Cisco Government Affairs eUpdate

Volume 1, Issue 1
16 February 2001
Cisco Government Affairs Online: www.cisco.com/gov

This Week@Cisco in Government Affairs

Cisco@EMEA

EMEA Journalists

·        This week, Laura Ipsen, Director of Government Affairs, spoke to a contingent of 30 journalists from EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa).  Her presentation included the three areas that Cisco government affairs is focusing on for 2001– Education, Broadband Deployment and eGovernment.  To hear from more from Laura, visit our Multimedia section.

NEW Cisco@International

·        Ipsen also introduced Ms. Isabella di Michelis de Slonghello, Cisco’s Government Affairs newest employee in charge of EMEA.  Ms. di Michelis will be Cisco’s main contact for EMEA Government Affairs and she can be reached at idemiche@cisco.com. 

Cisco@Telecom

FCC Commissioners Gloria Tristani and Susan Ness this week announced that they would either be leaving the FCC or not seeking re-appointment.  Tristani is said to be eyeing a run for statewide elective office in New Mexico.  Full story at dowjones.com.

Cisco@Washington, DC

U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige was questioned about the administration’s education plan this week by the U.S. Senate.  President Bush’s education reform plan of “No Child Left Behind” was discussed, as well as how the plan would be funded.

Cisco@US States

·        State Government Affairs Manager Michelle Mallory Peacock hosted a delegation of Silicon Valley-area California Assembly and Senate staffers this week.  They heard about eGovernment from Cisco’s IBSG group as well as about Cisco’s state policy focus for 2001. 

·        eVoting and eDemocracy - Riverside County, California is the nation's largest county to have installed a touch-screen voting system.  The machines were installed in time for last fall's presidential election, and used again recently in an election to fill an empty seat in the California Assembly.  The technology has increased the efficiency of tallying results, but is still controversial.  Read The New York Times article and join a discussion about e-democracy at the High Tech Communities website.

New “High Tech Community” Now Online

·        Government Affairs latest foray into web driven public policy saw the soft launch of our “High Tech Community” this week.  The site’s vision is to grow into a “virtual think tank” where policymakers, academics, industry professionals and more can go to read others thoughts and add their own.  The resource is BRAND NEW, so please visit it and add your thoughts!

·        The topics we are focusing on are Education, Broadband Deployment, eGovernment, Privacy, Internet Taxation and Telecom Deregulation.

·        This week’s question of the week is: “President Bush is pushing a $1.6 trillion tax cut. Should it be accepted by Congress in full or should Congress offer more targeted tax cuts?”  Visit the High Tech Community and add your thoughts today.

Tech Policy News Stories of the Week

·        Deutsche Telekom subsidiary T-online this week scrapped its flat-rate pricing plans for all Internet service except for DSL.  The plan is to establish DSL as the Internet broadband service of choice.  Read the full story at FT.com.

·        Can we bank on E-Learning?” – The Red Herring reports on the E-Learning market.

·        Opinion – James Fallows of The Industry Standard speaks his mind on President Bush’s proposed tax cut and its potential effect on the Internet Economy.

·        Privacy article in The New York Times discusses a topic that many around the world are interested in. (free registration required)

TechNet Board Meeting

As a founding member of TechNet, Cisco is very active in this Silicon Valley venture.  This week, new TechNet CEO Rick White (former Congressman from Washington) convened his first board meeting to discuss the policy focuses for TechNet in 2001.  Cisco President and CEO and TechNet board member John Chambers attended the meeting.

Cisco.com/gov Site’s Popularity Grows

Only in its third week of production, the Cisco Government Affairs site continues to grow in popularity. With over 100,000 page views in the first two weeks, the site has thus far been effective in reaching individuals who are interested in high-tech policy.  With 24x7 availability, policymakers all over the world can view Cisco’s positions or utilize the site’s resources and data anytime.

Site of the Week:

For information on Energy Saving Tips, visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s site on energy efficiency.

Fact and Stat of the Week: “Valentine’s in Europe”

·        Forrester Research reports that 2 million Europeans buy flowers and gifts online. Forrester says these people are 50% more likely to read online newspapers, visit television websites and participate in online auctions. 64% say that the convenience of the internet is what brings them online for gifts and flowers and 57% appreciate the real-time availability of e-shopping. Only 18% go directly to the online gift retailer of their choice.

·        For more Facts and Stats on the New Economy, visit our Facts and Stats page.

Feedback

As we continue to build out the site, we welcome comments, criticisms, praise and suggestions.  Please send any feedback to John Earnhardt at jearnhar@cisco.com

To contact any member of the Government Affairs team, please visit our “Contact Us” page.

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