
percent of WorldCom's U.S. Internet.  Very few if any lost service and 
Worldcom had service fully restored by early afternoon.  WorldCom says 
that the problem appears to have been with the lists telling router 
computers how to pass data on to their destinations.  (Published 
reports) 
 
** 
 
INTERNATIONAL -  GERMANY: THE CODE SHOULD STAY 
 
Germany's  Deutscher Amateur Radio Club is that country's national 
Amateur Radio society.  As previously reported, the D.A.R.C. supports 
the retention of Morse code testing  as a license qualification.  Now, 
D.A.R.C. has put this position on the discussion agenda of the 
International Amateur Radio Union's  Region 1 Conference.  Its slated to 
be held in San Marino in November.  (Q-News) 
 
** 
 
INTERNATIONAL-UK:  BBC AND B SKY B TO LAUNCH ALL DIGITAL TV NETWORK 
 
The British Broadcasting Company and Rupert Murdoch's B sky B network 
are teaming up to create a new all digital television service in the 
United Kingdom.  According to news reports, the terrestrial service 
called Freeview will be launched on October 30th.  It's purpose is to 
fill the void left by the collapse of I-T-V Digital Television.   If 
successful, it will give Great Britain a let up on the rest of the world 
by being the first nation with an all digital network. 
You can read More at:
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=search&StoryID=1530266  
(Media Network) 
 
** 
 
INTERNATIONAL - NEW ZEALAND: HAM RADIO WALKABOUT 
 
Well known land hiker Tony Whitiker, G3RKL, will be walking in the north 
island of New Zealand during the month of October. Tony will be walking 
from east to west and will be on the air using the callsign ZL6WFE.  He 
will be on the New Zealand national repeater network and hopes to send 
Slow-Scan Television pictures live via the Internet Radio Linking 
Project gateways.  (Q-News) 
 
** 
 
ON THE AIR:  NEW PROPAGATION BEACON FROM FN20 
 
On the air, Steven Kerns, N3FTI, in Reading, Pennsylvania reports over 
the VHF Reflector that he has established a new 2 meter propagation 
beacon from grid square FN20.  Its on 144.279 Mhz running 4 watts out 
into a Discone antenna but he plans to change that to a halo in the 
coming weeks.  Steve is also planning a 6 meter beacon to operate from 
the same location.  QSN reports go to Steve at his callbook address.  
(VHF Reflector) 
 
** 
 
DX 
 
In D-X, VE7XF is going back to the Cook Islands next weak in a muilti-
multi operation to take part in  the C-Q World Wide  DX SSB Contest.  He 
and the gang will operate  from Manihiki on North Cook Island as ZK1MA 
during the event.  Before and after the contest they will spend as much 
time as possible on 6 meter C-W and S-S-B  with the call ZK1AKX.  Listen 
for the operation from Manihiki from October 18th to the 31st and then 
on to Rarotonga South Cook Island from November 1st to the 11th.  QSL 
cards go to Ralph Parker, 5330 Wallace Ave.,  Delta, British Columbia  
Canada at postal code  V4M 1A1  (GB2RS) 
 
K5AND, W5OZI and W5LXG will be operating from Montserrat from October 
31st through November 8th.  The trio will be focusing most of their 
attention on the 6 meter band using a Yaesu FT-897, a 7 element yaggi 
and radiating about 800 watts out and a Morse beacon on 50.155 Mhz..