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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 |
| Cisco Worldwide Government Affairs welcomes Major League Baseball to the nation’s capital. Merci, Montreal. MLB SELECTS D.C. FOR EXPOS - Almost 33 years to the date of the Senators' final game in Washington, D.C., the District and Major League Baseball on Wednesday announced that the Montreal Expos are moving to the nation's capital. http://montreal.expos.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news.jsp?ymd =20040929&content_id=875100&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp |
| This Week@WASHINGTON, DC |
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THE TECHNOLOGIST WHO HAS MICHAEL POWELL'S EAR – Robert Pepper is the FCC's chief of policy development, which requires him to be a kind of government futurist, advising Chairman Michael Powell on which regulations are wise and which would be harmful. PROPOSED RULES PIT 'HAMS' VS BROADBAND NEW USERS – The FCC is set to pass new rules to limit radio interference by emerging services that offer broadband over electric power lines, but the curbs are not likely to appease ham radio operators. http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20040929/broadpower29.art.htm FEDS INVITE COMMENT ON VOIP WIRETAPS – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on launched a public comment period on its plan to compel Internet broadband and VoIP providers to open their networks up to easy surveillance by law enforcement agencies. Comments are due by November 8th. COMMENTARY: Privacy Legislation Is Needed, Even If It Hurts – Columnist Wayne Rash says without laws like HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley, health and finance companies wouldn't take security seriously. CONGRESS MOVES AGAINST SPYWARE – A Senate committee has approved anti-spyware legislation and sent it on to the full floor for consideration. COMMENTARY: LOCKING THE DOOR AGAINST INTERNET TRESPASS: ARE NEW LAWS NEEDED? – Many web surfers may find unwanted guests resetting home pages, adding new toolbars, “hijacking” browsers to unwanted websites, and sometimes even mining PCs for personal information. THE NEXT BIG THING FOR GOVERNMENT – In a discussion that lasted for more than an hour, experts batted around a multitude of ideas that included wireless technology and the reason it will be so big, information security and assurance, and how to deal with budget tightening. REPORT: No Child Left Behind Act: Improvements Needed in Education's Process for Tracking States' Implementation of Key Provisions. (GAO-04-734) RFID SPREADS WITH FEDS – The military and the FDA are requiring suppliers and manufacturers to use radio frequency identification technology to track items. DOD PLANS NETWORK TASK FORCE – It will provide structure and discipline for the management OFFICIALS PRAISE DC WIRELESS NETWORK - The Capital Wireless Integrated Network is making a difference in the Washington, D.C., area, giving public safety workers a valuable tool for daily and extraordinary situations, officials said this week. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0927/web-dc-09-29-04.asp NEW FEMA INTRANET HELPS SUPPORT HURRICANE VICTIMS - The Federal Emergency Management Agency is leveraging a new intranet system it installed last month to help support relief efforts to hurricane victims in the Southeast. http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/recovery/story/ DOES THE PATENT SYSTEM NEED AN OVERHAUL? – Since 1793, the federal government has issued patents to inventors, giving them exclusive ownership of an idea as well as the right to prevent others from using it. Now some experts argue that achieving those rights stifles innovation. Two professors conclude in a new book that a couple of unrelated and seemingly innocuous administrative reforms of the patent system have caused a shift away from encouraging innovation in favor of exploiting patents largely for lawsuits. FERREE BACKS DTV MULTICAST – FCC Media Bureau Chief Kenneth Ferree wants to convince FCC ChairmanMichael Powell that cable operators should carry every free digital service transmitted by a local TV station. He believes that the FCC has legalauthority and that it is good policy. CONSUMER EDUCATION INITIATIVE ON TRANSITION TO DIGITAL TELEVISION – FCC Chairman Michael Powell will hold a press conference on Monday, October 4, 2004, to kick off an education campaign to highlight the importance of the transition to digital television (DTV). At the event, Powell will announce a major initiative headed by the FCC that will bring all corners of the television industry together to educate the public on the importance of the digital television (DTV) transition and how it will affect them in the coming years. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-252592A1.doc DHS AWARDS $9 MILLION IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GRANTS – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded $9 million in information technology demonstration projects in the Information Technology and Evaluation Program (ITEP). |
| This Week@EMEA |
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EEUROPE 2005: EU MEMBER STATES PROGRESSING AT VARYING SPEEDS – A recent study prepared by INSEAD for SAP has for the first time addressed and measured the “alignment” of the new EU Member States with the “old” ones with regard to the objectives set in the eEurope 2005 Action Plan. DUTCH PRESIDENCY LAUNCHES DEBATE ON THE EUROPEAN ICT AGENDA – The Dutch Presidency of the EU has launched a report aimed at identifying obstacles to the Lisbon process and proposing ICT breakthroughs that could help achieve the goal of making the Union the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world. The report findings will be discussed at a high-level conference in Amsterdam on 29-30 September 2004. EU SHOULD 'RETHINK' E-GOVERNMENT – The European Union's Dutch presidency has called for new policies to help move e-government forward. In the latest report, which is published in advance of an EU IT policy conference calls for "breakthroughs" in e-government. DUTCH EU PARLIAMENTARIAN RAISES PRIVACY CONCERNS OVER PASSPORT CHIP – Certain members of the European Parliament do not apparently see eye to eye with the US on the use of biometric chips to be deployed in new electronic passports. BLAIR: BROADBAND ACCESS TO ALL UK HOMES BY 2008 – In laying out the Labour Party manifesto for a third term, the British Prime Minister, has said that every home that wants a broadband connection should have one by 2008. BROADBAND HITS NEW HIGH IN THE UK - Broadband in the UK has hit a new milestone, with more than five million people now having high-speed net connections, say broadband analysts. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3697892.stm 8M UK BROADBAND USERS BY END OF 2005 REPORT – A third of all UK homes are likely to be using broadband technology by the end of next year, according to a new study. UK’S TIMMS PRAISES IT – New technology can help make Britain a fairer place, minister Stephen Timms told a meeting at the Labour Party's annual conference UK OFCOM PROVOKES UNBUNDLING BATTLE – The unbundling wars started in earnest in the UK this week, after months of pressure from regulator Ofcom to encourage companies to invest in unbundling the local loop. E-BORDERS WILL FENCE UK & USE IT TO TRACK AND IDENTIFY PASSENGERS – The Home Office has announced a technology programme to modernise and strengthen the United Kingdom's borders, including electronic embarkation controls. http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1831 E-GOV AWARENESS IN UK STILL LIMITED – New UK government research has found promising signs that e-government take-up is gaining momentum in Britain. FRANCE CROWNED EUROPE'S LLU PRINCE – France has been crowned Europe's LLU leader, according to the latest data from the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA). NORWAY HAS 96% MOBILE PENETRATION, LEADS BROADBAND GROWTH IN EUROPE – Some 96 per cent of the Norwegian population now have mobile phones as of the first half of the year, up from a mobile penetration rate of 88 per cent in the first half of 2003. INTERNET VOTING TEST IN SWITZERLAND DECLARED SUCCESS - Swiss authorities hailed as a success a test of Internet voting in a national referendum, even as computer security experts remain skeptical that any online balloting could ever be secure using current technologies. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/9774380.htm JORDAN E-GOVERNMENT TO INCLUDE 18 MORE DEPARTMENTS – — The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (MoICT) yesterday announced that 18 governmental departments would be connected in a network by the end of this year. |
| This Week@Asia-Pacific/Japan |
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ASIAN E-GOVT IS ‘THRIVING’ – Darrell West, Director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy at GOOGLE CONFORMS TO CHINESE CENSORSHIP – Google's recently launched news service in China doesn't display results from Web sites blocked by that country's authorities, raising prickly questions for the online search engine JAPAN SCHOOLS TRACKING STUDENTS BY RADIO - Cutting class just got harder but schools are safer thanks to computer chips that help track students, Japanese officials say. Some schools here this month began trial runs in which students carry chips that have tiny antennae and can be traced by radio, with some of the kids attaching the tags to their backpacks. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=562&ncid=738&e=1&u= BROADBAND ACCESS HIGH IN SINGAPORE – SINGAPORE is also proving to be high-speed, with almost 40 per cent of households hooked up to the internet via broadband technology, the government said. TAIWAN E-GOVT IS ‘REVOLUTIONARY’ – An e-government service platform aimed at improving administrative efficiency has been formally inaugurated. MALAYSIA PLUMMETS IN GLOBAL E-GOVT RANKINGS – A new global study on e-government sees Malaysia plunging from No 8 to No 83 in ranking. THAI E-GOVT TO SUPPORT LOGISTICS INDUSTRY – The government will extend the use of online forms to make the process of registering imports and trans-shipments easier. SAMSUNG EXPORTS KOREAN E-GOVT EXPERTISE TO CENTRAL ASIA – South Korean conglomerate Samsung is set to provide technical support for Kazakhstan's E-Government programme under an agreement reached at the beginning of the month. INDIA EXPECTS JUMP IN HIGH-TECH IMPORTS - India's space agency said Thursday its removal from a U.S. export restriction list earlier this month could result in a threefold import increase of high technology equipment from the United States. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=528&ncid=528&e=6&u= AUS FEDERATED APPROACH HAMPERING E-GOVERNMENT – Citing the very high levels of service breadth achieved in 12 months, Accenture has moved Australia into shared fourth place in its latest rankings of global e-government maturity. WIRELESS HOTSPOTS ON SYDNEY FERRIES? – The NSW State Transit Authority is considering installing wireless broadband access on its fleet of Sydney ferries, turning them into mobile wireless hotspots. AUSTRALIA’S CENTRELINK LACKS COURAGE: INFOSYS – The local chief of large Indian software services company Infosys has taken a swipe at the federal welfare agency for banning offshore companies from its software panel.Infosys chief executive Gary Ebeyan said Centrelink had done the local industry a disservice by specifying in its public tender that all software work must be carried out in Australia. $50M PROMISE FOR AUS CITY BROADBAND – Prime Minister John Howard has released a $50 million plan to fix broadband internet blackspots in city areas. |
| This Week@Americas International |
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CANADA GETS WITH IT – eMarketer reports that 2004 will see the first significant increase in technology spending by Canadian businesses and government since 2001. http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?1003064 ONTARIO GOVERNMENT TO REALIGN WAYWARD APPS – Ontario's public sector workers may lose certain applications following a province-wide examination of its IT infrastructure. |
| This Week@US States |
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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATIVE ACTION: SCHWARZENEGGER SIGNS ANTI-SPYWARE BILL - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an anti-spyware bill banning unauthorized installation of deceptive software that hides in personal computers and secretly monitors user activity. http://news.com.com/Schwarzenegger+signs+anti-spyware+bill/2100-1023_3-5388122.html CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR VETOES PRIVACY BILLS – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) on Wednesday vetoed three bills aimed at boosting e-mail privacy at work as well as safeguard private medical and financial data. http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=GML3S5JT1N5V4C SCHWARZENEGGER OKS BAN ON PAPERLESS VOTING – Electronic voting machines in California must produce paper records of every ballot cast beginning in 2006. STATE CIOS TOLD IT, NOT TAXES, OFFERS ROAD OUT OF FISCAL WOES – State governments can't tax their way out of their current fiscal woes. Instead, they need to lower costs and focus on results, a speaker at this week's state CIO conference says. CIOS AIM AT LAWMAKERS – State chief information officers need to work more closely with legislatures and work for a seat at governors' public policy tables, experts said. DENVER RETAINS E-GOV TITLE – The Mile High City again came in at the top of Brown's annual Urban E-Government Study. VIRGINIA GETS NEW TECH CHIEF – George Newstrom steps down and deputy Eugene Huang, a former FCC policy analyst and co-founder of Internet company BuildPoint, takes reins; IT reforms are expected to continue. INTERVIEW WITH THE CIO OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA – Diana Neff talks about Philadelphia's citywide wireless project and answers participants questions. |
| Other Tech News Of The Week |
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GOING IT ALONE WITH RFID – Interest in radio-frequency ID technology is high, and business opportunities may be there for the picking. But when it comes to figuring out how to apply RFID to midmarket customers, solution providers are largely on their own. RESEARCHER, CHIP MAKER TO DEVELOP ID TAGS - A University of Pittsburgh researcher and a U.S. subsidiary of a Korean chipmaker announced they plan to sell radio-frequency identification tags to get a share of what could be the biggest change in retail technology since the barcode. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=528&ncid=528&e=9&u= WIDENING WIRELESS – New WiMax technology allows broadband users to access Internet from more places. WiMax has been called Wi-Fi on steroids because of its great range. While a Wi-Fi signal reaches a couple of hundred feet to create a local wireless network, or hot spot, WiMax promises to send broadband Internet signals up to 30 miles. IPV6 EXPERT SEES ADOPTION GROWING... SLOWLY – We recently interviewed Jim Bound, chair of the North American IPv6 Task Force and CTO of the IPv6 Forum, about the status of IPv6 deployment. VOIP MARKET €6.2BN BY 2008 – After years of hype, voice over IP has made the shift from an emerging technology to a viable business solution, according to market advisory firm IDC, and is gaining accelerated business adoption. RIVALS AT&T AND VONAGE SLASH PRICE OF INTERNET-PHONE SERVICE - Internet calling is getting cheaper -- again. AT&T Corp. cut the price of its Internet phone service by $5 a month yesterday, only to see rival Vonage Holdings Corp. slash its prices to stay $5 below AT&T's latest offer. http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB109658506274733092,00.html (Paid subscription required) PHISHING COST CONSUMERS $500 MILLION – More than 15 percent of users told researchers that they had been successfully phished, providing a credit card number, checking account information, social security number or some other personal ID. NO ESCAPE FROM E-MAIL – Portable e-mail devises have created a borderless world of new opportunities for multitasking. BlackBerry -- and a growing number of cell phones like them that come with tiny keyboards -- have made it easier and more tempting than ever to sneak in work during personal time, and personal messaging at work. TIVO STRIKES DEAL WITH NETFLIX FOR ONLINE DELIVERY OF MOVIES - TiVo Inc. and Netflix Inc. agreed to a deal under which Netflix plans to deliver movies online to TiVo's digital video recorders, which are expected to have the ability to download video programming from the Internet beginning next year. |
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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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