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| 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. Click EUpdate to become a subscriber. 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 john.earnhardt@cisco.com. There are over 1300 subscribers to Cisco Government Affairs' eUpdate. CISCO GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS WEBSITE - Please visit www.cisco.com/gov to view our worldwide government affairs website. You can reach any member of the team at: http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/779/govtaffairs/contact/. Also see Q&A with Laura Ipsen, Vice President of Worldwide Government Affairs, as she reviews the issues that Cisco is focusing on: http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/media_info/public_policy_overview.html |
| Top News Of The Week |
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ADVANCED WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES COULD BRING HIGH-SPEED INTERNET TO ALL - ITU report, "The Portable Internet", foresees a wire-free future - http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2004/19.html ASIA-PACIFIC ICT SECTOR KEEPS CLIMBING - ITU Report finds region global leader in mobile and broadband penetration. http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2004/20.html FCC REPORT SHOWS BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT ACCELLERATING IN THE U.S. - http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-251959A1.pdf |
| This Week@WASHINGTON, DC |
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FCC DESIGNATES SPECTRUM FOR ADVANCED WIRELESS SERVICES AND PROPOSES LICENSING AND SERVICE RULES - http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-251982A1.doc FCC FREES UP SPECTRUM FOR 3G - Federal telephone regulators set aside more spectrum for third-generation cell phone calls and other advanced wireless services, in a move to spur broadband adoption in the United States. http://news.com.com/FCC+frees+up+spectrum+for+3G/2100-1039_3-5360496.html VOIP'S POINT MAN - Michael Powell has helped save the new telecom technology from the FCC wolves. But will he stay there? http://www.forbes.com/2004/09/07/cx_de_0907fcc.html EX-FCC LAWYER WARNS ABOUT PHONE RULES - A former chief lawyer for the Federal Communications Commission issued a cordial but firm warning Thursday that interim telephone competition rules would be overturned in court unless the agency moved quickly to shore up its legal rationale. http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-fcc10sep10,1,4057752.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-business (Free registration required) “UNLEASHING THE EDUCATIONAL POWER OF BROADBAND” - The Federal Communications Commission will host a Symposium on Wednesday, October 6, 2004, at FCC Headquarters, 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. The event is part of ongoing Commission efforts intended to spur the deployment of broadband services across America, including to schools and libraries. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-251908A1.doc GAO REPORT - Electronic Government: Federal Agencies Continue to Invest in Smart |
| This Week@EMEA |
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COMMISSION GRANTS 52 MILLION EURO TO BOOST USE OF GRID – tomorrow’s Internet - A Euro 52 million package of twelve EU-funded research projects, that together aim to bring “Grid” networked computing out of research labs and into industry, has just been launched by the European Commission. http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/04/ BACKGROUND ON GRID-NETWORKED COMPUTING - http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/04/ EU BLUEPRINT FOR SECURITY RESEARCH PROGRAMME - The EU should launch a fully-fledged European Security Research Programme by 2007, with a sufficiently large budget. This is the core message of a Communication on “Security Research: The Next Steps”, just adopted by the European Commission. BRITAIN CREATES NEW NUMBERS FOR INTERNET PHONE USERS - A new batch of phone numbers will be assigned in Britain to accommodate the emerging market for cheap phone calls over the Internet, the UK's media and telecoms regulator said. "Broadband voice services are a new and emerging market. Our first task as regulator is to keep out of the way," said Stephen Carter, Ofcom chief executive. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1212&e=8&u=/nm/20040906 UPC HUNGARY DELIVERS VOIP TO BUDAPEST - Budapest will see some 300,000 homes in ten districts of the city covered by the service initially, with other areas coming online sometime this year or next. EC CITIZEN WEB PORTAL - The European Commission has launched a new "Dialogue with Citizens” web portal - Its aim is to provide clear information on how citizens can use their rights in the EU Internal Market and navigable in all 20 official languages. The site contains guides on ten areas of EU law and over 1300 printable, multilingual factsheets with practical tips. If users cannot find the information they need or have questions about any aspect of EU policy, they can phone or e-mail other advice and problem-solving services accessible via the site and get personalised help in any of the 20 languages. http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1709 EU NETWORK FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION - EU spends 93 million euros on European Research & Education Internet (GÉANT) - A contract to upgrade Europe’s world-leading GÉANT communications network for research and education has been signed by the European Commission in Brussels. UK BROADBAND USAGE DOUBLES IN PAST SIX MONTHS - New research from NOP, shows that more of the UK Internet population are progressing to broadband - with usage at 41 per cent up from 27 per cent just six months ago, and an increase in females using the internet. ATTITUDES TO E-GOVERNMENT INCREASINGLY DIFFERENT IN FRANCE, GERMANY AND THE UK - A survey performed by TNS Sofres for Capgemini France and providing comparative data for France, Germany and the UK, reveals that attitudes of European citizens towards e-government seem to vary significantly between countries. KOREA PUTS IRAN ON BROADBAND - Iran and South Korea have signed a $US40 million deal for the provision of 100,000 broadband internet lines to the Islamic republic. The accord, signed in the presence of the telecommunications ministers from the two countries, involves the Iranian companies Asia-Tak and Arsh, and Korea Telecom. http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,10723183%5E15322%5E%5Enbv%5E15306,00.html |
| This Week@Asia-Pacific/Japan |
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INTERVIEW: MASAO NAKAMURA - Robert Budden, Telecommunications Correspondent at the Financial Times, talks to Masao Nakamura, chief executive of Docomo about advancements in technology and the company's future business strategy. http://news.ft.com/cms/s/c543056e-0283-11d9-a968-00000e2511c8.html (Paid subscription required) MURDOCH TO JOIN BOARD OF NETCOM - Rupert Murdoch is to join the board of China Netcom, the country's second-largest fixed-line group, ahead of its $1.5bn-$2bn international listing. http://news.ft.com/cms/s/2d26dcc2-028a-11d9-a968-00000e2511c8.html (Paid subscription required) CHINA'S TELECOM FORAYS SQUEEZE STRUGGLING RIVALS - The hard-driving expansion of China's telecom companies around the world is deepening the woes of struggling North American and European rivals and forcing them to scramble. http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB109459495670311660,00.html (Paid subscription required) PIRATED GOODS SWAMP CHINA - Official Crackdown Has Little Effect - China touted the impact of a recent crackdown on pirated goods, seeking to mollify criticism from the United States that it has done little to curb the brazen and widespread sale of such things as illegally copied Hollywood films, fake auto parts and pharmaceuticals. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A535-2004Sep6.html HONG KONG SEEKS TO BUILD 'INCLUSIVE' E-GOVT - The Hong Kong government has launched a series of initiatives to transform Hong Kong into a 'digitally inclusive society'. TAIWAN WORLD'S NO. 4 BROADBAND USER - A recent survey conducted by the Taiwan Network Information Centre has revealed that 50 per cent of the internet users in Taiwan use broadband technology to access the Web. http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=3046 AUSTRALIA: MANDATING OPEN SOURCE "TOO RISKY": GOVERNMENT - The coalition has ruled out mandating the use of open source software in the federal government, saying such a move would stretch the industry's resources to the point that the risk of a high-profile project failure would be "unacceptably high". http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/0,2000061733,39158367,00.htm DIGITAL TV TO “HIT BROADBAND” - TELSTRA has provided a new twist in the debate on the future of digital TV, saying broadband internet take-up would be threatened if the Seven, Nine and Ten Networks were allowed to provide extra digital TV channels. http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,10709766%5E15318%5E%5Enbv%5E15306,00.html AUSTRALIA: Telstra to take VoIP home in 2005 - Telstra will enable residential customers to make telephone calls over broadband using voice over internet protocol (VoIP) in 2005. AUSTRALIA'S ACT SHOWS US HOW e-VOTING IS DONE - With voters in the US, Australian and ACT electorates all headed to the polling booth within weeks, and controversy over the integrity of the US e-voting system reaching boiling point, the tiny ACT Government is again showing how e-voting should be done. The key, say ACT election officials, is to use open source software and to publish the voting code on the Internet. |
| This Week@US States |
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STUDENTS, COLLEGE FACE OFF OVER WI-FI - A disagreement over public and private wireless networks is stirring up high-tech tension at the University of Texas at Dallas. The university administration issued a new policy this week that bars students from running their own private Wi-Fi networks in campus housing. http://news.com.com/Students%2C+college+face+off+over+Wi-Fi/2100- INFORMATION TECH JOB TOTAL RISING IN THE U.S. BUT NOT IN SILICON VALLEY - The number of information technology workers in the United States went up last year and will continue to rise again this year, albeit at a much slower rate, according to a report released today by the Information Technology Association of America. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/9607122.htm GETTING THEIR HOME NETWORKS TO DO MORE - According to IDC, there will be about three times as many home networks in the US by 2008 as there were in 2003. http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?1003030 CONNECTICUT GOVERNOR HALTS IT CONSOLIDATION - Yesterday, Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced that she is suspending the decision by the previous administration to consolidate all state computer personnel as employees of the Department of Information and Technology (DOIT). The governor's action puts on hold the transfer of some 350 information and technology employees in various state agencies to the direct management of DOIT. |
| Other Tech News Of The Week |
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REGULATORY RULES STIFLE BUSINESS IN POOR COUNTRIES - The World Bank Group issued a report today that shows a widening gap between rich and poor nations on the quality of business regulation -- an important factor in economic growth. In its second annual business-regulation survey the global economic-development lender found that New Zealand made it the easiest to start and operate businesses, closely followed by the U.S. Among the 20 countries where excess regulation most stifles business development, 80% are in Sub-Saharan Africa. http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB109459482430611654,00.html (Paid subscription required) INTERNET'S SPEED INCREASES AS IT TURNS 35 YEARS OLD - As the Internet turned 35 last week, Web speed-demons claimed a new record for how fast data can be transmitted over computer networks, announcing they had sent the equivalent of a big fat DVD movie file from Switzerland to California in a few seconds. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61089-2004Sep4.html WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY TO RIVAL CABLE, DSL - An emerging wireless communications technology called WiMAX, which can blanket entire cities with high-speed Internet connections, will rival DSL and cable as the preferred way to connect homes and businesses to the Internet, Intel Corp. said. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1293&e=4&u=/ DEBATE DRAWS DISTINCTION IN CANDIDATES’ TRADE POLICIES - The differences between President Bush and Democratic challenger John F. Kerry over trade policy have been relatively muted. But that didn't stop the two protagonists at a "Bush-Kerry trade debate" yesterday from underscoring distinctions between their candidates on issues that included outsourcing, Chinese currency policy and a proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6661-2004Sep8.html NETFLIX, TIVO AIM TO OFFER ONLINE SERVICE - Home entertainment trendsetters Netflix Inc. and TiVo Inc. hope to link up on a service that will use high-speed Internet connections to pipe DVD-quality movies into the homes of their mutual subscribers. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/ SPAMMERS GIVEN BOOT BY NET HOST - Campaigners against spam on the internet have won a major battle against the world's second largest internet service provider. US firm Savvis was allegedly earning up to $2 million a month from 148 of the world's worst spammers, a former employee had claimed. Following talks with anti-spam groups, Savvis has now promised to get rid of the spammers using its network. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3634572.stm GOP INSIDERS SEE HP’S CEO AS POTENTIAL CANDIDATE - When Carly Fiorina leaves Hewlett-Packard, she could have another career -- in politics. Local political observers say Fiorina, a Republican, would be a good candidate for either an elected or appointed office. http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/9587298.htm |
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| 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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