Cisco Government Affairs E-Update

Volume 1, Issue 26

10 August 2001

Brought to you by Cisco Government Affairs Online: http://www.cisco.com/gov

NEW UPDATED FACTS AND STATS!!!!

For hundreds of Facts & Stats on the Internet, the Internet Economy and Internet related processes go to Cisco Government Affairs Facts and Stats page. http://www.cisco.com/gov/factsNStats/index.html

This Week@Cisco in Government Affairs

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CISCO@INTERNATIONAL

EUROPE STILL HAS A BIG SHORTAGE OF TECH WORKERS, DESPITE SLUMP --- Demand for Networking Pros Will Continue to Surge, IDC Study Says - Despite Europe's economic slowdown and the layoffs it has sparked, tech-savvy workers with the right skills shouldn't have trouble finding work for some time to come, according to a study by consultant IDC. IDC says companies, in their scramble to cut costs, increasingly turn to the Internet to help streamline purchasing and other back-office operations. Europe currently lacks about 200,000 people with the expertise to design, build and repair the computer networks that link to the Internet, according to IDC. That gap will grow to about 550,000 by 2004, the firm projects. The shortfall is expected to grow by more than 20,000 people this year, even as firms trim staffs. (Paid subscription required) http://nrstg2p.djnr.com/cgi-bin/DJInteractive?cgi=WEB_FLAT_PAGE&GJANum=420288231&page=wrapper/index&entry_point=1

U.K. E-ENVOY E-GOVERNMENT REPORT: BENCHMARKING ELECTRONIC SERVICE DELIVERY - Report issued by Andrew Pinder - e-envoy of the U.K. The countries covered in this report are the UK, Australia, Canada, China, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the USA. Case studies and benchmarking.

http://www.e-envoy.gov.uk/publications/reports/benchmarkingV2/intl-rep.pdf (Adobe Reader Required)

ASIA-PACIFIC REGION WILL BECOME LARGEST INTERNET MARKET BY 2003 - The number of Internet subscribers in the Asia-Pacific region will zoom past those in the United States, making Asia-Pacific the world's largest Internet market within three years.

- http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/168734.html

B2B SET TO SOAR IN THE UK - Online B2B revenues will grow from GBP13 billion this year to GBP300 billion by 2005, according to Forrester Research. http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905357032&rel=true

FAMILIES SAVE MONEY BY GOING ONLINE - A new Australian study shows that families could save up to AUD141 (USD71) a week by using the Internet for shopping, bill payment, banking and communication. http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905357031&rel=true

HOME NET USE SOARS IN HONG KONG - New research from NetValue shows that Hong Kong had the highest rate of growth in household Internet penetration in the first half of 2001. http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905357042&rel=true

DON'T CRY FOR 'NET USAGE IN ARGENTINA - The truth is, according to one study, there's 1.3 million internet users -- 907,000 of which are in the capital city of Buenos Aires. http://www.emarketer.com/estatnews/estats/elatin_america/20010806_alessio.html?ref=glw

CHILE IN ANTARCTICA - With four year-round bases in Antarctica, Chile needs to take

care of its personnel in the sub-zero climate. The Chilean National Antarctic Institute joined ARGONAUTA, the international telemedicine project. http://www.thestandard.com/article/0,1902,28511,00.html

ITALIAN MINISTER FOR TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION HAS INAUGURATED HIS NEW SITE - http://www.mininnovazione.it/

The new revised e-government action plan adopted by the MInister for Technological Innovation in Italy for 2000-2002 - http://www.pianoegov.it/open.asp?cat=178&doc=290

BELGIAN PRESIDENCY PRIORITY ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION - http://verhofstadt.fgov.be/topics/reports/report_prior/prioriteitennota_eng.pdf (Adobe Reader Required)

CISCO@WASHINGTON, DC

FCC: HIGH-SPEED INTERNET USE UP - About 7.1 million homes and businesses had access to high-speed Internet connections by the end of last year, a 63 percent increase in six months. There were subscribers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, the Federal Communications Commission said this week. Three-quarters of the nation's ZIP codes had at least one high-speed Internet subscriber, an increase from just over half at the end of 1999.

FCC Release - http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/News_Releases/2001/nrcc0133.html

AP Story - http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010809/tc/fcc_broadband_1.html

WHITE HOUSE E-GOVERNMENT TASK FORCE MEETS - The Bush administration kicked off its e-government campaign yesterday with a meeting of its interagency e-gov task force at the White House Conference Center. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57204-2001Aug10.html

HIGH-TECH AGENDA UNFULFILLED IN WASHINGTON - Congress departed Friday for a monthlong recess, leaving the high-tech industry with a largely unfulfilled legislative agenda. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/svfront/wash0804001.htm

FCC CHAIRMAN POWELL ON MEDIA MERGERS - "No FCC chairman, from Day One, has been more politically powerful, more well-connected and more knowledgeable," says Reed Hundt, President Clinton's first FCC chairman, "since perhaps Newton Minow during JFK's administration." http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/08/06/powell/index.html

CARDBOARD FOLDERS TRANSITIONING TO E-SIGNATURES - The agency that built the atomic clock, invented a way to count electrons and developed virtual reality so refined it can be used for training surgeons still conducts much of its day-to-day business on paper forms shuttled from office to office in cardboard folders. It has been done that way for years at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which turned 100 this spring. Say you want your office painted. You fill out a work order, stick it in a red folder and send it to your supervisor. If he approves, he signs the order, returns it to the folder and sends it on to the next supervisor, who signs it and sends it forward and so on. But that’s beginning to change. With a project called e-Approval, NIST is scrapping some of its paper forms and red folders. In their place the agency is using electronic forms and software that zips the forms to the appropriate managers, who can approve them with a digital signature and send them on to the next manager. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2001/0806/web-nist-08-07-01.asp

OFFICE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY CANDIDATE EMERGES - John Bailey, a special assistant to the undersecretary of Education, is the candidate most likely to head the Education Department's Office of Educational Technology, according to some education lobbyists in Washington. Bailey previously was the director of Pennsylvania's Office of Educational Technology and was wooed to Washington by Eugene Hickok, who was Pennsylvania's Education secretary before being tapped by President Bush as a federal Education undersecretary. A spokeswoman for Education Secretary Roderick Paige said no decisions have been made on who will head the Office of Educational Technology but that the administration does plan to fill the job. (National Journal's Tech Daily) http://www.ed.gov/Technology/

TAX CREDITS FOR BROADBAND: "BAD IDEA" SAYS ECONOMIST - Tax credits for companies that deploy high-speed Internet services "appear to be an unwise, unnecessary and expensive approach to what is quickly becoming a non-problem," according to a study released this week by the Cato Institute. Economist Wayne Leighton argues that because more Americans are gaining access to the Internet and to high-speed services, government involvement would distort the marketplace. http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-410es.html

H1-B VISAS STILL IN DEMAND - Faltering technology companies are laying off thousands of workers, but the demand for visas for foreign technology workers has not slackened significantly, according to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The number of requests for H-1B visas reached 177,000 by July 25. Of those, 138,000 had been granted and 39,000 were still pending, the INS reports. Last fall, Congress increased the number of H-1B visas that could be issued from 115,000 to 195,000 for fiscal 2001, which ends Sept. 30. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2001/0806/web-visas-08-08-01.asp

PBS INTERVIEW WITH FCC CHAIRMAN MICHAEL POWELL - Powell: "I think that what we're witnessing, which is really one of the true great economic revolutions in world history, is as profound as the agricultural revolution, and the industrial revolution that preceded it - the information revolution is basically the notion that technology has matured to the point that it's a bit like an alphabet. Suddenly, the technological pieces are in place that you can make opuses. You can write whole books for technology. You can combine the tools of digitalization and broadband capability to deliver human communication to any of our senses over similar infrastructure. And I don't think any one is a winner. I think each of them will have unique and valuable contributions." http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/july-dec01/powell_8-9.html

FCC ISSUES INQUIRY ON ADVANCED TELECOMMUNICATIONS CAPABILITY - This week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) initiated its third inquiry under section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 into whether "advanced telecommunications capability" is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion. Advanced telecommunications capability refers to availability of high-speed, or broadband, connections. The Notice of Inquiry issued today seeks information about extent to which broadband infrastructure is being deployed to all Americans. http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/News_Releases/2001/nrcc0132.html

Statement by FCC Commissioner Kevin Martin: http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Martin/Statements/2001/stkjm103.html

CISCO@US STATES

STUDY RANKS STATES FOR ONLINE SERVICES - The Center for Digital Government this week released a study ranking the 50 states for the return on their technology investments in the areas of revenue/taxation and e-commerce/business regulation. Indiana and North Carolina ranked No.1 for their technology utilization in delivering tax and revenue services. Other top finishers included Illinois, Kansas, Wisconsin, New York, North Dakota, Delaware, Nebraska and Texas. Maryland captured the top spot as the most progressive state for technology use in the business sector. It was the only state to score 100 percent in the category. The other top finishers were Maine, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Washington, Alaska, Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Utah and Virginia. (National Journal’s Tech Daily)

See the full study: http://www.centerdigitalgov.com/center/survey.phtml

NATIONAL GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION ELECTS NEW LEADERS - Michigan Gov. John Engler became chairman of the National Governors Association (NGA) this week, and Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton became vice chairman at NGA's summer meeting in Providence, R.I. The governors also tapped Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman and Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns as chairman and vice chairman of the Committee on Economic Development. And Missouri Gov. Bob Holden and Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer will lead the e-Governance task force, while Patton and Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift will take charge of the postsecondary education task force. (National Journal’s Tech Daily) www.nga.org

NATION'S GOVERNORS ARE PUSHING INTERNET TAXATION - Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer is urging Congress to allow states to tax e-commerce to replenish state coffers.

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010805/wr/tech_governors_tax_dc_2.html

UTAH'S HIGH TECH EFFORTS HAVE PROBLEMS - The effort to create a high-tech stronghold in Utah similar to California's Silicon Valley has met with marginal success so far, but state leaders hope their work will eventually pay off. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010805/tc/high_tech_utah_1.html

E-GOVERNMENT - MIAMI-DADE SITE GETS RESIDENTS READY FOR STORMS - http://www.civic.com/civic/articles/2001/0806/web-miami-08-06-01.asp

WORKER PRODUCTIVITY RISES IN U.S. - American workers’ productivity, a key measure of rising living standards, rebounded in the second quarter for its best showing in a year.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/610501.asp?0na=21031317

STUDENTS TUTOR TEACHERS IN TECH - As educators become overwhelmed with the latest computers, software, personal digital assistants and other new technologies, they're increasingly tapping their student populations as a source of savvy training -- and even to design the learning environments of the future. http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/12573.html

HISPANICS ONLINE: CLOSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE - Emarketer reports that more and more of the Hispanic population in the US is going online.

http://www.emarketer.com/analysis/edemographics/20010730_edemo.html?ref=wn

WEB SITE OF THE WEEK: E-GOVERNMENT SITE FOR GOVERNMENT OF ANDHRA PRADESH (INDIA).

The site states: All the efforts and initiatives of the Government should be directed to the goal of providing good governance. Fundamental to the concept of good governance is a process of administrative and legal reforms aimed at reducing State controls and regulations to the bare minimum and developing a system that can administer the minimum required controls in the most efficient manner. The Government cherishes the vision of establishing a Simple, Moral, Accountable, responsive and Transparent Government – SMART government. e-Governance is one of the vehicles that can be gainfully used in reaching the cherished goal of SMART governance. Visit the site at: http://www.ap-it.com/egovernance.html

FACTS AND STATS OF THE WEEK:

'NET OUTLOOK FOR ASIA/PACIFIC TERRIFIC - The Asia/Pacific will become the world's largest internet market in 2003, according to predictions from Gartner's Dataquest. In 2003, the region will have 183.3 million internet subscribers, topping the US (162.8 million) and Western Europe (162.2 million). Dataquest predicts the number of Asia/Pacific 'net subscribers will jump from 47.4 million in 1999 to 248 million in 2005. By 2005, Japan and China will have a combined 151.5 million subscribers, comprising about 61% of the region's total.

DO YOU GET CABLE...TELEPHONY? - In its report "Waiting for IP: Cable Telephony on Hold," Cahners In-Stat predicts that the number of cable telephony subscribers worldwide will rise from 2.8 million in 2000 to more than 15 million by 2005. Cahners predicts that most cable telephony subscribers will live in North America and Western Europe and that worldwide revenue for the industry will climb from $1 billion in 2000 to more than $6.5 billion by 2005. Cahners also mentions that it will not be until late 2002 to early 2003 that widespread adoption of internet protocol (IP) cable telephony occurs, and that there will be 5 million IP cable telephony subscribers by 2005.

For more Facts and Stats on the New Economy, visit our Facts and Stats page. Also, see our special State of the Internet report on this page.

For daily, topical Facts and Stats visit our Hot In Tech page.

CISCO GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS@2001

Cisco’s top policy focuses for 2001 are the areas of Education, Broadband Deployment and eGovernment. To read or listen to our thoughts on these issues, please visit our Government Affairs home page or our visit our multimedia section . http://www.cisco.com/gov/multimedia/index.html

E-UPDATE ARCHIVE

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