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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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DENMARK DISPLACES SWEDEN AS TOP INFORMATION SOCIETY – Denmark has displaced Sweden as the number one country in market research group IDC's Information Society Index survey. The US, Switzerland and Canada have displaced the Netherlands, Norway and Finland in rounding out the top five. |
| This Week@WASHINGTON, DC |
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BIGGER, FASTER, AND LESS REGULATED – Significant technological advances are rapidly changing the telecommunications and media industries, and giving a bigger role to Washington policy makers in determining industry winners and losers. REGULATORS, CITIES, BUSINESS CONVERGE ON WIRELESS BROADBAND – The Federal Communications Commission has twice in the last month moved to make broadcast spectrum available for advanced wireless services. At the same time, several cities have announced wireless initiatives, and companies have begun to shape themselves to be wireless broadband providers on the model of the cellular telephone industry. FCC AIMS AT RETAINING PHONE COMPETITION – Federal regulators are drafting rules intended to preserve phone-service choices for many small businesses, say people with direct knowledge of the matter. http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/2004-11-04-fcc_x.htm RURAL-PHONE SUBSIDY'S SHORTFALL COULD BE COSTLY FOR CONSUMERS – The federally supervised fund that subsidizes rural phone service and the Internet to schools faces a $575 million shortfall early next year that phone companies -- and ultimately consumers -- likely will have to make up unless another solution is found. GOP BEATS DEMS ON TECH-FRIENDLINESS – Republicans trounced Democrats in a scorecard of key technology votes compiled by CNET News.com that illuminates stark differences in the two parties' voting history in the U.S. Congress over nearly a decade. CROSS-ATLANTIC DATA SHARING? – The U.K. and U.S. may agree to improve the sharing of technical info on communications. AFGHAN DATA NETWORK MAY LAUNCH – A new network to improve data sharing and intelligence gathering on the borders of Afghanistan may go operational, the Defense Department's acting chief information officer said. FED BUDGET: GOOD, BAD NEWS FOR IT – The good news for industry is that 83 percent of the fiscal 2005 federal budget for information technology, or $50.5 billion, will go to government contractors. NAVY SAYS NEW TECHNOLOGY CONTRACT YIELDS REWARDS – Navy technology officials announced that they have received good results since they revised the Navy Marine Corps Intranet contract at the end of September. GSA RELEASES DRAFT NETWORX RFPS – The General Services Administration released two draft requests for proposals for its $10 billion Networx telecommunications government-wide acquisition contract. |
| This Week@EMEA |
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EICTA CALLS FOR TOUGHER EUROPEAN LAWS TO PROTECT ICT INNOVATION – The European Information and Communication Technology Association has warned that Europe risks becoming a refuge for software piracy unless tougher directives on patent protection are approved. EU PLANS ONE STOP FOR VAT – Europe is aiming to simplify the VAT system by setting up a single cross border identity number and electronic portal WEB CALLS MAY BE MORE POPULAR IN EUROPE THAN THOUGHT – Making cheap telephone calls over the Internet could be much more popular among consumers than previously estimated, leaving incumbent telecom service providers highly vulnerable, a survey revealed. SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE ANNOUNCES £1 MILLION SMART SCOTLAND FUNDING FOR INNOVATION – The Scottish Executive is putting over £1 million into helping small companies commercialise their innovative products in the latest round of funding from the Executive's SMART:SCOTLAND programme. IMPORTANT MILESTONE REACHED FOR NORTHERN IRELAND E-GOVERNMENT – The Northern Ireland Executive e-Government Unit's Deputy Director, John Price, has announced the completion of a key stage in the plans to get all Government services on-line by 2005. LONDON, UK E-SERVICES ARE 'PATCHY' – The UK capital's local authorities must step up their efforts to link up with a national online property search system, says a local government agency KENT GETS UK'S FIRST WIMAX NETWORK – A next-generation wireless broadband network is being created in Kent which will provide high-speed wireless services to residential and business punters in the South East of England. UK BROADBAND PENETRATION RATE OVERTAKES THAT OF GERMANY – The UK telecoms regulator's quarterly sector report shows that the UK has overtaken Germany in terms of broadband penetration. Nonetheless, broadband in Britain remains behind France, Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark. UK’S CHAIR OF MP'S COMMITTEE COMMENTS ON PUBLIC SECTOR IT – The chairman of the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts, Edward Leigh MP has made this statement following the publication of the National Audit Office report 'The impact of the Office of Government Commerce’s initiatives on departments and suppliers in the delivery of major IT-enabled projects'. FRENCH EYE OPEN SOURCE, E-GOVERNMENT SAVINGS – The seriously cash-strapped French Government is looking to e-government and open source software for its salvation, under a plan to boost productivity and slash public spending. EUROPEAN COMMISSION APPROVES DEUTSCHE TELEKOM PLANNED PTC – The European Commission has approved German telco Deutsche Telekom’s plans to buy the remaining stake in Polish mobile operator PTC. GERMANY’S STANDARDIZATION CUTS E-GOVERNMENT COSTS – The German Federal Association of the IT, telecommunications and new-media industries (Bitkom) demands that public authorities in Germany in developing e-government applications adhere to a greater degree to existing standards THREE QUARTERS OF BULGARIANS HAVE NEVER BEEN ONLINE – As much as 23 per cent of the population do not even know what the word means, according to polling data from survey group Alpha Research. E-GOVERNMENT A PRIORITY FOR GREECE – Minister of the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation Prokopis Pavlopoulos said that reforming the state through e-government is a key goal and a priority for Greece. NORWAY’S NEW MINISTRY OF MODERNISATION TO STEP-UP E-GOVERNMENT EFFORTS – The Ministry of Modernisation, formally established on 1 October 2004, is meant to be a spearhead for the Norwegian Government's efforts to modernise the public sector. Among other things, it will have responsibility for IT policy and the e-government drive. THE MOBILE MIDDLE EAST – Palestine ranks as the most competitive telecom market in the region, but much of it is due to inadequate regulation by the Palestinian government. JUDICIARY ORDERS IRAN'S NEWS WEB SITE TO CLOSE – Iran’s hardline judiciary ordered the conservative-run news web site Baztab to close after receiving complaints that the site was “publishing false news,” contrary to Iran’s security guidelines, student news agency Isna reported yesterday. |
| This Week@Americas International |
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GAME APPEAL FOR URUGUAY'S VOTERS – A political party in Uruguay campaigning for the general election has created an online game on its website in order to attract young voters. FREDERICTON, CANADA PLANS TO EXPAND CITY-WIDE WI-FI NETWORK – The City of Fredericton, rubbing shoulders with the likes of enterprise giants such as Bombardier, Bell and Dell, took home the Judges’ Innovation Award at Tuesday’s Canadian Information Productivity Awards for its city-wide Wi-Fi network, dubbed Fred e-zone. CANADA STARTS VENDOR CONSULTATIONS ON IT SPENDING – Last year the federal government took a public relations beating for its billion-dollar gun registry boondoggle. Ontario recently suffered the same criticism for its Accenture-built social services system that couldn’t handle payment increases to welfare recipients. CANADA'S MILITARY FACES STEEP COSTS FOR IT MAKEOVER – As Canada joins the global race to modernize its military, analysts say the country and its allies have been forced to examine the business case for defence-related IT systems. (First of a four part series) |
| This Week@Asia-Pacific/Japan |
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ORACLE, HP TO SET UP E-GOVT ‘CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE’ IN ASIA PACIFIC – Following on from the success of their E-Governance Centre of Excellence in India, Oracle and HP are looking to extend the concept to the rest of the region. INDIA SAYS `BUSH OR KERRY, OUTSOURCING IS HERE TO STAY' – Even as incumbent Mr. George Bush stays short of a clear verdict in the US presidential elections, the Indian IT and BPO industry is of the broader consensus that outsourcing is here to stay. INDIA LOOKS TO CHINA FOR TECHIES – When Infosys Technologies began scouting for an alternative to India as a source of unlimited, low-cost human resources, the fast-growing company came up with one answer: its home country's archrival, China. CHINESE PREMIER WEN URGES QUICKENING PACE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY – Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged quickening the expansion of information technology to promote China's social and economic development at a meeting, sources with the central government said Friday. HAVE SUPERCOMPUTER, WILL TRAVEL – Add Steve Chen to the growing list of America's high-technology exports. Mr. Chen, a Taiwanese-born American citizen who was considered one of the nation's most brilliant supercomputer designers while working in this country for the technology pioneer Seymour Cray in the 1980's, has moved to China - where he is leading an effort to claim the world computing speed record. CHINA CLOSES 1,600 INTERNET CAFES IN CRACKDOWN – China shut 1,600 Internet cafes between February and August and imposed $12.1 million worth of fines for allowing children to play violent or adult-only games and other violations, state media said. TAIWAN CITY PLANS CITY-WIDE WIRELESS BY END OF 2005 – Taipei plans to make wireless Internet access available across the Taiwan capital by the end of 2005, joining a small number of cities offering Wi-Fi networks. SINGAPORE TAKING BIG STEPS TO UPGRADE E-GOVERNMENT SERVICES – The Singapore government is taking bold steps to upgrade its online services. But instead of setting up even more websites, the government is merging many of them, especially for e-payment of bills. S.KOREA ONLY ASIAN COUNTRY IN INFORMATION SOCIETY INDEX – South Korea was the only country in the Asia-Pacific region to be ranked among the top 10 worldwide in an information society index. SEOUL TO EXPORT E-GOVT EXPERTISE TO RUSSIA – Seoul City's e-government system and know-how is being transferred to the Russian capital of Moscow. TONGA BUYS TAX SYSTEM – The Kingdom of Tonga will computerise its tax system next year, using an off-the-shelf tax administration. AUSTRALIA’S LATHAM COMBINES IT AND TELECOMMS, HANDS TO NEW PLAYER – The Australian Labor Party has combined the portfolio responsibilities of information technology and communications and passed them to Senator Stephen Conroy, handing the previous information technology spokesperson, Senator Kate Lundy, manufacturing and consumer affairs. AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL CIO ROLE DELAYED – The Department of Communications IT and the Arts delayed advertising for an Australian government chief information officer because it feared election-related uncertainty would deter the best potential candidates from applying, a spokesman has revealed. US LAW RAISES PRIVACY WORRIES IN AUSTRALIA – The South Australian Government has promised to review the access of US outsourcer EDS to information on citizens in the wake of a Canadian government report finding a "reasonable possibility" of unauthorised disclosure by US outsourcers to US government agencies. |
| This Week@US States |
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OHIO EDUCATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK SUPPORTS STATE AND WORLDWIDE ELECTION COVERAGE – The Ohio Educational Telecommunications Network Commission (OET), a local state agency, used its fiber optic and satellite technology to support the state's communication needs during Election 2004. CALIFORNIA PERFORMANCE REVIEW UPDATE – Governor Schwarzenegger created the California Performance Review (CPR), to help the state government increase efficiency, reduce costs and create the "first 21st century government." Public and private sectors were invited to participate, 21 commissioners were appointed, a four-volume report was written which included recommendations for changes in procurement and more effective use of technology. REPORT: ILLINOIS ONLINE – This report is the result of a project commissioned by the Rural Affairs Council in the Office of Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn. It discusses how to accelerate the deployment of broadband in underserved communities in Illinois. NEBRASKA GOV. UNVEILS STATEWIDE TELEHEALTH NETWORK – Gov. Mike Johanns announced that Nebraska now has the ability to connect state health officials with more than 40 hospitals throughout Nebraska for interactive videoconferencing that can be used in responding to an emergency and to allow citizens across the state to access health specialists without having to leave their home towns. HOMELAND SECURITY INITIATIVE SELECTED AS BEST PRACTICE IN NEW JERSEY STATE GOVERNMENT – The Northeastern New Jersey Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), a program to enhance homeland security and domestic preparedness in the state's most densely populated region, was chosen by the not-for-profit group Quality New Jersey as representing a "best practice" among New Jersey state government programs. EDUCATION GIANTS COME TOGETHER TO IMPROVE BLENDED LEARNING – Recently, a partnership formed between McGraw-Hill Higher Education and Cisco Systems where its first endeavor brought together the use of McGraw-Hill's Online Learning courseware developed for and delivered by the Cisco Global Learning Network (GLN). NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIV. CAMPUS TO VOTE FOR WIRELESS HOTSPOTS – Students, faculty and staff at North Carolina State University can visit a Web site and vote for wireless hotspots. |
| Other Tech News Of The Week |
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BROADBAND GETS BIGGER AND BIGGER – In-Stat/MDR finds that the Internet access market brought in revenues of $35.1 billion in 2003, with consumer access services accounting for two-thirds of this amount. REPORT: OPEN ARCHITECTURE AS COMMUNICATIONS POLICY – A collection of papers from speakers at a forum held on Capitol Hill entitled “Broadband Technology Forum: The Future of the Internet in the Broadband Age.” INTERNET HELPS AMERICANS BECOME AWARE OF A WIDER RANGE OF POLITICAL VIEWS – As wired Americans increasingly go online for political news and commentary, a new survey finds that the Internet is contributing to a wider awareness of political views during this year's campaign season. OPINION: VONAGE, RECIPE FOR SUCCESS? – Say Vonage to anyone in the communications industry and they say: "Oh the VoIP people." Ask if they'll make it, and you may get responses like, "well the RBOCs hate them and they have hundreds of look-alike competitors." VERIZON WIRELESS AGREES TO BUY NEXTWAVE SPECTRUM LICENSES – Verizon Wireless said it agreed to buy NextWave Telecom Inc.'s wireless licenses for $3 billion, a move that boosts Verizon Wireless's capacity in several major cities. RESEARCHERS TO STUDY INTERNATIONAL IT INNOVATION – The University of Albany's Center for Technology in Government is expanding its research to international governance with a new grant from the National Science Foundation. NOT AS MUCH VENTURED, BUT MORE TO GAIN? – When members of the Early Stage Venture Capital Alliance gathered for its annual golf outing, the conversation turned - as it invariably does when venture capitalists congregate these days - to the resurgence of fierce competition among firms seeking to invest in promising start-ups. U.S. HOSPITALS USE TECHNOLOGY FOR FOLLOW-THE-SUN CARE – In the middle of the night, while emergency-room doctors are treating patients at hundreds of U.S. hospitals, a few dozen radiologists working thousands of miles and many time zones away are lending their expertise to help the ER physicians in America make life-or-death decisions within minutes. |
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