December 15, 2003

Moves into Internet-based telephone service announced by Time Warner and AT&T raise questions about whether and how such services should be regulated; Michael K Powell, FCC chairman, says he has not made up his mind, but tends to think that Internet-based calls are fundamentally different from conventional phone calls and ought to be regulated cautiously, if at all; Gene Kimmelman of Consumers Union contends that important public policy concerns like universal and affordable access would be gravely threatened if consumers used Internet-based services that were unregulated; says function, not technology, should guide regulatory decision (M)

Four Iraqi leaders question Saddam Hussein after his capture and report that he is defiant and unrepentant about his tyrannical rule of nearly 35 years but very much defeated; seem to gain some legitimacy as leaders through meeting in which they say they called Hussein to task on behalf of their nation; they are Iraqi Governing Council members Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Adnan Pachachi and Ahmad Chalabi and Adel Abdel Mahdi, representative of Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, Shiite organization (M)

Kelefa Sanneh reviews debut CD by American Idol winner Ruben Studdard and new CD by Avant; photos (M)

DreamWorks SKG is hoping that forthcoming film House of Sand and Fog will become box office success that has eluded it so far this year; many people in and out of Hollywood say disappointing year is indicative of bigger challenges facing DreamWorks; cite friction in live-action division, which is largely run by Walter F Parkes but whose day-to-day operation is left to Michael De Luca; also say DreamWorks should start acquiring distribution rights to some other filmmakers' movies; photos; graph (M)

THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY -- The successful operation ended a string of failures and frustrations for American agencies. PAGE A23 A BATTLE, NOT THE WAR -- The American military seems to have regained the initiative against the insurgents. MILITARY ANALYSIS, PAGE A20