Cisco Government
Affairs E-Update
Volume 1, Issue 34
12 October 2001
Brought to you by
Cisco Government Affairs Online: http://www.cisco.com/gov
LIBERTYUNITES.ORG – Along with our friends
and partners at AOL Time Warner, Amazon.com, E-Bay, Microsoft and
Yahoo, Cisco is participating in a website to help the United States
begin the healing process after the September 11 tragedies.
As the rubble is cleared, the rebuilding process
for the survivors and their communities is only just beginning. From medical and rehabilitation needs to psychological
assistance and financial support for the families of the victims,
the burdens on charitable organizations will be staggering. Please visit www.libertyunites.org and see what you
can do to help.
This Week@Cisco in Government Affairs
Cisco's E-Update
keeps you up to date on the major policy news of the week. Focusing
on broadband, education and e-government areas, but covering high-tech
and telecom in general, the E-Update is a great source of information
for state, federal and international policymakers. To subscribe, send
a message with “subscribe” in the subject line to “Subscribe-eUpdate@cisco.com
Cisco Networking Academy Program Update
Number of Academies:
USA: 4,497 - Canada: 317 - Asia/Pacific: 688 - Latin America 351 - EMEA
2,261 - Japan: 142
Numbers of Academies
Worldwide: 8256
Number of students
currently enrolled: 204,386
Number of Academy
Instructors: 23,881
The Cisco Networking Academy Program is a comprehensive ten-course program
designed to teach students Internet technology skills. Cisco has expanded the Networking Academy program
to include optional, partner-sponsored courses by IT leaders in the
Fundamentals of UNIX, sponsored by Sun Microsystems, and the Fundamentals
of Web Design, sponsored by Adobe Systems. All courses are delivered
through the Cisco Networking Academy Program. For more information:
www.cisco.com/edu
For more
information about Cisco's education policy: http://www.cisco.com/gov/people/education.html
This Week@WASHINGTON, DC
CISCO PRESIDENT AND
CEO INAUGURATES FCC CHAIRMAN’S SPEAKERS SERIES – John Chambers, Cisco’s
President and CEO, last week was the inaugural speaker at Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Michael K. Powell’s speakers
series. Presenting his vision for the future of telecommunications
and his views on the current market environment, Chambers spoke to
a standing room only crowd at FCC headquarters in Washington, DC. Chairman Powell introduced Chambers as one
of the best CEO’s in the world. Chambers
said that government leaders need to set a national goal to bring
high-speed Internet connections to all Americans in the next decade. “For productivity and national competitiveness
reasons, the nation must make broadband rollout a national priority.
Just as putting a person on the moon was a national goal,”
said Chambers, “getting broadband to all Americans and small businesses
should have the same effort behind it.” While he said that industry would be responsible
for the vast majority of the roll-out, he also stated that the federal,
state and local governments have a role in helping reach underserved
areas. Chairman Powell, Commissioner
Kevin Martin and Commissioner Michael Copps were in attendance at
the talk. Senator Ted Stevens
(R-AK), as well as FCC Bureau chiefs were also in the audience.
SCHEINMAN,
IPSEN PROMOTED – LEE JOINS CISCO TO HEAD ASIA-PACIFIC GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
– Dan Scheinman was recently promoted to new responsibilities and
will now oversee Business
Development, Strategic Alliances, Strategic Technology Policy, Government
Affairs, Legal, and Corporate Public Relations as Senior Vice President,
Corporate Development, Cisco Systems, Inc.
Scheinman will report directly to Cisco President and CEO John
Chambers. Laura Ipsen was recently promoted to
Vice President for Government Affairs.
She will continue to head the global public policy department
for Cisco and focus on broadband buildout, education and e-government
policy issues. She joined Cisco over six years ago and started
and built Cisco’s Government Affairs department. She will continue to report to Scheinman.
Malcolm Lee
recently joined Cisco’s Government Affairs shop and will have responsibilities
for government affairs in the Asia/Pacific region. He will also manage global trade policy issues.
Formerly,
Lee was a senior National Economic Council staffer in the Clinton
White House and most recently a key U.S. telecommunication and Internet
policy negotiator as deputy assistant secretary of State.
Lee will report to Ipsen.
VOTE
ON BROADBAND BILL POSSIBLE - The U.S. House of Representatives could
vote soon on a measure pushed by dominant local telephone companies
that would kill a requirement that they open their networks to rivals
before offering long-distance data services, a top Republican said
on Friday. The measure would also allow telephone giants like Verizon
Communications and SBC Communications to launch new data networks
without having to sell rivals pieces of the network for the provision
of high-speed Internet service, known as broadband, as required for
traditional voice services. While there is stiff opposition in the
Senate, Rep. Billy Tauzin, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce
Committee and one of the authors of the measure, said he hoped it
would reach the House floor in the next month or so, before the House
adjourns for the year. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-7508173.html
BUSH ECONOMIC PLAN A BOON FOR TECHS - President Bush's economic-stimulus plan could give a needed boost to the
tech sector and information-technology spending, analysts say. Last
week, Bush outlined a broad tax stimulus plan to help the economy
recover from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon. One of the agreed-upon techniques to boost the economy
is so-called enhanced expensing, which would allow companies to depreciate
assets at a more rapid clip. For the tech sector, beset by layoffs and profit
warnings, depreciation--a reduction of earnings to write off the cost
of an asset over its estimated useful life--is no small matter. Technology
executives have long griped that tax rules don't reflect reality in
the sector, which is defined by 18-month product cycles.
The idea of accelerated depreciation isn't new, but with Bush's
jump start, a handful of bills designed to give the tech sector a
shot in the arm are more likely to become law. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5098118,00.html?chkpt=zdhpnews01
INTERNET TAX MORATORIUM - The House Judiciary Committee passed a substitute
version of HR 1552, the Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act, a bill
to extend the current moratorium on Internet access taxes, and multiple
and discriminatory taxes on Internet commerce. The current ban expires
on October 20. The Committee approved an amendment in the nature of
a substitute offered by Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL) that provides a
two year extension. HR 1552, as introduced, and as approved by
the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law on August 2,
would have provided a five year extension of the ban on multiple or
discriminatory taxes, and permanently banned taxes on Internet access.
The vote on Bachus's amendment was 19 to 15. Then, the bill, as amended,
passed by a voice vote. (TechLawJournal.com)
U.S. SEEKS TO BUILD SECURE ONLINE NETWORK - The government's new cyber-security officials yesterday asked telecommunications
companies for help building a government computer network that would
have "no risk of outside penetration" -- a task some computer
security consultants say is nearly impossible. Plans for the private network, called Govnet,
hinge on whether a reliable network infrastructure can be built at
an affordable price, officials said. Computer system consultants said
they could not estimate how much the network would cost because of
the government's enormous size and security needs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40092-2001Oct10.html The new network is the brainchild of Richard
Clarke, the newly appointed presidential adviser for cyberspace security,
and is intended to carry data, voice-over-IP and possibly video. "Planning for this network has been going
on for several months," Clarke said in a statement, adding that
the General Services Administration--the agency responsible for providing
service and equipment to the U.S. government--will play a critical
role. "We need the combination of skills the GSA has to establish
this network quickly." http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-202-7481276.html
GOVNET PROPOSAL:
http://www.fts.gsa.gov/govnet/govnet.doc
SECURITY
EXPERTS LEERY OF GOVERNMENT NET - Network-security
professionals supported the Bush Administration's idea of a separate
government Internet but stressed that security on such a network will
be elusive. Actions as simple as a government employee connecting
a nonsecured computer to the network or loading data from a diskette
could compromise the entire system, experts said.
"It still is a really good idea," said Bruce Schneier,
president of network-protection company Counterpane Internet Security.
"But you really have to physically separate the networks." http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5098169,00.html?chkpt=zdnnp1tp02
U.S. TO INTENSIFY
EFFORT AGAINST THREAT OF COMPUTER TERRORISM - The Bush administration
confirmed Monday that it will spend $10 million to launch a newly
intensive war against cyber-terrorism, which many government officials
and terrorism experts consider a serious threat to national security
with the potential for causing mass confusion and loss of life.
As evidence of the new emphasis on high-tech terrorism, the
White House is expected to announce today the creation of a "cyber-security"
office. "Cyberspace," said one Bush administration
official, "is our next battlefield. And the president has concurred
that we need to be better prepared for it." President Bush will
appoint Richard Clarke, the longtime coordinator of security, infrastructure
protection and counter-terrorism for the National Security Council,
to the position of special advisor to the president for cyberspace
security. Retired U.S. Army Gen. Wayne Downing will be appointed deputy
national security advisor and "national director for combating
terrorism," administration officials said.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-000080558oct09.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dtechnology
GOVT. PLANS TO FIND AIRWAVES FOR WIRELESS FIRMS - The Bush administration on Friday unveiled
a new plan to find more airwaves to sell to wireless companies hungry
for more so they can launch a new generation of advanced mobile services. Several government agencies plan to assess
the usefulness of two bands of spectrum for commercial services and
possible timelines in which the bands could be made available, according
to a statement by the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications
and Information Administration (NTIA).
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011005/tc/telecoms_spectrum_study_dc_2.html
PRESIDENT’S MANAGEMENT
COUNCIL APPROVES 23 FEDERAL PROJECTS - The President’s Management
Council, made up of 29 chief agency operating officers, this week
approved 23 e-government projects.
“Each of these initiatives represent this concept that I’ve
been laying out: Unify and simplify,” said Mark Forman, associate
director for IT and e-government at the Office of Management and Budget.
Some projects will consolidate redundant federal systems, and
others will simplify agencies’ business processes. OMB will release
the list of the approved initiatives soon, said Forman.
http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/17262-1.html
AGENCIES BUYING UP FIELD-READY COMPUTERS, SECURITY TECHNOLOGY - The federal government’s appetite for portable,
wireless Internet products and information security software has grown
in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and
the Pentagon, leading technology contractors and purchasers said Thursday. Terri Allen, senior vice president of sales
for technology reseller GTSI, said that since Sept. 11, federal agencies
have ordered up “ruggedized” computers with high-speed wireless Internet
access that can be deployed into remote locations at a moment’s notice
and then be extracted and moved to another site. The computers are
designed to keep working despite intense physical punishment.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1001/100501h1.htm
OFFICE
OF HOMELAND SECURITY NEEDS MORE POWER, LAWMAKERS SAY - The new White House Office of Homeland Security lacks
the budgetary authority and staff resources to coordinate the efforts
of the dozens of agencies that play a role in protecting the nation
against terrorism, several members of Congress and public administration
experts said Tuesday. Under
an executive order signed by President Bush Monday, Homeland Security
Director Tom Ridge can review the budgets of programs involved in
homeland security and introduce legislation that will help agencies
fight terrorism. But Ridge has no legal authority to alter or reject
agency anti-terrorism budgets, meaning he has less formal control
over counter-terrorism budgets than former drug czar Barry McCaffrey
wielded over the government’s drug control budget. http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1001/101001p1.htm
SENATE PASSES SWEEPING
SURVEILLANCE PACKAGE - Just before midnight on Thursday, the Senate
passed a sweeping anti- terrorism measure that would ease many restrictions
on electronic surveillance and wiretapping by federal authorities. Following a marathon session, the Senate voted
96-1 to approve the measure, which broadens federal phone and electronic
surveillance authority; makes it easier for government officials to
obtain phone, Internet and business records; and loosens evidentiary
requirements for obtaining wiretaps in terrorism cases. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171062.html
PHONE
HUB SECURITY SOUGHT; VERIZON UNEASY ABOUT BUILDINGS - Saying terrorist
attacks against telecommunications hubs could shut down banks, broadcasters
and financial markets, Verizon Communications wants tougher security
in phone-equipment buildings. ''If you really want to create panic,
take down the telecommunications facilities,'' says Larry Babbio,
vice chairman of Verizon, the USA's No. 1 local phone company. Verizon has told Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael
Powell of its concerns. And the FCC, which regulates the issue, is
encouraging companies to come forward with proposals, it says. Babbio raised the issue Thursday, while touring
one 32-story telecom hub, which was severely damaged in the World
Trade Center attacks. It is one of the USA's most critical communications
facilities. http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20011012/3535538s.htm
INTERNET EDUCATION BILL PASSES IN HOUSE - The House passed HR 1992, the
Internet Equity and Education Act of 2001, by a vote of 354 to 70.
See, Roll Call No. 375. This bill would make it easier to obtain student
loans for Internet based education, and other distance learning. The
bill is sponsored by Rep. Johnny Isakson (R-GA).
The bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 by removing
the burden of the "12-hour rule" for non-traditional programs.
This rule requires educational institutions to keep voluminous attendance
records to demonstrate that their students attended certain types
of work sessions. The bill also makes exceptions to the 50% requirement
by allowing a limited number of institutions to offer more than 50%
of their courses by telecommunications, or to serve more than 50%
of their students through telecommunications courses. The bill also
addresses incentive compensation provisions. On September 21, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), and
others, introduced S 1445, a companion bill in the Senate. (TechLawJournal.com)
This
Week@INTERNATIONAL
UK BUSINESS HIT BY INTERNET ACCESS SHORTAGE - UK businesses
say their competitiveness is suffering because of a shortage of high-speed
internet access, according to a report by the Communications Management
Association. http://tm0.com/sbct.cgi?s=166389374&i=402287&d=1878335
SCANDINAVIA
LEADS EUROPE IN BROADBAND USE - Sweden and Denmark have the highest
broadband penetration in Europe, according to a new study from NetValue.
http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905357245&rel=true
ONLINE GROCERIES SET FOR GROWTH EXPLOSION - Europe's
rapidly expanding online market for food and drinks could be worth
more than $23 billion by 2005, but research on Thursday showed retailers
should view the Internet more as a marketing tool than as a sales
channel. In a wide-ranging eight-nation study made available
exclusively to Reuters, market analysts Datamonitor estimated the
global online food and beverages market would grow by almost 80 percent
annually over the coming four years. This will take the value of Internet
food and drinks purchases in the seven European nations surveyed plus
the U.S. to $55 billion by 2005, Datamonitor estimates, with the U.S.
accounting for well over half of the total.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011011/wr/retail_internet_dc_1.html
SPAIN:
THE MINISTER FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADOPTS A 15 ML PESETAS PROGRAM
TO SUSTAIN NEW TECHNOLOGIES ADOPTION BY SMBS - El Ministerio de Ciencia
y Tecnología concede 15.000 millones a las pymes para fomentar el
uso de las nuevas tecnologías - La Razón
http://www.larazon.es/lared/laredmillones.htm
COPENHAGEN
AIRPORT GETS 802.11B WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS - Travelers passing
through Copenhagen airport this week will be able to access the Internet
free of charge using their 802.11b. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171004.html
AN INFORMATION
SOCIETY FOR ALL - COUNCIL RESOLUTION (only in French)
http://ue.eu.int/Newsroom/LoadDoc.cfm?MAX=1&DOC=!!!&BID=79&DID=67980&GRP=3812&LANG=2
INTERNET
USE IN EUROPEAN SCHOOLS GROWING, BUT WIDE DIFFERENCES REMAIN -
http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.gettxt=gt&doc=IP/01/1392%7C0%7CRAPID&lg=EN
STAFF WORKING
DOCUMENT "E-EUROPE 2002 BENCHMARKING - EUROPEAN YOUTH INTO THE
DIGITAL AGE" -
http://europa.eu.int/information_society/eeurope/news_library/documents/SEC_2001_1583_EN.pdf
SPAIN:
ANNA BIRULES, MINISTER FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, declared this morning,
during a hearing in front of the Senate that Spanish are affected
by information technology viruses less compared to the European average.
http://www.elmundo.es/navegante/2001/10/10/esociedad/1002714514.html
GLOBAL INTERNET CONNECTIVITY STILL GROWING - International
Internet bandwidth growth remains strong, although it is down on last
year, according to TeleGeography. http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905357257&rel=true
This Week@US STATES
ENGLER SIGNS
STREAMLINED NET-TAX BILL INTO LAW - Michigan Gov. John Engler, R,
has signed legislation clearing the way for his state to join a coalition
that is working to streamline sales tax codes so states can collect
sales taxes online. "The bipartisan support for this measure
shows that Michigan is committed to fully funding our public schools,"
Engler said in a release today. "By coming together, we protect
our schools and give Main Street retailers a fair and level playing
field." Earlier this
month, the Michigan Senate approved H.B. 5080, a bill offered by the
Michigan House, that calls on the state to join the Streamlined Sales
Tax Project, founded by the National Governors' Association. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/170928.html
BRINGING
BROADBAND TO THE NORTH COUNTRY - New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen
has signed a contract with a company that will help expand affordable,
high-speed telecommunications services for businesses in the northern
part of the Granite State. "Almost every company now depends on the
Internet to conduct their day-to-day business," Shaheen said
in a statement. "To attract them to our state, our telecommunications
prices must be competitive." Shaheen modeled the initiative after
Berkshire Connect http://www.bconnect.org/,
which expanded affordable telecom services in Western Massachusetts.
North Country Connect, an economic development project that searches
for low-cost broadband service providers, has signed an agreement
with Global Crossing and Equal Access Networks to reduce telecom prices
by up to 60 percent. Monadnock Connect, a similar initiative aimed
at western New Hampshire, already is underway. (National Journal’s
TechDaily)
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR DAVIS VETOES E-MAIL BILL - California Gov. Gray Davis
vetoed Senate Bill 147, sponsored by Sen. Debra Bowen (D-Marina del
Rey). This bill would prohibit an employer from secretly monitoring
the electronic mail or other computer records generated by an employee. Gov. Davis stated that "This bill would
require employers, by March 1, 2002, to execute signed or electronically
verifiable agreements between an employer and employees regarding
the right of the employer to monitor the e-mail traffic and computer
files of employees. If such agreements are not provided, the bill
prohibits employers from monitoring business computers by employees
to guard against inappropriate business or personal uses." (TechLawJournal.com)
MOST US SMALL
FIRMS ONLINE - Cyberatlas reports that two-thirds of all small businesses
in the US now have Internet access. http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905357265&rel=true
IT SUPPORT
AND SERVICE VACANCIES UP - IT vacancies in the US have tripled since
1999, reports CyberAtlas. http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905357262&rel=true
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
HIGH TECH COMMUNITY – Broadband Deployment – It is
estimated that 2.5 BILLION hours are wasted with people accessing
the Internet via dial-up. Broadband access, or always-on, high-speed
Internet, allows productivity increases, standard of living increases
and new applications that haven't even been thought of. Broadband
can be delivered via satellite, wireline, wireless, cable, fiber and
technologies are being tested for access through electrical wires.
Broadband is the future of the internet and the future of communications.
What does broadband mean in your life?
Add your thoughts at Cisco’s High Tech Community - http://forums.cisco.com/cgi-bin/Community/HtCom?page=main.
FACTS
AND STATS:
THE WHOLE
WORLD IS GOING WIRELESS - The global market for wireless Internet-capable
devices will grow by 630 percent by 2005, according to a new report
from Accenture.
http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905357256&rel=true
XDSL SERVICES
TO TAKE OFF GLOBALLY - Strategy Analytics predicts that by 2008, 46
million households around the world will subscribe to digital TV services
delivered over existing copper phone lines. http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905357264&rel=true
UK LED EUROPEAN
ONLINE AD MARKET IN 2000 - Netimperative reports that the total online
ad spend in Europe last year was GBP1.2 billion (USD1.77 billion),
up from GBP164 million (USD242 million) in 1999. http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905357261&rel=true
For 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.
OTHER
TECH STORIES OF THE WEEK
SPY PLANES,
IMAGES HELP U.S. TROOPS - Sophisticated spy planes and satellites
offer U.S. forces vivid images of their targets in Afghanistan and
the resistance they may face, intelligence analysts said Monday. Advances
in broadband communications and computer technology mean that soldiers
in the field can use laptop computers to get the latest images of
the targets right before an attack. ``They are not going to conduct any operations
without using satellite imagery to understand where every house and
hill is in the area,'' said John Pike, a military specialist with
GlobalSecurity.org, an Alexandria, Va., think tank. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011008/us/attacks_spying_2.html
FOR HIGH-SPEED
ACCESS TO THE WEB, A DISH-TO-DISH ROUTE - Frustrated with the four
and a half hours it took to download Microsoft Internet Explorer,
Ronald Marshall of Parkville, Mo., decided last spring to investigate
high-speed Internet options. Like most bandwidth-hungry consumers, Mr. Marshall,
65, thought that his only alternatives were a digital subscriber line,
or D.S.L., and a cable modem. But he learned that his local phone
company did not offer a D.S.L. connection and that cable- modem service
would cost $50 a month. Then
two representatives of AT&T Wireless knocked on his door offering
him a different kind of Internet service, known as fixed wireless,
which sends data from one fixed antenna to another.
Mr. Marshall's knowledge of wireless technology, given his
years as a ham radio operator, helped pique his curiosity. And in
mid-July he signed up for the $40-a-month service, joining a small
but growing number of consumers pursuing a third path for high-speed
Internet service. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/11/technology/circuits/11WIRE.html
NEW STUDY: SPLIT UP THE BELLS TO SPUR GROWTH - Will the local telephone monopoly limit economic
recovery? A new study by noted
economists Robert E. Hall of Stanford and William H. Lehr of Columbia
indicates that certainly may be the case. http://www.techcentralstation.com/NewsDesk.asp?FormMode=PolicyTracksArticles&ID=137
THE STUDY:
http://www.techcentralstation.com/images/pdf/hlpaper.pdf
(Adobe file)
AT&T
DISCUSSIONS WITH BELLSOUTH COOL AS CABLE BUSINESS CLOUDS POSSIBLE
DEAL - AT&T Corp.'s discussions to merge with BellSouth Corp.
have cooled because the regional Bell company is uninterested in taking
on AT&T's massive cable business, people familiar with the matter
say. But BellSouth remains
interested in AT&T's phone business or in potentially merging
with another long-distance player. To that end, BellSouth and Sprint
Corp., the nation's No. 3 long-distance company have had "initial
contact," according to a person familiar with the matter. However,
no detailed discussions are under way, and a Sprint deal isn't BellSouth's
No. 1 choice. The moves come
at a time when the long-distance carriers -- battered from quarters
of sluggish revenue and eroding profit margins -- are all considered
prime takeover targets for the Baby Bells, the offspring of the AT&T
breakup. Most of these regional phone companies have stronger market
capitalizations -- and healthier balance sheets -- than the big three
long-distance firms -- AT&T, WorldCom Inc., Clinton, Miss., and
Sprint, Westwood, Kan. They also are poised to break into the long-distance
markets in their home states, so they may offer both local and long-distance
service to customers. A long-distance carrier that waits too long
could end up without a partner as its core business continues to erode.
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB1002756623256474040.htm
(paid subscription only)
SUN
MICRO CEO SEES MORE SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL ID - Scott McNealy,
chairman and CEO of Sun Microsystems Inc., said Thursday his long-held
belief the United States needs a national identity system has gained
a lot of traction since the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon. ``This is more than a sea change,'' McNealy
said to reporters at an industry conference in Orlando. ``I have not
spoken to one person who hasn't flipped a switch to say, 'You're darn
right, I want to know who's getting on a plane with me.''' http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011011/tc/tech_id_dc_1.html
SOUTHWEST TURNS TO NET TO CUT COSTS - In a gamble
to cut "every discretionary cost," Southwest Airlines said
it will rely on the Internet, not "snail mail," to reach
its most loyal and profitable customers. http://cgi.zdnet.com/slink?150742:3446579
CABLE MODEMS OUTSCORE RIVALS IN SATISFACTION POLL - "I can't get no
satisfaction," may be what many Internet access subscribers are
chanting, but not the majority of cable modem customers, one analysis
says. Eighty percent of cable modem customers are
satisfied or completely satisfied with their service, according to
a new study released by the Cable & Telecommunications Association
for Marketing. DSL and dial-up did not fare as well, with customers
posting a 65 percent and a 52 percent satisfaction rating respectively. The
high satisfaction rate contributes to 95 percent of cable modem customers
saying they plan to keep their service for the next six months, versus
87 percent of DSL customers and 82 percent of dial-up. Dial-up customers
who have had their service for less than two years are the most likely
to switch service providers (79 percent). http://www.broadbandweek.com/newsdirect/0110/direct011010.htm
RIAA STRIKES LICENSING DEAL WITH US MUSIC GROUPS -
The recording industry has reached a licensing agreement with US songwriters
and publishers for online music, ending months of negotiations. The
agreement clears another obstacle for the major record companies as
they try to establish paid internet music services.
http://tm0.com/sbct.cgi?s=166389374&i=402288&d=1878372
HOME NETWORKING
MARKET TO SOAR - A new report from Cahners In-Stat predicts the global
home networking market will rise in value from USD1.4 billion this
year to USD9.2 billion next year.
http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905357251&rel=true
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
To view past issues
of Cisco’s Government Affairs E-Update, visit our E-Update Archive page . http://www.cisco.com/gov/archive/eupdates/index.html
DISCLAIMER
Positions in articles
and papers from outside sources are in no way endorsed by Cisco Systems'
Office of Government Affairs. We offer articles on topics of
interest to our audience to further the debate on the issues that
are important to high-tech. To
view our positions on the policy matters that we care about, please
visit our Government Affairs homepage. – http://www.cisco.com/gov
CISCO.COM/GOV AND E-UPDATE FEEDBACK
As
we continue to build out Cisco’s Government Affairs web site, as well
as our new service, this E-Update, we welcome comments, criticisms,
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