| 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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POWELL TO LEAVE FCC IN MARCH – With surprising timing for a somewhat expected move, Federal Communications Commission Chairman, Michael Powell, announced his decision to step down from his post "some time in March." |
| This Week@WASHINGTON, DC |
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FCC PROPERLY SHIELDED CABLE BROADBAND - U.S. GOV'T – Prices for high-speed cable Internet in the United States could rise and innovation could be stymied if an appeals court decision is not overturned. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=582&ncid= PHONE COMPANIES PUSH – The industry's message was clear: The rules governing how people communicate -- set in the Telecommunications Act of 1996 -- need to be overhauled. Among the companies' biggest complaints: The law treats different industries, such as phone and cable service, differently, even though they now compete head-to-head because of the convergence of various technologies. US-VISIT TO TEST RADIO TECH – Radio frequency technology will speed up and secure passage through land borders this summer, said officials for the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program. DEFENSE SPENDING LIKELY TO LEVEL, DOD CIO SAYS – Budgetary pressures will test the Department of Defense's ability to hike spending on IT the way it has in the past few years. U.S. LAUNCHES WEB SITE TO PROMOTE TECH ECONOMY – The Commerce Department is unveiling a new Web site focusing ontechnology-based economic development. ROAD MAP TO A DIGITAL SYSTEM OF HEALTH RECORDS – Few dispute the need to move America's costly, fragmented health system from paper records and prescriptions into the computer age. |
| This Week@EMEA |
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AFRICA PREPARES FOR WSIS 2005 – A preparatory meeting to lay the groundwork ahead of the November meeting of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) will be held in Ghana next month. MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA -TECHNOLOGY HELPS HAJJ PILGRIMS STAY CONNECTED— Prepaid cellphone chips are selling easily for about $40 Cdn, and Internet cafes are a flourishing business in this holy city. STUDY: BROADBAND TO SURGE IN EUROPE—Nearly 72 million households in Europe will have broadband by 2010, according to projections released by Forrester Research BROADBAND: NO LONGER EUROPE'S LUXURY—In the next few years, broadband will become the norm rather than the exception for Europeans, according to analysts IN EUROPE CABLE BROADBAND TO LOSE OUT AGAINST TELCOS – Europeans will get their broadband Internet connections mainly through upgraded phone networks by 2010, while cable television operators will see their market share decline to 15 percent, according to a survey. EU OFFICE URGES IRISH MOBILE COMPETITION – The European Union head office ordered Vodafone Group PLC and mmO2 PLC to open their mobile phone networks to other competitors in Ireland, upholding an initial finding by Irish regulators. IRELAND’S COMREG AND UK’S OFCOM PUBLISH FIRST REPORT ON CROSS-BORDER TELECOMS ISSUES – The Irish and British communications regulators have issued a report that has found that inadvertent roaming is a feature on all networks on both sides of the border. UK.GOV URGED TO LEAD FIGHT ON E-CRIME – The UK government has been urged to take the lead in fighting cybercrime. Parliamentary lobby group EURIM and think tank The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said that the UK has an historic opportunity to spearhead the international fight against cybercrime whose economic effects "already far outstripped that of physical crime". COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK FOR UK’S WHITEHALL – A new communications network to work across Whitehall departments is to be set up allowing the government direct "engagement" with the public across a range of media channels, it was announced. £5M ISLE OF MAN COMMS DEAL – Dimension Data has won a £5m contract for a converged IP-based IT and telephony infrastructure for the Isle of Man government that aims to significantly drive down telecommunications costs UK LOCAL E-GOVERNMENT NEEDS A NEW APPROACH – Councils should adopt a new approach to e-government in order to push up performance and efficiency, improve e-service delivery and become "proactive" in linking with local communities through e-democracy, according to a report issued. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/management/0,39020654,39185008,00.htm SCANDINAVIAN TRAIN COMPANY INSTALLING FLEET-WIDE WI-FI – A Scandinavian train company to install wireless Internet access in all of its trains. DUTCH TELECOMS LAW UNLIKELY TO GUARANTEE MOBILE-NUMBER PORTABILITY – The Dutch economics minister has ruled out changes to the country's telecommunications act to guarantee mobile number portability. DUTCH CHECKS SPEED UP AT JFK— The International Registered Traveler program is an extension of the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program and will use biometrics to speed security checks and immigration processing for prescreened passengers. PORTUGUESE GOVERNMENT TO CREATE ELECTRONIC ID CARD – The government's goal is to create a more secure ID document, after it emerged that hundreds of illegal Brazilian immigrants had bought fake Portuguese ID cards for as little as EUR 75 each in order to work in the United Kingdom. COUNCIL OF EUROPE ISSUES RECOMMENDATION ON E-GOVERNANCE – The purpose of the recommendation is to assist Member States in developing e-governance strategies that make effective use of ICT to improve both the relationship between public authorities and civil society and the functioning of government. ITALY LAUNCHES ELECTRONIC HEALTH CARD – Together with e-prescriptions, the e-health card is a key element of the Italian national e-health programme, which aims at controlling the public health expenses while improving communication between health professionals and delivering better services to patients. E-GOVERNMENT TO FUEL FRENCH PUBLIC SECTOR IT INVESTMENTS, SAYS NEW REPORT – Public sector investment in e-government infrastructure projects and the replacement of proprietary applications by open source software will drive French IT spending in the coming years, according to a report by market intelligence firm IDC. SLOVAKIAN GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS SELLING REMAINING SLOVAK TELECOM STAKE – The Slovak telecoms minister has said the government wants to sell off its remaining shares in Slovak Telecom before the end of 2006. |
| This Week@Americas International |
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THE SECRETS OF CANADA’S E-GOVT SUCCESS – How Canada built the world’s best e-government, and what they we learned along the way. http://www.pstm.net/article/index.php?articleid=498 CANADA’S NORTEL, CHINA’S PUTIAN TEAM UP – Canada's Nortel Networks and China Putian Corp. have signed a preliminary joint-venture agreement for the development, manufacture and sale of mobile phone equipment in China. B.C. SCHOOLS USE VIDEO TO COMBAT PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE – A video conferencing system connecting three B.C. universities might not be the complete cure for some of the physician shortage issues in the province, but it is expected to do a lot to ease the problem. MEXICAN GOVT. TRIPLES TECH SECTOR TAX BREAKS – Mexico's government has authorized the national science and technology board, Conacyt, to award tax breaks worth 3M pesos (US$266M) this year, tripling the tech sector tax break budget for 2003. http://www.bnamericas.com/story.xsql?id_noticia=307213&Tx_idioma=I&id_sector=1 (Subscription required) TRINIDAD & TOBAGO -TATT PREQUALIFIES FIVE FOR SPECTRUM AUCTION – Trinidad & Tobago's telecoms regulator TATT has pre-qualified five firms as participants in the country's upcoming mobile spectrum auction. (Subscription required) BAHAMAS TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY (BTC) PLANS US$14M GSM EXPANSION – BTC plans to spend US$14M in the first half of 2005 to bring GSM service to the archipelago's Abaco Island. (Subscription required) http://www.bnamericas.com/story.xsql?id_noticia=306880&Tx_idioma=I&id_sector=2 PERU’S OSIPTEL PLANS US$20M RURAL PROJECTS – Peru's telecoms regulator, Osiptel, has approved plans for four rural telephony projects requiring a total investment of US$20M. (Subscription required) |
| This Week@Asia-Pacific/Japan |
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KOREA TO INTRODUCE ONLINE VOTING IN 2008 – From 2008, people with disability and overseas Koreans will be able to vote online using their personal computers, mobile phones or PDAs, the National Election Committee (NEC) decided. SOUTH KOREA LICENSES NEW 'WIBRO' WIRELESS INTERNET SERVICES— South Korea licensed three telecom firms to launch new wireless Internet services which provide mobile broadband Internet with wider and faster network coverage at cheaper prices. SOUTH KOREA GOVT TECHNOLOGY ROADSHOW – South Korea is starting 2005 the same way it finished 2004: with a concerted drive for e-government export sales. BROADBAND OVER POWERLINES: AUSTRALIA REGULATOR WEIGHS IN – Australia's communications regulator has set up a broadband over powerline (BPL) information portal as it considers what rules must govern the delivery of telecommunications services using electrical power wiring. PRIVACY 'RISK' IN AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL ID PLAN – The identity of Australians could be subjected to unprecedented scrutiny under the biggest security protection plan since the failed Australia Card. AUSTRALIA: VICTORIAN SCHOOLS GO WIRELESS –The Victoria Department of Education & Training (DE&T) is rolling out a wireless network infrastructure in 1,600 primary and secondary public schools. AUS INTERNET INTERCONNECTION REGULATION NOT NECESSARY – The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) today declared that Internet interconnection arrangements should not be regulated "at this time". 94 MILLION CHINESE CAN'T BE WRONG – The number of Internet users in China climbed to 94 million by the end of 2004, with broadband users jumping by nearly 150 percent to almost 43 million. CHINESE CARRIERS TO WIN PRICING RIGHTS – Charging standards for telecommunications services will be determined by the market by service providers in the near future. SIEMENS WANTS MORE OF CHINA MARKET, DENIES RUMORS OF SALE— Siemens is aiming to double its share of the mobile telephone market in China this year, to between 6% and 7%. INDIA, JAPAN CREATE IT, TELECOMS TASK FORCE— India has signed an agreement with Japan to set a time-frame for a joint task force to identify areas of cooperation in IT and telecom while raising the contentious issue of withholding tax THAILAND-SAMART TELECOM WINS SCHOOLS INTERNET CONTRACT—Samart Telecom unit Samart Communication has won a 3.24 billion baht ($85 million) contract from state telecoms agency TOT in Thailand to install computer and Internet systems in 14,000 schools VIETNAM’S GOVERNMENT CLAMPS DOWN ON THE ONLINE PRESS – Reporters Without Borders has condemned a government assault on press freedom, led by politburo ideologue Nguyen Khoa Diem, who has decided to reign in the official press, particularly new websites. |
| This Week@US States |
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RIDING THE CALIFORNIA PRIVACY WAVE – Wherever your business is headquartered -- on the Midwest's grassy plains or in the South's sweltering cities -- you have to deal with the new tide of legislation swelling out of the Golden State. CALIFORNIA TO INSTALL WI-FI ACCESS IN STATE PARKS – Californians, known for their love for the great outdoors and for high technology, will soon be able to enjoy both at the same time as state parks get Wi-Fi Internet access. FLORIDA EYES TECH REORG – Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has proposed reorganizing the State Technology Office (STO) to deal only with policy and strategy, transferring information technology operations and services to another division. WASHINGTON FERRY GOES WIRELESS – Officials at Washington State Ferries plan to officially kick-off Wi-Fi service for passengers on their high-traffic Seattle routes next month. NEW MEXICO CITY LAUNCHES LARGEST MUNICIPAL WI-FI NETWORK – Rio Rancho, New Mexico launched its municipal Wi-Fi service, claiming it is the largest such service currently available in the U.S PHILADELPHIA FINISHING PLAN FOR FREE WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS – The city is putting the finishing touches on an ambitious plan to offer a mix of free and low-cost wireless Internet access by the summer of 2006. NYC COUNCIL EXPLORES INTERVENTION IN BROADBAND – The New York City Council's Committee on Technology in Government held a public hearing to determine how the city can ensure that outer-borough businesses have access to the affordable broadband necessary to remain competitive in today's market. TEMPE, AZ PLANS WI-FI – Officials in Tempe, Ariz., expect to release a request for proposals for a citywide wireless network that they hope will be in place by the middle of this year. |
| Other Tech News Of The Week |
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WI-FI SURPASSES ETHERNET IN HOME NETWORKING: SURVEY—Increasing wireless usage in the home will lead to wider acceptance of new applications, according to a new study WIRELESS: THE NEW HOTSPOT FOR VOIP—Just as voice over IP is becoming widely used over wired connections, the technology is also starting to crop up on wireless networks as an cheap alternative to mobile phone service BROADBAND SHOPPERS SPEND MORE TIME, MONEY ONLINE – As the number of people using high-speed Internet connections increases, retailers would be wise to add rich media and other technology that would make their websites more enjoyable for thebroadband user. WIRELESS EXPERIENCE TO IMPROVE FOLLOWING INTEL AND AMD LAUNCHES – Mobile PC buyers can look forward to smoother and cheaper wireless computing this year following the launch of Intel's new Centrino technology, code-named Sonoma, and AMD's new Turion processor. WI-FI USERS SHOULD BEWARE 'EVIL TWINS'— Wireless access to the Internet through Wi-Fi hot spots is widening to include more public places, but users of the often free wireless networks are being warned that security risks are also growing. COMCAST TO RAISE BROADBAND SPEED – Comcast will raise its broadband Internet speeds by at least a third later this year--part of its effort to fend off DSL rivals. THE YOUNG AND THE CONNECTED – A new survey by Bolt, a youth-oriented online content site, finds that 70% of 15 to 22 year-old Internet users accessed the Internet with a broadband connection during the fourth quarter of 2004, an 11% increase from Q3 2004. INTERNET AND PHONE COMPANIES PLOT WIRELESS-BROADBAND PUSH – Several big Internet and phone companies are moving to provide wireless high-speed access to the Internet -- without phone lines or cable -- challenging the dominance of those traditional connections to millions of U.S. homes and offices. 3G MARKET LEADERSHIP UP FOR GRABS, STUDY SAYS – Any one of three U.S. wireless operators could wind up being the market leader in advanced data services, a new market study says. MOBILE PHONE MARKET SEEN TO REACH 2 BILLION USERS IN '05 – The global mobile phone market is set to grow to 2 billion subscribers by the end of 2005, fuelled by strong demand from developing economies in Asia and Latin America, Deloitte & Touche. |
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