Cisco Government Affairs E-Update

Volume 2, Issue 42

13 December 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 policymakers. To subscribe, send a message with “subscribe” in the subject line to “Subscribe-eUpdate@cisco.com

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This Week@WASHINGTON, DC

LONGTIME DASCHLE AIDE BECOMES FCC COMMISH - Jonathan Adelstein, a longtime aide to Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, was sworn as the second Democrat on the five-member Federal Communications Commission. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021203/ap_on_go_ot/fcc_adelstein_2

WI-FI GOES TO WASHINGTON - The key question for Wi-Fi is how the government will react to the new technology—either by helping to shelter companies whose revenues are threatened or by siding with consumers and letting the voice of the market be heard.  http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/article_abstract.asp?ar=1236&L2=22&L3=78&srid=27&gp=0 (Free registration required)

CHAIRMAN POWELL AND ASSISTANT SECRETARY VICTORY MEET TO PLAN AND COORDINATE SPECTRUM POLICY - Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Michael K. Powell and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Nancy J. Victory met formally to plan and coordinate the efforts of the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to improve U.S. spectrum policy. The meeting included senior spectrum policy teams from both organizations. Its purpose was to institutionalize and elevate the coordination between the two agencies beyond historical levels, given the importance of spectrum management to the country.  http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-229354A1.pdf (Adobe file)

FCC CONSIDERS AIRWAVES FOR WIRELESS DEVICES - The Federal Communications Commission began the process of finding more wavelength space to accommodate the explosion of new wireless technologies. The agency sought comment on whether unlicensed devices, like wireless home networks for Internet service, could operate on television broadcast airwaves in areas where they are not being used or at times when the spectrum lay fallow.  "Our goal in today's item is to allow for the more efficient and comprehensive use of the spectrum resource while not interfering with existing services," FCC Chairman Michael Powell said at the agency's monthly open meeting. http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=581&ncid=581&e=6&u=/nm/20021211/tc_nm/telecoms_fcc_spectrum_dc

HOMELAND SECURITY WAITING FOR WI-FI - Security needs to become a priority for users and makers of wireless networking equipment in order to stop insecure connections from being used to attack federal and corporate systems, network experts said.

Speaking at the 802.11 Planet Conference, security professionals pointed to a lack of focus on hardening the wireless infrastructure as a flaw in government discussions about protecting the nation's critical infrastructure.  http://msnbc-cnet.com.com/2100-1001-976114.html

PRESIDENT SIGNS 'DOT-KIDS' LEGISLATION - President Bush signed legislation that will create a G-rated "neighborhood" for kids on the World Wide Web. NeuStar, the company that would be responsible for operating dot-kids, will police the new domain, ensuring that Web sites bearing kids.us addresses abide by the child-friendly standards established by Congress. The act says that Web site with a kids.us address cannot post hyperlinks to locations outside of the kids.us domain. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8016-2002Dec4.html

WILL GOP SHAKE UP TECH POLICY? Soon, longtime Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), best known for campaign finance reform, will again assume the lead of the influential Senate Commerce Committee, which, along with the Judiciary Committee led by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), will dictate much of the copyright and technology legislative agenda.. Joe Kraus, co-founder of DigitalConsumer.org, which lobbies to protect consumers' digital technology rights, says he is optomistic about the change. "Mr. McCain has shown a greater interest in making sure consumer rights are protected, particularly at his staff level." http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,56538,00.html

This Week@EMEA

SPEECH: "THE E-EUROPE BROADBAND STRATEGY" - Mr Erkki Liikanen - Member of the European Commission, responsible for Enterprise and the Information Society - The European Telecommmunications Network Operators' Association (ETNO) Conference 'Making Broadband Happen in Europe' - http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.gettxt=gt&doc=SPEECH/02/606|0|RAPID&lg=EN

EU TELECOM REPORT - The European Commission adopted its 8th Implementation Report on the state of the existing EU telecoms legislation and its application in the EU Member States. The Commission will publicly launch the full report next Monday at a press conference with Commissioner Liikanen.  You will find the summary of the report at http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/rpt/2002/com2002_0695en01.pdf (Adobe file)

COMMISSION LAUNCHES PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON OPEN PLATFORMS IN DIGITAL TV AND 3G - The European Commission has launched a public consultation on a report on remaining barriers to the achievement of widespread access to new services and applications of the Information Society through open platforms in digital television and 3G mobile communications, which was requested by the Barcelona Summit and the Seville Council. The consultation will run until 15 February 2003. A public hearing is currently scheduled for 4 February 2003. http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.gettxt=gt&doc=IP/02/1818|0|RAPID&lg=EN

AFRICA'S NEW TECH WARRIORS - After taking a six-month course on Internet technology skills at the Uganda Communications Institute -- part in an international education program backed by Cisco Systems -- Naula Kebba has left behind her job as an accountant to set up her own information technology consultancy. "The world is much more demanding now," said Kebba. "Everything now involves technology. You can't just say to something that you'll do their books for them." The aim of the program is to help people in developing countries learn and improve their information technology skills, with the hope of reducing the digital divide with industrialized countries. There are now more than 90 academies in 32 developing countries, with more than 2,500 students and nearly 500 graduates. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2539327.stm

HASTEN TELECOM REFORMS, URGES WORLD BANK - The World Bank has asked the Kenyan government in Nairobi to speed up the deregulation of its telecommunication sector as a way to stimulate investment in information technology. The Bank has been a proponent of e-commerce and e-government as a way to reduce poverty. World Bank Country Director Makhtar Diop noted that the Telekom's monopoly over the telecommunications sector has stifled the ability of ISPs to develop an efficient network for Internet services. http://allafrica.com/stories/200211270085.html

LUFTHANSA READIES BROADBAND FOR FLIGHT - For busy corporate globetrotters, the days of killing time in airport lounges and on board jumbo jets appear numbered. The German airline Lufthansa is about to launch a new wireless broadband Internet service targeting executives and other heavy data users both on the ground and in the air.  On January 15, Lufthansa will offer broadband Internet service on a Boeing 747-400 that flies daily between Frankfurt International Airport and the Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., said airline spokesperson Bernd Hoffmann. In the first quarter of 2003, the airline company will also begin providing wireless LAN (WLAN) service in more than 50 lounges, according to Hoffmann. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/pcworld/20021210/tc_pcworld/107874

This Week@Americas/International

CANADA'S CANARIE: BUILDING COMMUNITY MODELS FOR BROADBAND - Though the U.S. may have been the birthplace of the dial-up Internet and dominated its initial development, today there are several countries that are pulling ahead both in broadband infrastructure deployment and the introduction of advanced content and services. One such country is our neighbor to the north - using an innovative and progressive approach to the problem, Canada has a vision for high-speed communications networks - and the applications to use them - that far surpass our own in terms of providing for the broad spectrum of public interest needs. http://www.democraticmedia.org/news/washingtonwatch/Canarie.html

FIRST VIRTUAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN CANADA OPENS - Canada's first fully virtual elementary school started classes on Monday.  LinkonLearning.com, certified as a private school in Ontario, charges $400 for a year of classes and serves as an alternative for children who have trouble sitting still in a traditional classroom. With features such as flashy graphics, an automated teacher's voice and a virtual library, the school offers much-needed curricula to home-schooling families. Critics note, however, that the business side of e-learning may have an effect on the overall educational quality of the content. http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?id=3C5E244D-C7D1-485A-BEE6-5496880D0FCF

CANADIAN AND HONG KONG STUDENTS MAKE CULTURAL CONNECTIONS VIA BROADBAND TECHNOLOGY - Canada's Industry Minister Allan Rock announced that for the first time students in Hong Kong connected virtually with Canadian students, using VirtualClassroom, an initiative that uses the most advanced research and education networks that both countries have to offer.  http://www.industriecanada.com/cmb/welcomeic.nsf/261ce500dfcd7259852564820068dc6d/85256a220056c2a485256c800069b0cf!OpenDocument

CANADA AND HONG KONG REVIEW MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY COOPERATION - Industry Canada and the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced today the renewal of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to encourage and support partnerships, investment cooperation, commercial ventures and research and development (R&D) between the signatories in information and communications technologies (ICT).  http://www.industriecanada.com/cmb/welcomeic.nsf/261ce500dfcd7259852564820068dc6d/85256a220056c2a485256c8400682886!OpenDocument

ARGENTINA BETS ON CYBERSPACE - Despite the ongoing economic crisis, Argentina is continuing to see in an increase in the number of users getting online and there is optimism about the many entrepreneurial opportunities available. The country has seen an increase of more than 14 percent of citizens online compared to last year. "We have the opportunity to show that we have a lot of people with bright ideas and entrepreneurial spirit," according to Dot.com entrepreneur Roberto Cibrian. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2502669.stm

This Week@Asia/Pacific

UNEXPECTED CALLER: THE INTERNET PHONE - Broadband Providers May Become Top Choice for Phone Service in Asia - When Yoko Ishitani, a manager at a Tokyo television-production company, wants to chat with a girlfriend on the other side of town, she picks up the telephone just like anybody else. But at the end of the month, she gets a bill from her Internet provider, not a phone company.  Ms. Ishitani subscribes to Yahoo BB, one of a growing number of broadband services across Asia that have begun using high-speed Internet lines to offer voice calls at a 20% to 30% discount to traditional phone companies.  That could spell trouble for incumbent carriers world-wide, who depend on residential phone customers for a big slice of their revenue, and it is turning out to be an unforeseen boon for independent broadband providers.
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB103904730658902113-search,00.html  (Paid subscription required)

CHINA HAS WORLD'S TIGHTEST INTERNET CENSORSHIP, STUDY FINDS - Researchers at Harvard Law School have found that China's Internet censorship laws are the most extensive and restrictive in the world. Beyond simply denying access to popular news, religious and entertainment sites, the Beijing government often punishes users attempting to view blocked information by making it more difficult for them to access the Web at all. The research confirms that significant state control of the Internet is in fact possible; in fact, the common backbone of the Internet makes such communication easier to restrict than telephones, faxes or paper mail. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/04/international/asia/04CHIN.html (Free registration required)

Read the study:

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/filtering/china

INDIAN VILLAGERS PEDAL WIRELESS - This month, 5,000 young men on bicycles will carry mobile phones equipped with CDMA Wireless Local Loop into 5,000 West Bengal villages, bringing telephone services to village doorsteps for the first time. The initiative is orgainized by Grameen Sanchar Seva Organization (GRASSO), which strives to use information and communications technologies to strengthen the distribution network of agricultural produce. Soumitra Shankar Das, GRASSO's working chairman said that many of the villages "lack even their own transport to carry produce to markets, so digital connectivity is like half a circle." To complete the rest of the circle, GRASSO will help villagers become owners of telephone booths, Internet kiosks and vehicles that will carry the produce. "The idea is to build three networks -- phones, Internet and transport -- each sustaining the other," said Das. http://www.wired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,56663,00.html

ITU, CISCO EXPAND INTERNET INITIATIVE TO BRIDGE DIGITAL DIVIDE - The Internet Training Center Initiative for Developing Countries (ITCIDC) received a much-needed boost last week as partners Cisco Systems and the International Telecommunication Union decided to expand the program. Serving nearly 1,000 students at 26 centers worldwide, ITCIDC provides tech skills training to developing countries. The partners announced a plan to grow the total to 50 centers by the end of next year while also expanding the curriculum. ITU calls the project "a model for private-public partnerships to bridge the digital divide," and Cisco Asia/Pacific president Gordon Astles noted that the link between IT capacity and prosperity has become nearly undeniable. http://www.mb.com.ph/news.php?art=23795&sect=8&fname=IT02120823795f.txt

This Week@US States

TELECOMMUTING MAY EASE CHAOS OF A TRANSIT STRIKE - Sebastian Font, vice president and chief information officer of Newmark Realty, a commercial real-estate firm in New York, knows that many of his employees may be stranded at home on Monday if the city's transit workers go on strike. But that doesn't mean they won't be coming to work.  About 25% of Newmark's 600 employees have remote access to internal networks, databases, files, and e-mail via a software application called GoToMyPc. Mr. Font says he expects many of these employees to work from home on Monday if the transit strike takes place. "There are many people that will be able to be very productive from home," he says.  In an echo of the days following Sept. 11, 2001 -- when thousands of workers displaced from their downtown Manhattan offices set up camp at home -- the looming transit strike is pushing telecommuting back into the spotlight.  http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1039204370405654513,00.html (Paid subscription required)

ECONOMIST CALLS PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH ‘ASTOUNDING,’ SAYS OUTLOOK IS EXCELLENT - Productivity growth in the United States is astounding, and the nation’s economic outlook is excellent, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill business expert says.  “The most dramatic examples of productivity growth are in agriculture and manufacturing,” said Dr. James F. Smith, adjunct professor of business administration at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. “To keep productivity growing requires investment in the latest communications and computing technologies,” Smith said. “It also requires highly educated workers.”  http://dbusinessnews.com/cgi-script/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=trianglenewstracker.db&command=viewone&id=1057&op=t

STATES TRY TO TACKLE ONLINE SALES TAX - Attempting to flesh out the outline they constructed three weeks ago in Chicago, representatives from the fifty states continue to negotiate an understanding of how to tax Internet sales and recoup what some estimate to be a $25 billion shortfall over the next five years. Currently at issue is how the states will reach common definitions of taxable goods and apply them uniformly across the country's 7,600+ tax jurisdictions. The states see technology as a helpful tool in automating the collection of sales tax, easing compliance for online businesses and other retailers. Final resolution of the issue may be several years away, and Congress must ultimately approve the package.  http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/25/technology/25NECO.html?pagewanted=1 (Free registration required)

TRANSFORMING RURAL ALASKA THROUGH WIRELESS - Public schools are often the center of the community in remote Alaskan villages. In addition to severing as town meeting halls, recreation centers, and libraries, schools have also recently assumed the role of technology center.  The "E-Rate," a federal program that provided discounts on telecommunications equipment and services for rural and disadvantaged schools, has helped bring high-speed Internet access to the most remote villages. For most Americans, the Internet provides quicker and easier access to information they have always enjoyed through television, daily newspapers, and the telephone. But for remote Alaskans the Internet functions as their window to the outside world and provides a wealth of information previously unavailable to them. http://www.comtechreview.org/article_body_fw02.asp?article_ID=128

OTHER TECH STORIES OF THE WEEK

GLOBAL BROADBAND GROWTH IN Q3 - The Q3 report from Point-Topic indicates that the number of digital subscriber lines (DSL) worldwide grew over the quarter by nearly 20% to 30.6 million. Looking at a breakdown by region, Point-Topic notes that the Asia-Pacific region still claims the greatest number of DSL lines with 12.28 million as of Q3. South Korea, in particular, has the largest number of DSL subscribers with 6.1 million lines. http://www.emarketer.com/news/article.php?1001908&c=newsltr&n=lead&t=ad

DSL GROWTH HITS RECORD HIGH - The number of digital subscriber line (DSL) customers worldwide grew at an unprecedented rate from July through September, providing signs of life for the broadband market, according to a survey from the DSL Forum.  More than five million people worldwide signed up for DSL service between 1 July and 30 September, an increase of nearly 20 percent over the previous three-month period, according to the survey.  The worldwide percentage increase is the largest ever recorded by the DSL Forum, said the group's chairman, William V. Rodey. Rodey added that the findings are encouraging him to stick with the forum's target of 36 million DSL customers worldwide by year's end and 200 million DSL subscribers by 2005. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/021211/152/dgiji.html

HIGH-SPEED WIRELESS INTERNET NETWORK IS PLANNED - Cometa Networks, a new company poised to position more than 20,000 high-speed wireless "hot spots" in the fifty largest metropolitan neighborhoods, will use a technology known as WiFi, which allows users of personal and hand-held computers to connect to the Internet at high speed without cables. Established with assistance from technology companies AT&T, I.B.M, Intel, the company is aiming to offering its service through cellular and wired telephone companies, D.S.L. and cable Internet service providers and other Internet retailers some time in 2003.  http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/06/technology/06WIRE.html

Wi-Fi PLAN BANKING ON UBIQUITY OF INTEL - Already the technology du jour, Wi-Fi is getting another boost with the formation of Cometa Networks, a venture backed by technology sluggers AT&T, Intel and IBM, along with investment concerns Apax Partners and 3i.  http://telephonyonline.com/ar/telecom_wifi_plan_banking/index.htm

IDC: CYBERTERROR PROPHECY - Among one technology researcher's predictions for 2003 is this sobering thought: A major cyberterrorism event will disrupt the economy and bring the Internet to its knees for at least a day or two.  The event could take the form of a denial-of-service attack, a network intrusion or even a physical attack on key network assets, said John Gantz, chief research officer of IDC. Gantz spoke Thursday during a teleconference in which the research company laid out its annual forecast of technology developments for the coming year.  http://news.com.com/2100-1001-977780.html

ITU – COMPETITIONS POLICY IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS - In recent years, the global telecommunication market has moved undisputedly towards greater liberalization and increased competition. Over the past five years alone, full or partial competition in basic services was introduced in more than 40 countries. Many more countries have made commitments for the future introduction of competition, for instance as part of their schedule of commitments made under the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Basic Telecommunications Services. http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/ni/competition/index.html

THE PAYOFF FOR INVESTING IN POOR COUNTRIES - Multinationals can do plenty to help the world’s poor—and in the process help themselves. Start with this fact: the aggregate buying power of poor communities is actually quite large. In this excerpt from Harvard Business Review, C. K. Prahalad and Allen Hammond dispel common myths and suggest creative ways to tap an overlooked market. http://hbsworkingknowledge.hbs.edu/pubitem.jhtml?id=3180&sid=0&pid=0&t=nonp

INTERNET SPEED ZONE AHEAD - If you have been using the Internet long enough, you probably remember when a 33.6K modem was considered a "high-speed" connection. Now, though, home users enjoy speeds that were reserved for colleges and corporations 10 years ago.   The question is, will we continue to see the kind of gains that have taken place over the last decade, or is there a limit to how fast we can go?   http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nf/20021205/bs_nf/20158

PRICE IS LIMITING DEMAND FOR BROADBAND - While 70 percent of American households have access to broadband, only about 15 percent currently subscribe to some type of high-speed Internet service.  Many analysts expect that high pricing will prevent the majority of homes from acquiring broadband access anytime for at least five years. More than 28 percent of households with income above $100,000 have broadband access, compared with only 4 percent of households with incomes below $35,000, according to a study by the Leichtman Research Group. The figures suggest that the price of broadband service must decline before it can become more widely available. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/05/technology/05BROA.html (Free registration required)

WI-FI: AS BIG AS BUDWEISER?  - In a keynote speech at the 802.11 Planet Conference, Dennis Eaton, chairman of the alliance and a marketing manager at Wi-Fi chip maker Intersil, predicted several changes for the industry in the coming year as well as some of its biggest hurdles.  During his speech, Eaton noted the wireless networking industry is expected to bring in $2 billion in revenue this year. Those profits are expected to surpass revenue estimates of household products such as Budweiser beer by 2006, which is expected to bring in $5 billion this year.  http://msnbc-cnet.com.com/2100-1033-976076.html

VERIZON TO INSTALL WI-FI - In a sure sign that the upstart wireless Internet technology called WiFi is proving too powerful to ignore, Verizon Communications Inc. said Thursday that it will install such networks for small and medium-sized businesses. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021121/ap_on_hi_te/verizon_wifi_2

AOL TO ANNOUNCE NEW FOCUS ON HIGH-SPEED INTERNET SERVICE - AOL Chairman Jonathan Miller is expected today to announce a major strategic shift for the company -- a move away from selling Internet access and toward providing a high-speed version of its services. The service, which is currently available but marketed only sparingly until now, serves as an add-on for customers of telephone and cable high-speed access. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/03/technology/03AOL.html (Free subscription required)

TEENS ONLINE - The latest in a series of fact sheets on topics related to children,
media and health pulls together the key facts on the amount of time young people spend online; their favorite online activities; how and where young people access the web; and how use varies by age, gender and ethnicity. http://www.kff.org/content/2002/3293/

PEW REPORT – “E-MAIL AT WORK” - Few feel overwhelmed and most are pleased with the way email helps them do their job. http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=79

FACTS & STATS

INTERNET AD SPENDING TO RISE IN US - Online advertising spending in the US will grow 16 percent next year, reports InternetNews.  http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358607&rel=true

CANADIANS PLANNING TO BUY MORE FROM THE NET - According to Ipsos-Reid, 43 percent of Canadian Internet users have made at least one online purchase since they began using the Net, while 23 percent plan to purchase a gift online during the holiday season. http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358603&rel=true

AMERICAN STUDENTS INCREASINGLY GOING ONLINE - New research from comScore Media Metrix indicates that college students now account for nine percent of the total US Internet population.  http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358600&rel=true

TWO MILLION UKRAINIANS HAVE NET ACCESS - New research from the Information Society of Ukraine (ISU) indicates that 4.5 percent of Ukrainians will be online by the end of 2002.   http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358610&rel=true

FRENCH INTERNET USERS REACH 17.24M IN OCTOBER - A new study has shown that 17.24m French people connected to the Internet in October, according to Europemedia.  http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358620&rel=true

OVER 54 MILLION INTERNET USERS IN CHINA - The Xinhua News Agency reports that the number of Internet users in China reached 54.35 million at the end of September.  http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358604&rel=true

MAJORITY OF CANADIANS WANT TO VOTE ONLINE - Two in three Canadian Internet users say they would vote in federal, provincial and municipal elections over the Net if the option were available to them, according to a new NFO CFgroup study.   http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358611&rel=true

NET USERS FLOCK TO US GOVERNMENT WEBSITES - US government websites attracted more visitors than either Google or Amazon during October, according to new data from Nielsen-Netratings.     http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358593&rel=true

EUROPEAN EGOVERNMENT SPENDING TO INCREASE - IDC forecast that egovernment spending in Europe will grow by 13 percent to USD2.8 billion in 2003. http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358595&rel=true

AUSSIES FINALLY EMBRACING BROADBAND - The Australian reports that over 10 percent of Internet users in Australia now have broadband connections.   http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358605&rel=true

ISRAELI INTERNET PENETRATION RATE ON THE RISE - eMarketer reports that there were nearly 820,000 households and 115,000 businesses with Internet access in Israel at the end of the third quarter.   http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358572&rel=true

BROADBAND ENCOURAGES BELGIANS TO STAY ONLINE - A new study from Belgian consultants InSites indicates that while the country's Internet population has seen little growth in recent months, the nation's Net users are spending more time online. http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358585&rel=true

BROADBAND IS BIG IN JAPAN - More than one in three Internet users in Japan have a broadband connection, reports The Japan Times.  http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358587&rel=true

GLOBAL NET POPULATION ON THE RISE - The number of worldwide Internet users will surpass 665 million by the end of 2002, according to eTForecasts.  http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358638&rel=true

BROADBAND IS ABOUT PRICE NOT SPEED - Broadband take-up will increase significantly in Western Europe once cheap entry-level packages are introduced, claims Reed Electronics Research.   http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358645&rel=true

CISCO GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS@2002

Cisco’s top policy focuses for 2002 are the areas of Education, Broadband Deployment and eGovernment. 

E-UPDATE ARCHIVE

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