| 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, VoIP, Security, Wireless and Education, 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.
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| TOP NEWS OF THE WEEK |
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ISLAND SEEKS TO BE FIRST TOTALLY WIRELESS NATION— Looking for alternatives, the government has settled on an ambitious vision: turning sleepy Mauritius, with its sugarcane fields and tourist beaches, into a high-tech computer and telecommunications center. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/tech/news/3238799 |
| This Week@WASHINGTON, DC |
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GOVERNMENT COLLECTED PERSONAL DATA ON AIRLINE PASSENGERS— BERMUDA KEEPS AN EYE ON LEGISLATION— A new law-tracking system that Bermuda government officials will use to monitor the evolution of legislation could serve as a model for how the U.S. government might improve efforts to record and track the status of prospective laws. http://www.fcw.com/article89304-06-20-05-Print JUSTICE SERVED WITH IT SYSTEMS, SERVICES FROM SRA— SRA International Inc. won a six-year, $80 million task order from the Justice Department to provide IT systems and services to the Office of Justice Programs, the company said today. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/36176-1.html ICOM ACT AIMS TO IMPROVE FIRST-RESPONDER COMMUNICATIONS— Members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee are co-sponsoring legislation to authorize $3.9 billion to create a national architecture enabling first-responder agencies to communicate wirelessly. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/36173-1.html HHS SEEKING PHYSICIAN QUALIFICATIONS WEB PORTAL— The Health and Human Services Department is seeking industry information about developing a nationwide verification system to provide the department with the professional qualifications of healthcare professionals responding to a disaster or public-health emergency. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/36160-1.html TOWARD ONLINE TUTORING— Long touted as a socioeconomic equalizer, the Internet may hold the key to expanding a federally mandated tutoring program that the government says is underutilized by low-income students. http://nationaljournal.com/pubs/techdaily/features/issues/issu050620.htm US TELECOM GIANTS DEFEND MERGER PLANS IN SENATE INQUIRY—Representatives of four major US telecommunications giants, including SBC Communications and AT&T, touted their proposed mergers before a state Senate committee, saying that mergers are necessary to bring consumers new, more sophisticated phone services. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=167593 PEER-TO-PEER FILE SHARING COMES WITH RISKS, SAYS FTC— Benefits include speed and bandwidth conservation, but FTC doesn't make it clear whether they outweigh risks such as data security, spyware, and viruses. http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= COALITION URGES FEDS TO ALLOW MUNICIPAL BROADBAND NETWORKS— High technology companies, local governments, and consumer organizations urge Congress to pass legislation that will ensure that local governments are allowed to provide broadband network access to their residents and businesses. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= SENATE PANEL RESTORES SOME TECHNOLOGY FUNDING— Senate appropriators have restored funding for several Commerce Department technology programs. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= BUSH FORMALLY REQUESTS APPROVAL OF CENTRAL AMERICA DEAL— "The agreement is in our national interest, and I urge the Congress to approve it expeditiously," Bush wrote in a letter to Congress. http://nationaljournal.com/pubs/techdaily/ |
| This Week@EMEA |
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EURO GROUP REJECTS RESTRICTIONS ON SOFTWARE PATENTS—The long-delayed legislation, which allows for patents held throughout the European Union, is seen as a boon for high-tech companies. http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=164901494 AFRICA REMAINS WORLD'S LEAST-CONNECTED CONTINENT: REPORT—Lack of infrastructure blamed for problem, but cell phone usage skyrockets. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= EUROPEAN IP MARKET REACHES NEARLY $80M IN Q1 – IDC—European IP telephone market increased to $79.3 million in the first quarter of the year, compared with $77.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2004, research firm IDC said. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=167420 WESTERN EUROPE: MOBILE AND VOIP REPLACING TRADITIONAL VOICE SERVICE— About 60% of all residential voice expenditures in Western Europe will be for either mobile or VoIP by 2010, a new study predicts. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= GOVERNMENT PUSHES TECH PROCUREMENT SAVINGS— The government body responsible for helping the public sector spend money efficiently has urged IT managers to save money by changing mobile phone contracts and buying multifunction devices (MFDs) rather than separate peripherals. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/management/0,39020654,39204764,00.htm EU VOTE 'WIDENS LOOPHOLES' IN SOFTWARE PATENT DIRECTIVE— European authorities have failed to close loopholes in legislation that will allow pure software to be patented. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39204760,00.htm TAX CREDIT IT UNDER FRESH ATTACK— Citzens Advice said that poor administration and system failure has pushed many families into mounting debt. Its advisers found it impossible to resolve even simple problems for families because the tax credit IT systems left helpline advisers unable to provide accurate information. Letters have also gone unanswered, sometimes for months, it claimed. http://management.silicon.com/government/0,39024677,39131367,00.htm THE PATH TO EUROPEAN EXCELLENCE— The European Commission has been pushing what it calls technology platforms or groups that draw from various public and private sources to establish common research agendas that fully utilize all resources that are available. http://nationaljournal.com/pubs/techdaily/features/intl/internat050622.htm DATA ON EMPLOYMENT OF LOCAL CITIZENS IN THE HIGH TECH SECTOR IN THE UAE— The sample tested covers 169 companies operating in the UAE, most of them located in the Jabel 'Ali Free Trade Zone in Dubai and the Dubai Internet City. http://www.rednova.com/news/technology/157560/data_on_ EUROPEAN NATIONS SIGN BROADBAND PACT—A broadband cooperation memorandum for southeastern Europe will be signed in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, on July 1 by ministers from 11 countries in the region. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=167595 RESEARCHERS TO STUDY SOCIETY OF COMPUTER-BASED AGENTS— HEATED DEMONSTRATIONS PRECEDE EUROPE'S VOTE ON SOFTWARE PATENTS— The issue of software patents for Europe heated up as some 250 demonstrators descended on members of the European Parliament to argue in favor of strong software patent laws. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= GOVERNMENT WARNING OVER HAZARDOUS IT WASTE— The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is warning companies disposing of redundant IT equipment such as computer monitors that they may find themselves falling foul of new hazardous waste legislation. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39205465,00.htm POLICE IT BODY TO BE SCRAPPED IN GOVERNMENT REFORM— The Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) is to be replaced with a new central agency that will be responsible both for national projects and management of the £750m annual local IT spend by the UK's 43 police forces. http://management.silicon.com/government/0,39024677,39131401,00.htm |
| This Week@Americas International |
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AUSTRALIA TO BARE RULES ON TELSTRA SALE BY AUGUST—Communications Minister Helen Caiman said while the government had not made a final decision on selling its remaining shares in Telstra, legislation allowing the A$30 billion ($23.2 billion) sale could be introduced to parliament in August. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=167154 RATS! RODENTS MAY BE PARTLY TO BLAME FOR MAJOR TELECOM CRASH—This week's telecommunications outage in New Zealand, which halted stock exchange trading for around five hours, may be partly the fault of rats chewing through fiber-optic cables. http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=164901545 NEW ZEALAND OUTAGE SHUT DOWN STOCK EXCHANGE—Internet service and mobile phones were also out of commission due to two cable breaks. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= STUDENTS AIM TO TAKE CONTROL OF ROBOTICS REVOLUTION— As companies continue to downsize, many young students see a great career move by studying automation. http://www.canada.com/technology/story.html?id=92e902c5-6682-4946-a74c-f7354a601512 SOCAN SEEKS TARIFF ON RINGTONES; COPYRIGHT BOARD HEARINGS BEGIN TUESDAY— The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada, whose membership includes songwriters Avril Lavigne, Sam Roberts and Nelly Furtado, will present its case for a tax on ringtones before the federal Copyright Board. http://www.canada.com/technology/news/story.html?id= AUSSIE FIRM FACES SUIT ON SPAM EMAIL—Australia's communications watchdog has begun a legal battle with a Perth-based company it claims is behind millions of spam emails. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=167728 CANADA TO RESTRICT INTERNET PHARMACIES— The government will soon announce measures to make sure Canadian online pharmacies cannot sell their wares to consumers in the U.S. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= |
| This Week@Asia-Pacific/Japan |
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CHINESE CARRIERS TO TEST-RUN IPTV—China's two major fixed-line telephone carriers China Telecom and China Netcom have inked agreements with Shanghai Media Group to test-run IPTV in pilot cities. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=167290 KOREA ROLLS OUT 60KMPH BROADBAND— South Korea is planning to roll out mobile wireless broadband that will allow people to use the internet when travelling at 60km per hour. http://networks.silicon.com/broadband/0,39024661,39131360,00.htm CHINA'S RISE: IT'S NOT A PROBLEM FOR INDIA— Most reports and columns on global information technology (IT) outsourcing published lately leave us thinking that beneath the surface of India's current supremacy in global software outsourcing lurks the threat of the growing Chinese Dragon. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/GF17Df01.html REPORT: CHINESE-MADE 3G STANDARD FAILS TESTS—A Chinese standard for 3G mobile phones failed to perform well in a government test, raising doubts about when licenses might be granted, a state newspaper reported. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=167587 CONFIDENTIAL DATA FROM JAPANESE NUCLEAR PLANTS LEAKS ONTO NET— The culprit was an employee's virus-infected computer loaded with file-swapping software. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= KOREA DISHES OUT $800M ON RFID— Government to deploy tracking technology in businesses and homes... http://networks.silicon.com/mobile/0,39024665,39131408,00.htm INDIAN OPENOFFICE ROLL-OUT CONTINUES— Sonia Gandhi has launched the latest stage of the Indian government's large-scale open source initiative. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/applications/0,39020384,39205447,00.htm MICROSOFT FILTERS 'DEMOCRACY' IN CHINA— As China further tightens state controls over Internet use, overseas rights groups are criticizing US software giant Microsoft for agreeing to censor politically sensitive terms such as "democracy" and "human rights" from personal online diaries - known as blogs - written by Chinese citizens. http://atimes.com/atimes/China/GF25Ad06.html SOFTWARE INDUSTRY DISCUSSED AT INT'L IT FAIR— The Minister of Commerce told an international IT fair in Dalian that the software industry reported exports worth US$2.8 billion in 2004, over eleven times 1999's level of US$250 million, Shanghai Securities News reported. http://china.org.cn/english/2005/Jun/133096.htm JAPANESE ROBOT GUARDS TO PATROL SHOPS— In an idea straight out of science fiction, robots could soon begin patrolling Japanese offices, shopping malls and banks to keep them safe from intruders. http://www.rednova.com/news/technology/157817/japanese_robot_guards_to_patrol_shops/index.html |
| This Week@US States |
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CA INTEGRATES BACKUP AND SECURITY FOR SMALL COMPANIES—New suites combine security, storage management, and desktop-migration tools. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= REPORT: IT SPENDING ACCELERATING AT FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS— TECH WORKERS OUTSOURCING THEMSELVES—The goal--part social experiment and part business plan--is to compete with offshore outsourcing by providing skilled American workers in lower-paid rural locales. http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=164901811 CITY OF RIPON GOES WIRELESS— A Northern California city will deploy a municipal wireless network in the next several weeks to enable secure, high speed voice and data communications among first responders and other city employees. The same network will support live streaming of surveillance video and monitoring of industrial computer systems. http://www.fcw.com/article89302-06-20-05-Print MICROCHIP PIONEER JACK KILBY DIES AT 81— Microchip pioneer Jack Kilby, who won the 2000 Nobel Prize for co-inventing the integrated circuits that ushered in the digital age of personal computers, cell phones and the Internet, has died after a brief battle with cancer. He was 81. http://www.rednova.com/news/technology/157373/microchip_pioneer_jack_kilby_dies_at_81/index.html DATA WORRIES STUNT E-COMMERCE, ONLINE BANKING— Increased phishing scams and a plague of data breaches that have exposed millions of consumers' financial information are making Americans more than jittery about E-commerce and online banking. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= SLOAN-KETTERING DEPLOYS 10 GIGABIT ETHERNET THROUGHOUT CAMPUS— Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York is undertaking a massive upgrade and deploying 10 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces throughout its campus networks. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= N.Y. CONTROLLERS USE NEW FAA SYSTEM TO REDUCE AIR SPACE BETWEEN TRANSOCEANIC FLIGHTS— The Advanced Technologies and Oceanic Procedures (ATOP) system automates existing manual procedures by integrating with radar-processing functions of the en route automated radar tracking system. It detects potential conflicts between aircraft and provides data link and surveillance capabilities. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/36183-1.html PRESCRIPTION FOR HEALTH CARE: TECHNOLOGY WILL HELP CUT COSTS— In the past 20 years, information technology has revolutionized virtually every facet of our lives. Unfortunately, one of the areas in which the revolution has been slow in coming is arguably the most important from a human and financial standpoint: our health care system. http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion/11974248.htm |
| Other Tech News Of The Week |
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KEY TECHNOLOGIES CUT SOX COMPLIANCE COSTS BY 25 PERCENT—Technology spending for Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance is expected to reach $1.713 billion, according to recent reports by AMR Research. This marks a 52 percent increase from the $1.13 billion in 2004, and a 1,000-plus percent increase from the $100 million spent in 2003. Moreover, nine out of ten companies surveyed by AMR expect to spend an equal, or higher, amount of money on SOX initiatives this year compared to 2004. http://www.wallstreetandtech.com/news/compliance/showArticle. SECURITY LEAK REVEALS WEAKNESSES IN CREDIT CARD PROCESSING SYSTEM—Hundreds of companies throughout the processing chain have access to individuals' sensitive financial data--and there's no ironclad assurance of security. http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= ROUTER SALES PROJECTED TO DOUBLE BY 2009—The combined edge and core router market is forecasted to more than double to $8.4 billion in sales from 2004 to 2009, according to a report released Tuesday by In-Stat. http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=164901629 HACKERS FINDING FLAWS IN SECURITY SOFTWARE—Hackers are switching targets, a research firm said Monday, as they look for new vulnerabilities. Rather than focus on operating systems, Windows in particular, they're going after the very security software that's supposed to protect PCs. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= ANOTHER USE FOR WI-FI: FINDING STOLEN LAPTOPS—Skyhook Wireless has developed technology that uses Wi-Fi to find stolen mobile devices--a positive step in the war against identity thieves and other cybercriminals. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= POSITIONING SYSTEM USES WI-FI, NOT SATELLITES—Vendor claims its Wi-Fi positioning system is less expensive and more reliable in urban areas for applications including fleet management and location-based advertising. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= COMPUTER JOBS LOSE LUSTER—Young techies aspire to other careers, according to research firm Gartner and other experts. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= BANKS SCRAMBLE TO CONTAIN DAMAGE FROM CARDSYSTEMS HACKING INCIDENT—Banks that issue credit and debit cards are moving rapidly to contain the damage caused by the potentially massive theft of card information from a transaction-processing company that was disclosed last week. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=164901831 WHEN YOU'RE SICK, MAMMAHEALTH.COM IS THERE— Mamma.com this week launched a Web and meta-search service for health information, one of the most commonly searched topics on the Internet. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= 10 TOP TIPS FOR MOBILE SECURITY— We explore 10 on-the-road scenarios to test your security savvy, then provide tips for each one to be sure your mobile data is safe. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= CONSUMERS CAN SOON ADD WALLET TO THE MANY ROLES PLAYED BY THE MOBILE PHONE— Already a device of multiple disguises, from camera to music player and mini-TV, the cellphone's next trick may be the disappearing wallet. http://www.canada.com/technology/news/story.html?id=f701b7fe-4206-4965-adc6-4ca93179aa81 WIRELESS E-MAIL A MUST ON HANDHELD DEVICES— IT departments should plan now for wireless e-mail on all supported handheld devices, as wireless e-mail will be a built-in application on all smartphones by the end of 2008. http://www.arabnews.com/?page=11§ion=0&article=65728&d=21&m=6&y=2005 BROADBAND GROWTH BOOSTS DWINDLING TELECOM REVENUES—As global revenues from traditional telephone services continue to negatively impact telecom providers, the decline in revenues will be partially offset by the growth of broadband services and cable television, according to a report. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=167726 AUSSIE FIRM TO TEST MOBILE VIDEO—IT developer Blaze International hopes to have market trials this year of technology it says will enable users to view clear, smooth-running video on mobile handsets. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=167418 REPORT: CUSTOMERS MOSTLY UPBEAT ON IT, STORAGE SPENDING— Baird survey finds that 85% have budgets that are the same or higher than last year, with 40% growing their IT budgets by at least 3% over 2004. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= BROADBAND GROWTH BOOSTS DWINDLING TELECOM REVENUE— Revenues from traditional telephone services are negatively affecting telecom providers but will be partially offset by the growth of broadband, according to an In-Stat report released Wednesday. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= IT WORKFORCE BECOMING MORE MALE— The percentage of women in the IT labor force fell last year to 32.4% from a high of 41% in 1996, according to new ITAA research. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid= |
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