Cisco Government Affairs E-Update

Volume 2, Issue 29

26 July 2002

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

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

BROADBAND POLL – SHARE YOUR VIEWS IN OUR BROADBAND POLL.  Do you have broadband?  Do plan to get broadband?  Is broadband too expensive?  Go to our broadband poll and give your input and see what your colleagues think: http://forums.cisco.com/eforum/servlet/HtCom?page=main

This Week@WASHINGTON, DC

AGREEMENT REACHED ON TRADE AUTHORITY - House and Senate negotiators reached agreement last night on long-stalled legislation expanding the president's authority to negotiate trade agreements, bringing one of President Bush's top legislative priorities close to fruition.  The bill would give the president broad powers to cut trade deals that Congress could approve or reject, but not amend. Bush regards such authority as necessary to assure trading partners that any agreement he strikes will not be picked apart by Congress.  The past five presidents enjoyed this authority, but it lapsed in 1994, and President Bill Clinton was unable to persuade a Republican-run Congress to renew it. Bush pushed aggressively for its revival, to strengthen the administration's hand for a new round of global and inter-American trade talks and, more recently, to reassure nervous markets that the United States is on the path toward economic growth. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3196-2002Jul26.html

CORPORATE OVERSIGHT BILL PASSES - By overwhelming majorities in both chambers, Congress approved sweeping legislation cracking down on corporate abuses, making it easier to sue companies and giving aggrieved shareholders a new way to get compensated. The House passed the bill 423-3; hours later, the Senate cleared it 99 to 0. The bill sped toward President Bush, who called it "a good piece of legislation" and promised even before the Senate voted that he would sign it. The unusually quick action comes despite misgivings by many Republicans over the bill's tough line on business. But the GOP fears a voter backlash in November from continuing revelations about abusive accounting practices, which have helped trigger a dive in stock prices around the globe.  Overall, the legislation aims to stamp out deceptive accounting and management practices by beefing up criminal penalties for wrongdoers, setting up deeper oversight, holding top executives more directly responsible and requiring more-open books.  http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1027614152831614080,00.html (Paid subscription required)

FCC NOTES BROADBAND NUMBERS UP AT END OF 2001 - The latest report from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding high-speed internet connectivity indicates that the number of homes and businesses connecting to the internet with broadband rose from 9.6 million to 12.8 million over the second half of 2001 -- a rise of 33%. The FCC notes that this compares to a 36% increase in the first half of 2001. http://www.emarketer.com/news/article.php?1001396&ref=ed
FCC News Release: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-224580A1.pdf (Adobe file)

FCC DATA ON LOCAL TELEPHONE COMPETITION: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-224581A1.pdf (Adobe file)

BUSH ADMINISTRATION UNVEILS WIRELESS PLAN - The Bush administration announced that the Pentagon has agreed to shift some military communications to other frequencies, allowing space in the airwaves for advanced mobile phones and other wireless gadgets. Under the plan, the Pentagon would give up two sections of the spectrum by the end of 2008. The wireless companies that buy the rights to the released frequencies will pay for the Pentagon's transfer. Wireless companies have been pushing for the release of a specific range of frequency that other countries plan to use for advanced wireless features. By using the same frequencies internationally, customers would be able to use a device anywhere in the world.  http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,54062,00.html
Report from NTIA: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/threeg/va7222002/3Gva072202web.htm

FCC NOMINEE TO UNLOAD TELECOM STOCKS - Federal Communications Commission nominee Jonathan Adelstein has agreed to divest telecommunications stocks from an asset portfolio with a reported maximum value of $7 million.  In a March filing with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, Adelstein reported owning a range of stocks, mutual funds, and cash instruments valued between $1.8 million and $7 million.  http://www.tvinsite.com/multichannelnews/index.asp?layout=story&doc_id=95113&display=breakingNews

VERIZON TO FCC: WE NEED PROTECTION - In the wake of the WorldCom bankruptcy, Verizon asked federal regulators this week to change the way it can charge other long distance providers who use its network to complete calls.  The telephone and high-speed Internet service provider said it is looking for some future safeguards considering WorldCom went into bankruptcy owing Verizon $121 million. http://news.com.com/2100-1033-946157.html

OMB DETAILS FIRST LEVEL OF FEDERAL ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE - The Office of Management and Budget released a fresh version of its e-government business reference model, the first component in OMB’s stated goal of a complete federal enterprise architecture. Mark Forman, the Office of Management and Budget’s associate director for IT and e-government, called it “a quantum leap for the federal government.”  http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/19407-1.html

LAWMAKERS SEEK RULES TO STOP REDISTRIBUTION OF DIGITAL TV - Leading members of Congress are urging the Federal Communications Commission to intervene in a dispute between the entertainment and technology industries over how to prevent television viewers from redistributing digital broadcasts over the Internet.  In a letter to Michael K. Powell, the chairman of the F.C.C., Representative Billy Tauzin, a Lousiana Republican who is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Representative John D. Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, wrote that the agency should move quickly to require computer and consumer electronics manufacturers to include anti-piracy technology that would prevent a program from being redistributed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/23/technology/23DIGI.html  (Free registration required)

SPEECH: NTIA CHIEF NANCY VICTORY – “The Quest For A New Golden Age: The Challenges Of Building A Digital Mass Media” - http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/speeches/2002/mi7182002.htm

EPIC: DRM ANTI-CONSUMER, THREATENS PRIVACY, FREE SPEECH, FAIR USE - The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed comments with the Department of Commerce Technology Administration. At issue is the matter of digital rights management (DRM) that is currently being advocated by the entertainment industry. EPIC argues that the DRM technologies being considered protect copyrighted materials do so at the expense of consumers' rights to privacy, freedom of expression, fair use rights and the promotion of science and the useful arts. Says EPIC in its comments, "Far from creating positive conditions for commerce, DRM subsidizes inefficient channels of content-delivery in the face of more efficient and more equitable systems of distribution." http://www.epic.org/privacy/drm/tadrmcomments7.17.02.html

GSA APPOINTS CTO WITHIN REVAMPED CITIZENS SERVICES OFFICE - The General Services Administration continued its reorganization, naming Casey Coleman as the agency’s chief technology officer for its Office of Citizens Services.  The move follows several recent changes at GSA, which last month merged the Communications Office, FirstGov Office, the Intergovernmental Solutions Office and parts of the IT Office into the new Citizens Service Office.  Coleman will oversee the office's e-government initiatives, and she will be the principal adviser to associate administrator for citizens services M.J. Jameson on e-business and IT strategy, within GSA and in cooperation with other federal agencies. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/19426-1.html

CYBER SERVICE ATTRACTING STUDENTS - The Federal Cyber Service program, which offers scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students to study information assurance in exchange for two years of federal service, could have as many as 200 to 300 students by the end of the year, said Sujeet Shenoi, professor of computer science at the University of Tulsa.  http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/0722/web-corps-07-24-02.asp

PRESIDENT SHRUGS AT THE DIGITAL DIVIDE - [Editorial] - Last February, the Commerce Department put out a report, ''A Nation Online,'' that said: ''With more than half of Americans using computers and the Internet, we are truly a nation online.''  It turned out to be an excuse to take federal dollars offline. The 2003 budget called for the elimination of programs in the Education Department and the Commerce Department that helped low-income communities build computer labs for children's education, adult literacy, and job training. President Bush says the programs are no longer necessary. In March, Commerce Secretary Donald Evans said, ''With the expansion of the Internet and related technologies into all sectors of society, the administration believes federal subsidies are no longer justified to prove the usefulness of such technologies.''  http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/198/oped/President_shrugs_at_the_digital_divide+.shtml

SENATE GETTING BADLY NEEDED E-MAIL UPDATE - After more than four years of planning, the U.S. Senate is finally replacing its 12-year-old e-mail system, an antiquated communications tool that staffers say has given new meaning to the term "snail mail."  "With the old system, it could take anywhere from 15 minutes to sometimes days for an e-mail to get to its recipient," said Matt Payne-Funk, a systems administrator for Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt), whose Washington office is among the first to migrate to the Microsoft Outlook-based e-mail system that will replace the old system. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33809-2002Jul19.html

This Week@EMEA

BROADBAND SET FOR GLOBAL BOOM - More than 46 million people across the world will have fast internet access by the end of the year, says a report. If this happens, it will mean a jump of 16 million subscribers in a year and the number is set to continue rising, say technology analysts In-Stat.  In its report, In-Stat is upbeat about the outlook for broadband, despite recent US reports which presented a more pessimistic view.  "Broadband access technologies continue to make substantial gains in the marketplace, both in the US and worldwide," says the study.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2145402.stm

GERMAN E-GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE -  BundOnline 2005 eGovernment initiative - In September 2000 Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder launched the BundOnline 2005 eGovernment initiative and obliged the federal administration to provide online its services that can be placed on the Internet by 2005. In the period from 2002 to 2005, the Federation will provide online its 355 services that can be placed on the Internet for the citizens, the business community and other administrations.  In this process a number of prerequisites will be created centrally for the administration on the Internet which the entire federal administration will be able to use. These include forms,the opportunity to make online payments, or data security by digital signature. Some 1.65 billion Euro by the year 2005 will be invested in this program.http://www.staat-modern.de/eng/download/info/impl_egovernment.pdf (Adobe file)

OFCAM CHOICE SIGNALS DRIVE FOR COMPETITION - The choice of Lord Currie, dean of London's City University Business School, as Ofcom chairman will clearly signal the new regulator's principal focus - driving competition across the media and communications sectors.  But the esteem in which the Islington-dweller is held in New Labour circles could leave him open to mutterings about political bias.  Although lacking in media credentials, Lord (David) Currie is an expert on the regulation of financial markets. His appointment suggests that Ofcom will emphasise its responsibility for enforcing competition over its other role - scrutinising consumer and quality issues in television, radio and telecommunications.  http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1027521269849&p=1012571727260

BT KEEPS EYE ON WORLDCOM NETWORK - BT Group confirmed it would be interested in bidding for parts of WorldCom's international operations should they be put up for sale by the troubled telecommunications operator. Andy Green, chief executive of BT Ignite, the company's business services division, said he was not interested in making a bid for WorldCom's entire European network. But he said he would consider making an offer for "cities [in WorldCom's network] where we were already thinking of building out [our own network] if we could get them cheaper".  http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1027521259334&p=1012571727260

COMMENTARY: WHY E-VOTING IS A BAD IDEA - Robin Cook, Leader of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom, has released a Green Paper outlining ways the Internet could be used to improve political life. The government is looking for ways in which new technologies, specifically the Internet, can make democracy "more real and relevant in everyday life." Although few could fault the lofty goals of enhancing political participation and electronic voting, the paper seems to be written by well-meaning people who do not know very much about the real world or people's daily lives. Ignored in the paper is the underlying truth that people don't just want a new way to engage with an old and discredited system - they want alternatives to the structures and systems that they have lost faith in. Instead, the paper focuses, not convincingly, on the goal of creating a secure and trustworthy network architecture for e-voting by the year 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_2135000/2135911.stm

DEEP LINKING TAKES ANOTHER BLOW - Judges in Munich's Upper Court recently ruled that using a search engine to locate stories on newspapers' sites is in violation of European Union law.  Although more legal hearings are in store, legal experts are concerned that the ruling might be upheld, become legal precedent across the EU, and drastically limit the information that many European search engines are allowed to provide users. http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,54083,00.html

DEUTSCHE TELEKOM TO RESTRUCTURE - Deutsche Telekom, the German telecommunications group, is planning to reduce its debt to €50bn by the end of 2003 according to a report in the German magazine Focus.  Helmut Sihler, the new interim chief executive, is expected to announce a restructuring programme on August 21 when Deutsche Telekom releases its half-year earnings.  The programme, internally called "target 50", will include cutting investment and marketing budgets and pulling forward the announced sale of Telekom's property assets.  http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1027089317392&p=1012571727260

COMMENTARY: “LOST IN THE FAST LANE” - On May 21, Richard and Anjanette Inzunza, who live in north London, signed up for BT Openworld’s Home 500 broadband internet service. Keen to get into the fast lane of the information superhighway, they paid the £85 installation fee, received a modem in the post, plugged it in and waited for the flashing lights to go steady, indicating that a successful connection had been made. Eight weeks later, the lights were still flashing and they were still not connected.  http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1027089331577&p=1012571727248

AFGHANS GET WIRED IN SHIFT TO 21^ST CENTURY - On the fifth floor of Kabul's only skyscraper, Masoom Stanakzai, the newly appointed minister of communications, lays out his vision for transforming Afghanistan from a medieval Taliban theocracy where television was banned into a wired nexus of global communication.  First come the VSAT satellite earth stations, then the high-speed servers, the microwave relay stations and the fibreoptic cables, all bundling together to catapult Afghanistan from the 12th century into the 21st.  http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1027434889998&p=1012571727260

URDU WEBSITE BREAKS NEW GROUND - BBCUrdu.com is a landmark in online publishing. It is the first news site to use Urdu text rather than scanned-in images of printed materials. Urdu is a national language of Pakistan, but a diverse base of Urdu speakers reside in India, the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Japan and the Persian Gulf. By providing a satisfactory Urdu font that may be downloaded onto a user's computer, the website is providing more than just a rich round-the-clock news service. The BBC has an archive of over 40 years of Urdu news output, audio clips, images and political reporting that will now be accessible in its native language. The integration of Urdu language and desktop computers may also serve to expand online use in Pakistan and for Urdu speakers around the world. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_2139000/2139300.stm

AFRICAN SCHOOLS GET A TECH BOOST - SchoolNetAfrica (SNA) if the first African nonprofit organization to focus on bringing educational technology resources to students in Africa.  Twenty-eight African countries participate in the program. The organization is running a number of programs, like a Web design competition and an online curriculum database, that it hopes will help build resources and leadership skills. SNA is researching various models, such as the e-rate program in the U.S., for funding access to computers and connectivity in African schools.  The organization is also facilitating relationships between telecommunications companies and international partners. http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,54045,00.html
More information about SchoolNetAfrica may be found at their website, http://www.schoolnetafrica.net/.

This Week@Asia/Pac

JAPANESE CHALLENGE TO NTT - PoweredCom, the Japanese data communications company owned by 10 power utilities, and internet access provider IIJ are in talks on integration aimed at challenging NTT in the high-speed broadband services market. The talks, which could also bring TTNet, a regional telecoms operator affiliated with Tokyo Electric Power, and Crosswave Communications, a data communications company affiliated with IIJ, into a newly enlarged group, reflect the severe environment faced by companies offering data services in Japan.  http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1027089312331&p=1012571727248

KOREA LEADS THE WORLD FOR BROADBAND - Over 80 percent of households in South Korea will have broadband access by the end of 2002, reports Korea Times.  This is according to a new report from the Ministry of Communication and Information. Broadband Internet penetration reached 9.21 million homes at the end of June, equivalent to 64 percent of all households in South Korea. The number of broadband subscribers in the country rose by 430,000 during the month of June and if the current growth rate continues, over 10 million homes will have broadband access by the end of the year. http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358189&rel=true

INTERNET USE STALLS IN WIRED SOUTH KOREA - Nearly 60 percent of South Korea's 48 million people log onto the Internet at least once a month, but the government cautioned that the market in one of the world's most wired nations is nearing saturation. The Ministry of Information and Communication said that as of the end of June, 26 million people used the Internet more than once in a month, up 1.4 percent from the end of last year.  "The figure shows that it is reaching saturation point as it is seen from the growth rate slowing down continuously," the ministry said in a statement.  http://rd.yahoo.com/alerts/email/news/*http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020723/wr_nm/tech_korea_internet_dc_1

This Week@Americas International

CANADIAN NET USE STILL BOOMING - More than half the people who used the Internet from home last year were looking for news sites or government information, says Statistics Canada.  Sixty per cent sought medical or health-related information and half of regular home users had a family member who played games, the agency said Thursday in its household Internet use survey. Use of the Net from home took another big jump in 2001, but the rate of growth was easing, the survey indicated.  "More than 5.8 million households, or 49 per cent of all 12 million households, had at least one member that regularly used the Internet from home in 2001, up 1.1 million or nine per cent from 2000. This was somewhat less than the gain of 1.4 million or 11 per cent from 1999 to 2000," the agency said.  http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSTechNews0207/25_internet-cp.html

CANADIANS INTERESTED IN ELEARNING COURSES - Around 59 percent of Canadians say they would take an online course if they were to further their education, a new Ipsos-Reid survey has found.  According to the results of a survey of 2,000 Canadian adults which was conducted in March, the high level of interest in online educational courses is apparent across all demographic and regional categories. http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358171&rel=true

CANADIANS SEEK HEALTH INFORMATION ONLINE - Three-quarters of Canadian Internet users use the Web to search for health-related information, according to a new study by NFO CFgroup.  The study indicates that nearly two in ten Canadian Net users say they have asked their doctor to prescribe them medication they researched online or saw on television. Around half of online Canadians claim that researching health information on the Internet makes them better able to discuss treatment options with their physician. http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358180&rel=true

GLOOM DEEPENS IN CANADIAN TELECOMS SECTOR - The troubles in Canada's telecommunications equipment sector deepened as JDS Uniphase warned of further revenue declines, while shares in Nortel Networks sank to a 20-year low amid fears over cancelled orders.  http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1027608290652&p=1012571727260

This Week@US STATES

TELECOMMUTING WOULD IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE - A recent survey from the ITAA's Positively Broadband project, conducted by The Winston Group, found that 54% of US adults believe that telecommuting would improve their quality of life. Additionally, 46% believe it would improve the quality of the work they produced. http://www.emarketer.com/news/article.php?1001389&ref=ed
The report: http://www.positivelybroadband.org/

NEW CENTERS PROMOTE TELECOMMUTING AMONG FEDERAL EMPLOYEES - Federal employees weary of braving the commute between locales in Montgomery County, Md. and Washington may soon be able to use two new telework centers slated for Washington’s Maryland suburbs.  The General Services Administration is now accepting proposals for two federal telework centers, one near Wheaton, Md., and another in the Germantown, Md., area. GSA operates nearly 20 telework centers in the Washington area, which has some of the worst traffic congestion in the country. http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0702/071902t1.htm

OP-ED - EMBARRASSMENT IN TECHLAND - VALLEY IS WOEFULLY LACKING IN BROADBAND NET ACCESS - As of this week, some 5,000 households in San Jose will have the opportunity to connect to the Internet at high speeds through their cable television lines. If that sounds like a reason to cheer, think again. It is a reason to be ashamed.  San Jose and much of the Bay Area are woefully lacking when it comes to high-speed, or broadband, Internet access.  Consider the following: Cable modem service, the dominant method for broadband connections nationwide, is available to about half of the Bay Area's households. In the region's three largest cities, San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose, cable modem is for all practical purposes not available. http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/2002/07/21/news/opinion/3706725.htm

OTHER TECH STORIES OF THE WEEK

COMMENTARY: “TIME FOR TELEWORKING” - Imagine you came across a working practice that was proven to save money, increase productivity and improve morale. You'd think that such a practice would be easy to sell to companies looking to reduce their costs, wouldn't you?  Now imagine that such a practice had been feasible for at least a decade but had barely been noticed by the business world. You'd be forgiven for wondering why employers had been slow to embrace such a practice, particularly when it was considered to solve a wide range of problems. Yet, the reasons why employers have been wary of teleworking is a mystery that continues to defy logic. http://www.nua.ie/surveys/analysis/weekly_editorial.html

BROADBAND IS ALIVE AND WELL - Increasing user demand for faster connections to the Web has led to "substantial" broadband subscriber growth over the past year, according to market research firm In-Stat/MDR.  At the beginning of 2002, the number of worldwide broadband subscribers passed the 30 million mark, and by year-end worldwide subscriber totals are forecasted to surpass 46 million total subscribers, the research firm claims. DSL has become the premier broadband access technology in the international market, while cable modem service continues to do well in the U.S., the firm states. http://www.nwfusion.com/edge/news/2002/0725bband.html

IT RECOVERY PREDICTED - Worldwide spending for information technology products and services this year will reach $981 billion, an increase of 3.7 percent over 2001, according to a report Wednesday by International Data Corp. a technology market research firm based in Framingham, Mass.  "The uptick will become more evident in Q4," says Stephen Minton, program director of worldwide IT markets research at International Data. "The bottom has already been reached, the green shoots of recovery will begin to emerge gradually during Q3, and Q4 will show strong year-on-year comparisons with 2001."  http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2002/07/22/daily43.html?f=et85

WORLDCOM IN RECORD CHAPTER 11 FILING - Embattled telecommunications firm WorldCom Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday, the largest such filing in US history and further evidence of the stunning collapse of the past decade's economic boom. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/203/nation/WorldCom_in_record_Ch_11_filing+.shtml

AMONG WORLDCOM PUZZLES, FUTURE OF UUNET SERVICE - One of the biggest questions in the WorldCom bankruptcy — for creditors, businesses and consumers — is what will become of one of WorldCom's least visible divisions, UUNet, a big wholesale Internet service provider.  UUNet is the largest provider of Internet backbone services, essentially the long-distance part of the Internet, used by companies that provide Internet services to consumers and to businesses. It also offers Internet service directly, mainly to businesses.  UUNet accounts for one-third to one-half of this Internet backbone traffic, said Seth Libby, an analyst for the Yankee Group, a Boston research company.  http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/24/technology/24NET.html (Free registration required)

SUN-POWERED PLANE SPREADS BROADBAND - A U.S.-based technology company is planning to launch crewless solar-powered airplanes that would provide entire cities with broadband Internet access and 3G mobile services coming from 70,000 feet above the ground.  Monrovia, Calif.-based SkyTower announced Tuesday that over the last few weeks it has successfully carried out a number of tests that suggest broadcasters and mobile telecommunications operators could use its stratospheric telecommunication platform commercially.  http://news.com.com/2100-1033-945800.html

COMMENTARY: “What Does Worldcom’s Bankruptcy Mean For Broadband And Beyond?”
by Solveig Singleton - With Worldcom and Global Crossing bankrupt, Qwest in crisis, and downturns in profits for BellSouth and other substantial companies, a lot of people are asking a lot of questions. Among the competing theories of what went wrong, what thread of truth might guide us out of the labyrinth?  http://www.cei.org/gencon/016,03142.cfm

WOMEN LOOK TO SHAPE THE FUTURE - While the number of women who use computers is increasing, less and less are studying computer science at university. Women, says author Emma Smith, seem to be shying away from the very careers that would give them their best shot at influencing the 21st century. Smith says that many women still believe that high-tech careers involve the geeky, anti-social jobs that mean sitting alone at a desk endlessly writing code. In fact, the author argues, "shaping technology means thinking creatively, understanding people's needs and inventing new ways of communicating and working together." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2132168.stm

EBUSINESS IS ALIVE AND WELL - A new report from EDS indicates that most businesses treat ebusiness as a fundamental, long term, strategic business direction, rather than a tactical, short-term reaction to changing client demands.  http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358176&rel=true

FACTS AND STATS:

BRITAIN GOES BROADBAND CRAZY - Broadband take-up in the UK has more than doubled since the start of 2002, reports ZDNet.  http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358168&rel=true

U.S. ONLINE CONSUMER SPENDING HITS A NEW HIGH - Online consumer spending in the US grew by 41 percent in the second quarter of 2002 to reach USD17.5 billion, compared to a year ago.   http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358186&rel=true

INDIAN NET USERS EMBRACE ONLINE BANKING - The Times of India reports that around 15 percent of Indian Internet users use online banking.  http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358174&rel=true

U.S. HISPANIC ONLINE POPULATION SOARS - The online Hispanic population in the US rose by 12 percent over the last year to reach 7.6 million at the end of June, up from 6.7 million a year ago.  http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358175&rel=true

ALMOST A THIRD OF THE U.K. IS ONLINE - Around 19 million people in the UK have access to the Internet, according to a new study by the consumer group Which? Online.  http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358184&rel=true

BROADBAND DISCUSSION – “QUESTION OF THE MONTH” – JOIN THE COVERSATION – This month’s poll asks the questions about when, and if, you are going to subscribe to broadband.  Is it the price that is keeping you from getting it?  Is it the lack of applications?  Or, do you already have it?  Share your thoughts in this months “Question of the month,” to paraphrase the song, “Broadband, what is it good for?”  What is good?  What is bad?  Do you have it?  Why don’t you have it?  http://forums.cisco.com/eforum/servlet/HtCom?page=main

CISCO GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS@2002

Cisco’s top policy focuses for 2002 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 this service, this E-Update, 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. http://www.cisco.com/gov/contact/index_ext.html

SUBSCRIBING/UNSUBSCRIBING:

You are receiving this update because you requested it.  If you received this message because it was forwarded to you and you wish to subscribe to this weekly E-Update, please send a message to Subscribe-eUpdate@cisco.com with “Subscribe” in the subject line.  Or, visit our Government Affairs homepage (www.cisco.com/gov) and click on the “Subscribe” button in the lower left-hand corner.  If you no longer wish to receive this update, send a message with “unsubscribe” in the subject line to Subscribe-eUpdate@cisco.com.

There are over 800 subscribers to Cisco Government Affairs’ eUpdate.