Cisco Government Affairs E-Update

Volume 2, Issue 43

20 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

If you have high-tech public policy news or announcements that you think other e-update subscribers would be interested in, please send them to jearnhar@cisco.com.  There are over 950 subscribers to Cisco Government Affairs’ eUpdate.

THE NEXT CISCO E-UPDATE WILL BE PUBLISHED ON JANUARY 10, 2003. 

This Week@WASHINGTON, DC

FCC BROADBAND DATA - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released summary statistics of its latest data on the deployment of high-speed connections to the Internet in the United States. The information released was filed by qualifying service providers on September 1, 2002, and includes data as of June 30, 2002.  Here is full release and more data: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-229568A1.pdf
Full stats: http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Reports/FCC-State_Link/IAD/hspd1202.pdf  (Adobe files)

PRESIDENT SIGNS E-GOVERNMENT ACT - Statement by the President – “Today I have signed into law H.R. 2458, the "E-Government Act of 2002." This legislation builds upon my Administration's expanding E-Government initiative by ensuring strong leadership of the information technology activities of Federal agencies, a comprehensive framework for information security standards and programs, and uniform safeguards to protect the confidentiality of information provided by the public for statistical purposes. The Act will also assist in expanding the use of the Internet and computer resources in order to deliver Government services, consistent with the reform principles I outlined on July 10, 2002, for a citizen-centered, results-oriented, and market-based Government.”http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/12/20021217-5.html

BUSH ADMINISTRATION TO PROPOSE SYSTEM FOR MONITORING INTERNET - The Bush administration is planning to propose requiring Internet service providers to help build a centralized system to enable broad monitoring of the Internet and, potentially, surveillance of its users.  The proposal is part of a final version of a report, "The National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace," set for release early next year, according to several people who have been briefed on the report. It is a component of the effort to increase national security after the Sept. 11 attacks. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/20/technology/20MONI.html (Free registration required)

FEDERAL PROBE OF BABY BELLS URGED - Two members of Congress called on the Justice Department to launch an antitrust investigation of the failure -- possibly the refusal -- of the regional Baby Bell companies to compete against each other.  U.S. Reps. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), seizing on a top executive's public comments in October, allege that the Baby Bells have refused to enter each other's local service markets even though the 1996 Telecommunications Act was designed to encourage such competition.  http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-bells19dec19,0,5345119.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dtechnology (Free registration required)

WIRELESS INTERNET INDUSTRY FIGHTS RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS - Executives of leading technology groups including Microsoft, Intel and Cisco have been lobbying in Washington to prevent the US Defense Department from limiting the development of wireless internet access.  The department is concerned that the technology, also known as Wi-Fi, could interfere with military equipment, specifically radar. If the department succeeds, it could result in limiting the deployment of Wi-Fi. That would be a huge blow to the IT industry, which is suffering a protracted worldwide downturn. http://search.ft.com/search/article.html?id=021218000594&query=wi-fi&vsc_appId=totalSearch&state=Form (Paid subscription required)
Also - http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/17/technology/17WIRE.html (Free registration required)

FIBER COUNCIL LAUDS COMMISSIONER MARTIN - The Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Council lauded Commissioner Kevin J. Martin of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for his endorsement to deregulate new FTTH builds. Martin's support for the concept came as part of his keynote address to the audience of the Practicing Law Institute (PLI)/FCBA's 20th Annual Telecommunications Policy and Regulation Conference last week in Washington, D.C. http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=25939

This Week@EMEA

SPEECH: Mr Erkki Liikanen, Member of the European Commission, responsible for Enterprise and the Information Society - "AMBITIONS FOR EUROPE'S TELECOMMUNICATIONS SECTOR" before the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA) - http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.gettxt=gt&doc=SPEECH/02/627|0|RAPID&lg=EN

EU PARLIAMENT OKAYS RECYCLING LAWS - The European Parliament adopted laws requiring manufacturers to pay for the recycling of electrical goods ranging from shavers to refrigerators and laptop computers.  The European Union 's assembly, meeting in Strasbourg, France, voted by an overwhelming show of hands to approve the "electroscrap" laws after more than three years of debate.  Under the new rules, the EU hopes 75 percent of such goods can be recycled. The law is due to come into force in September, 2005.  http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021218/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_recycling_1

This Week@Americas/International

BILL ON INTERNET RETRANSMISSION PASSED - Minister of Canadian Heritage Sheila Copps and Industry Minister Allan Rock announced the passage of Bill C-11, an Act to amend the Copyright Act. This Bill is the first in a series of initiatives to update Canada's copyright legislation.  "Canada has just equipped itself with the first copyright law to directly address digital technology," said Minister Copps. "In a context where technology is constantly developing, the Government of Canada is ensuring that copyright legislation promotes the creation and distribution of works in a manner that contributes to enriching the cultural experience of Canadians."  http://www.ic.gc.ca/cmb/welcomeic.nsf/cdd9dc973c4bf6bc852564ca006418a0/85256a220056c2a485256c8e0068192e!OpenDocument

ADVISORY PANEL CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION ON GOVERNMENT ON-LINE - The Government On-Line (GOL) Advisory Panel presented its second report to Treasury Board President Lucienne Robillard.  Among its seven recommendations, the Panel calls on the government to make the integration of on-line and other service delivery systems a "whole-of-government" priority. The Panel also recommended that the government determine and allocate the necessary resources to sustain this new approach to the delivery of government services.  http://www.gol-ged.gc.ca/nr-sp/2002-12-11/nr-comm_e.asp, 
Report: http://www.gol-ged.gc.ca/pnl-grp/reports/second/transform/transform00_e.asp

This Week@Asia/Pacific

CHINA’S NETIZENS REACH 58 MILLION, SECOND ONLY TO U.S. - The number of Internet users in China would reach 58 million by the end of 2002, second only to the United States, and paid users have also emerged, said a report released by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) Wednesday. http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200212/18/eng20021218_108703.shtml

This Week@US States

BAY AREA POLL FINDS INTERNET USAGE GROWS, BUT SO DOES DIGITAL DIVIDE - The Bay Area Poll 2002 finds the region’s residents advanced and sophisticated in their technology use. Three quarters, or 75 percent, of the surveyed Bay Area residents regularly access the Internet, the World Wide Web, and on-line databases via a computer at their home or at work (versus 60.1 percent of the overall North American population). http://www.bayareacouncil.org/pubs/bap/2002BAP.pdf (Adobe file)

MISSISSIPPI STUDENTS BUILD THEIR OWN PCs - Not long ago, TiAndrea Beasley would no sooner have plunged her hands into the electronic guts of a personal computer than she would have stuck her head under a car's hood to change the spark plugs. But that was before TiAndrea, a 17-year-old high school senior, enrolled in a computer engineering technology class at her school in Port Gibson, Miss., a small rural town about 50 miles southwest of Jackson. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/19/technology/circuits/19buil.html (Free registration required)

SBC WINS LONG DISTANCE APPROVAL IN CALIFORNIA - SBC Communications vowed to start offering long-distance service in California by the end of the year after the Federal Communications Commission gave the company the green light to enter the state's $10-billion-a-year long-distance market. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/4779108.htm

OTHER TECH STORIES OF THE WEEK

PERSPECTIVE: INTERNET LAW: THE YEAR IN REVIEW - Here's a look back on some of the most important developments in Internet law weighed before U.S Congress and the Supreme Court this year. While headway was made on some issues, not much has changed since the beginning of 2002.  http://news.com.com/2010-1071-978449.html?tag=fd_nc_1

WORLDWIDE DSL PENETRATION TOPS 30 MILLION - The number of global DSL subscribers grew 20% in the third quarter, bringing the number of digitized lines worldwide to 30.6 million, according to new figures released by the DSL Forum today.  The highest growth rates were seen in developing regions such as Eastern Europe and South & South East Asia, with growth rates of 35.2% and 136.8% respectively, but North America appears to be cooling as a hotbed of growth.  http://telephonyonline.com/ar/telecom_worldwide_dsl_penetration/index.htm

ENTERPRISES INCREASINGLY TURN TO E-LEARNING TECHNOLOGY AS PART OF STRATEGIC EFFORTS TO BROADEN WORKFORCE SKILLS - Imagine if a person had the ability to absorb others' memories and talents through mere touch. Companies would never again have to worry about employees' unscheduled vacations or extended absences. A little hand-to-forehead contact between department supervisor and the knowledge experts would make sure employees had the knowledge to do their jobs--and meet their other responsibilities--in the best possible way.  Sure, hand-to-head transfer of knowledge is comic book fodder, but the goal of training employees to do multiple jobs and learn multiple tasks is not. Now more than ever, enterprises are striving to achieve very ambitious performance goals, and they are using e-learning technologies to create a better-educated and more versatile workforce capable of a multitude of tasks.  http://www.alchemymag.com/Web_First/SS.nsf/ContentFrameset?OpenForm&ArticleID=DDAS-5F6RYE

PHILANTHROPY MEETS TECHNOLOGY - In Laos, a boy pedals a stationary bicycle to charge batteries powering a computer that links rural villages with e-mail access and medical information.  In India, a driver of a custom-designed Honda off-road motorcycle carrying a solar-powered laptop computer makes the rounds through remote countryside. The mission is to spread literacy and bring basic information to villagers. These scenarios exist somewhere between vision and reality, created by the Reuters Foundation's fledgling Digital Vision Fellowship Program at Stanford University. The projects are meant to be feasible, small-scale solutions to one of the most daunting challenges confronting philanthropic-minded technologists: making information technology accessible and relevant to those living in remote regions of developing nations. http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/business/4756888.htm

FENCES GO UP AS NET OUTGROWS ITS INNOCENCE - On the Internet, you can learn about virtually anything. You can seek comfort from others similarly afflicted by a rare disease or explore such sensitive topics as birth control.  Just as long as you're not connecting from work, a school or a public library, that is.  And if you're using any number of e-mail services that employ junk mail filters -- or a search engine such as Google -- don't count on wholly unfettered access, either. 
As the Internet matures, governments, corporations, universities and service providers are erecting fences, some by design, others often unintentionally.  http://online.securityfocus.com/news/1803

This Week@Holidays

SHOPPERS GO ONLINE FOR CHRISTMAS TREES - So much for sipping warm apple cider after taking a long hike into snow-covered mountains to pick out the perfect Christmas tree.  John Hanigan follows his own tradition by using the Internet to order Fraser firs for family friends from Omni Farms, which cultivates thousands of the trees on 300 acres in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains.  http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=528&ncid=528&e=4&u=/ap/20021220/ap_on_hi_te/online_christmas_trees

HOW (MANY) PEOPLE ARE SHOPPING ONLINE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON - According to a CNN, USA Today and Gallup poll of 1,017 US adults, the rise in the percentage of people saying they are "very likely" to shop online during the holidays -- from just 4% in 1998 to 15% in 2002 -- corresponds to a decline in the number of people who are using mail-order catalogs for their holiday shopping needs. http://www.emarketer.com/news/article.php?1001919&c=newsltr&n=lead&t=ad

US CONSUMERS SPENDING MORE THAN EVER ONLINE - US consumers spent USD2 billion on online purchases during the post-Thanksgiving week, according to comScore Media Metrix.   http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358658&rel=true

ONLINE SHOPPERS PLAYING SAFE - According to a recent study from Gartner, US Internet users are playing safe this holiday season and purchasing merchandise they've already had experience of buying.   http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358656&rel=true

FACTS & STATS

BRAZILIANS BUYING MORE ONLINE - Business News Americas reports that online retail sales in Brazil reached BRL505 million (USD134 million) in October.  http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358661&rel=true

ECOMMERCE SPENDING RISES IN THE PHILIPPINES - Online spending in the Philippines rose by more than PHP400 million (USD7.4 million) from December 2001 to June 2002, reports Computerworld Philippines.  http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358652&rel=true

GERMAN B2C REVENUES ON A HIGH - Online retail sales in Germany will reach EUR8 billion (USD8.17 billion) this year, reports Deutsche Welle.    http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358666&rel=true

UK SALES CROSS THE GBP1 BILLION BARRIER - UK consumers spent over GPB1 billion (USD1.58 billion) on online purchases last month, according to the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG).  http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358664&rel=true

OVER 30 MILLION DSL LINES WORLDWIDE - New research from Point Topic indicates that there are now over 30 million DSL lines worldwide.  http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358655&rel=true

HIGH-SPEED NET USERS DOING MORE ONLINE - Broadband users in the US are responsible for 49 percent of total Web pages viewed online, even though the group represents only 32 percent of total Internet users.  http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358651&rel=true

BROADBAND ADOPTION INCREASES IN UK - UK consumers are taking up broadband services at a faster rate than other key European countries, according to Oftel.   http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358647&rel=true

OVER FIVE MILLION ADSL SUBSCRIBERS IN JAPAN - The number of ADSL subscriptions in Japan passed the five million mark during November, reports IDG.net.   http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358663&rel=true

INTERNET USE CLIMBING IN MOST MARKETS - Research from Ipsos-Reid suggests that people are becoming increasingly reliant on the Internet.   http://www.nua.com/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358657&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

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 Worldwide 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

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