Global Policy and Government Affairs (GPGA)

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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/gov/contact/index.html. 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

EU - AN ACTION PLAN TO BOOST RESEARCH AND INNOVATION— The European Commission has tabled an integrated innovation and research action plan, which calls for a major upgrade of the conditions for research and innovation in Europe. http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/05/366&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN

PANEL: U.S. LOSING COMPETITIVE EDGE IN SCIENCE— A panel of experts convened by the National Academies, the nation's leading science advisory group, called yesterday for an urgent and wide-ranging effort to strengthen scientific competitiveness. The 20-member panel, reporting at the request of a bipartisan group in Congress, said that without such an effort the United States "could soon lose its privileged position." It cited many examples of emerging scientific and industrial power abroad and listed 20 steps the United States should take to maintain its global lead. http://news.com.com/Panel+U.S.+losing+competitive+edge+in+science/2100-11395_3-5894854.html

GATES, OTHERS WANT FAST-TRACK FOR DTV— Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and other industry leaders urged lawmakers to speed the transition to digital television in order to free up radio spectrum for wireless broadband services, especially in rural and poor areas. In a letter to House and Senate lawmakers, high-tech officials said the spectrum would reap enormous benefits for consumers and the economy. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/TechNews/NewStuff/2005/10/14/1262547-ap.html

FCC CHIEF SMILES ON AT&T, MCI SALES, SOURCES SAY— FCC Chairman Kevin Martin on Friday endorsed the idea of approving two major telecommunications mergers without requiring the merging companies to sell any assets as part of the deals. The plan, which would affect SBC Communications' purchase of AT&T and Verizon Communications' purchase of MCI, could face opposition from other commissioners. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/07/AR2005100701833.html

GAO REPORT— Higher Education: Federal Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Programs and Related Trends. GAO-06-114, October 12. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-114

SPEECH— Viviane Reding - Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media, 112, THE SINGLE EUROPEAN EMERGENCY NUMBER : THE NEED FOR ACTION. Http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/05/596&format=HTML&aged=0&language=

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS: COMMISSION TAKES ACTION AGAINST NINE MEMBER STATES TO ENSURE COMPETITIVE CONDITIONS IN THE MARKET— Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland and Slovenia are the countries which are targeted by the European Commission in a new round of infringement proceedings concerning the EU telecom rules. http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/05/1269&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN

VOIP: EUROPE NOT REALLY INTERESTED, STUDY SAYS— In the absence of a killer VoIP application, European organizations have been comparatively slow to adopt the technology, contradicting much of the vendor hype about IP communications in Europe, according to a new study by Forrester Research. http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=172300844

FINNISH PARLIAMENT PASSES BILL TO AMEND COPYRIGHT LEGISLATION— The Finnish parliament has passed a bill to amend current copyright legislation, Helsingin Sanomat reports. The measure makes it illegal for anyone, including home users, to make copies of a recording that includes copy protection. http://www.helsinginsanomat.fi/english/article/Parliament%20passes%20bill%20for%20new%20copyright%20law%0D%0A%0D%0A/1101981190558

EU WANTS TELCOS TO KEEP CALL, INTERNET DATA FOR A YEAR— The European Union agreed to require telecom companies to keep records of phone and email traffic for at least one year as part of the bloc's anti-terrorist campaign. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=186713

EUROPE PLANS TO MOVE STATE AID TOWARDS RESEARCH— The European Commission has announced a series of proposals, 19 in total, intended to improve the conditions for research and innovation in the 25-nation European Union. However, although the proposals are being bracketed together as a major integrated action the Commission did not include any costs or timetable in its description of the plan. http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=XYSXRBJJC2RQQQSNDBCCKH0CJUMEKJVN?articleID=172300831

BT UNVEILS PLANS FOR FOUR TIMES FASTER BROADBAND— Britain's BT Group Plc plans to quadruple speeds for broadband Internet, in a move that will enable service providers to launch services such as live broadcasts and video conferencing across UK homes. The former UK telecoms monopoly said it would launch customer trials across the UK at the end of November for a broadband Internet service that will offer speeds of up to eight megabits per second, against two megabits available now. http://today.reuters.com/business/newsArticle.aspx?type=telecomm&storyID=nL14681015

WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY SEEN DOMINATING S.A. BROADBAND— South Africa's broadband market is expected to be dominated by mobile and wireless technologies as service providers and mobile networks look to reach a larger segment of the market with always-on internet access offerings, Nashua Mobile managing director Mark Taylor said. http://article.wn.com/link/WNATF9A9BEA83197CF96865AAC507A2E3FD6?source=templategenerator&template=wwwnetdaily/index.txt

KIGALI-MOMBASA TRADE SOON ON INTERNET— The delay of Rwandan merchandise at Mombasa port will soon end when the Kenyan government introduces internet transaction system. http://allafrica.com/stories/200510140086.html

OPEN MARKET 'ONLY REAL TELECOMS SOLUTION'— Proposal for government intervention to force down the cost of telecommunications are the best SA can expect, given the poor state the industry is in due to the misguided policies that have directed it, an international expert said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200510120200.html

CANADIAN BROADBAND USE OUTPACES U.S— Canadian households are continuing to lead Americans in the use of broadband, two new studies say. Almost half (49 per cent) of all Canadian households connect to the Internet by broadband, says Toronto-based Solutions Research Group, a high-tech survey company. http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20051011.gtbroadbandoct11/BNStory/Technology/

VENEZUELA GOVERNMENT CLOSES SOME U.S. TECH FIRMS— The Venezuelan government temporary closed offices of some large U.S. companies -- including IBM, Microsoft and Nokia. Though several media reports claimed the government announced the move as part of its zero tolerance for tax evasion, a representative from Nokia said Monday that it is business as usual. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=GPLRQ45EG1Q32QSNDBCCKH0CJUMEKJVN?articleID=171204565

ADC: FIBER, COPPER UNAFFECTED BY NEW TECHNOLOGIES - REGIONAL— Demand for fiber and copper telecoms infrastructure is still booming in Latin America and not likely to be greatly affected in the short term by the wireless industry or the onset of new technologies such as WiMax, according to US network equipment supplier ADC Telecommunications. http://www.bnamericas.com/story.jsp?idioma=I&sector=2&noticia=332482

BRAZIL-PRODAM, INTEL TO START WIMAX PILOT IN SÃO PAULO— Brazilian public sector data processing company Prodam and US chip manufacturer Intel have signed a letter of intent to implement a WiMax pilot in Prodam's home city São Paulo. http://www.bnamericas.com/story.jsp?idioma=I&sector=2&noticia=332325

INTERNET? GIVE US IRRIGATION, PERU FARMERS SAY— Hundreds of Peruvian farmers living near the huge Las Bambas copper project plan a two-day protest on Sunday against a government program to spend a social fund on Internet connections in an area where many cannot read or write. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051012/wr_nm/minerals_peru_lasbambas_dc_1

AUSSIES DRASTICALLY CUT CALL COST VIA IP PHONES— Users of new phone call via the Internet are saving an average A$44 ($33.49) per month on costs, a new survey shows. Australian telcos are scrambling to grab market share of the latest phone technology, VoIP, which takes analog audio signals and translates them into digital data. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=186718

THE NEW FACE OF ASIA'S BANDWIDTH MARKETS— After the meltdown in 2000-03, the Asian bandwidth sector is picking up. Price erosion is slowing on most routes and rates on some routes are even rising. But questions remain about the stability and viability of the industry, and some experts believe there are too many players selling bandwidth at barely sustainable prices http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=184800

MORE JOBS, HIGHER SALARIES FOR ASIA THIS QUARTER— The job outlook for countries across Asia is rosy for the last quarter of this year, as a new study reveals over 50 percent of companies expect to increase employment and salaries. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/business/0,39044229,39277285,00.htm

JAPAN TO OFFER VOIP FOR CELL PHONES— Japan is readying a new network for cell phones that will allow people to connect to the Internet to talk over the phone more cheaply and transmit data more quickly. The government plans to introduce mobile Voice over Internet telephony by 2007, officials said. http://www.mobilepipeline.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=172300715

US FIRM TO INVEST $25M IN PAKISTAN-BASED TELCO— A landmark deal signed between Worldcall Telecom and Amaranth Advisors will see $25 million invested in Worldcall Group. Amaranth is a multi-strategy investment fund headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, in the US. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=187052

SHANXI ISSUE RULES TO ENCOURAGE TELECOM INVESTMENT— The Shanxi Commerce and Industry Bureau has issued 27 new measures to encourage private capital to invest in such monopoly sectors as power and telecom. The new measures lowered the threshold to the access of such originally monopolistic areas as power, telecom, railway, civil aviation, oil and infrastructure. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=186715

INTEL EYES BROADBAND OVER POWER LINES IN INDIA— Intel has announced plans to launch a trial phase of broadband Internet over power lines in India in the next eight weeks. If successful, broadband over power lines could make Internet available to the masses, making it cheaper, faster and readily available to users in far-flung areas where fiber-optic cables cannot be laid, the company said. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=185442

VIETNAM MAY DIVEST SHARES IN CELLCOS— The Vietnamese government is considering the sale of its shares in two state-owned mobile phone operators starting 2006 to improve competitiveness of domestic firms, a report from Dow Jones said. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=186717

JUSTICE GRANT TO FOSTER INFORMATION SHARING AMONG STATE CIOS— The national organization representing state chief information officers has received a $500,000 grant from the Justice Department to promote the concept of a common framework that would enable information sharing at all levels of government. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/state-local/37287-1.html?topic=state-local

CALIFORNIA NAMES AGARWAL TECH SERVICES DIRECTOR— California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has appointed P.K. Agarwal, a familiar face in the technology community, to serve as the state’s director of technology services. Agarwal, 58, previously was a vice president with Dallas-based Affiliated Computer Services Inc. He has more than 15 years’ experience as a chief information officer, serving three years as executive vice president and CIO for NIC Inc., a provider of Web portal services. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/state-local/37262-1.html?topic=state-local

MICHIGAN SENATE OKS TELECOM DEREGULATION BILL —The Michigan Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a telecommunications bill that would strip state regulators of the right to oversee telephone rates. Specifically, the measure would get rid of state-approved phone rates for residents and business customers who make more than 200 local calls per month. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/business/12876091.htm

MASSACHUSETTS HITS "INTERNET SPAM GANG" WITH $37 MILLION FINE — The Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General is looking for Leo Kuveyev, the leader of the "Internet Spam Gang," whose illegal spam operation was fined $37 million by a Boston judge this week. http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=172301006

MICHIGAN JOINS STATES RECYCLING WITH DELL — Philadelphia Dell has announced a partnership aimed at diverting 3.3 million pounds of used computer and equipment from Michigan landfills in one year. The company announced Friday the creation of a new pilot program, RECONNECT Michigan. It’s teaming up with Goodwill Association of Michigan for computer recovery, reuse and recycling program. http://www.techweb.com/wire/hardware/172301133

MILWAUKEE, WIS., PLANS TO LAUNCH CITYWIDE WIFI— ilwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and city officials announced plans to launch the Milwaukee Wireless Initiative to provide a citywide wireless network accessible to all residents. The Milwaukee Wireless Initiative positions Milwaukee to become one of the first fully wireless large city in America, built at no cost to the City and taxpayers. http://www.govtech.net/news/news.php?id=96959

SIX WIRELESS COMMUNITIES BEST PRACTICES AWARD WINNERS — To pay tribute to local governments around the world implementing broadband-wireless solutions for cities, counties and regions, the Wireless Internet Institute announced the winners of the first-ever Wireless Communities Best Practices Awards at the W2i Digital Cities Convention. http://www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php/96946

CITY OF ROME, GA., AWARDED WIFI GRANT FOR DOWNTOWN "HOT ZONE" — The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded the city of Rome, Georgia a grant in the amount of $22,500 for a one-year pilot project to implement broadband wireless Internet access along the Broad Street corridor. The city will provide matching funds for a total project budgeted at $45,000. http://www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php/96944

NEW YORK-JIM DILLON TO RETIRE FROM POST AS NEW YORK STATE CIO — Philadelphia Jim Dillon, New York State CIO, in a note to colleagues, said he would retire effective Dec 9. He thanked his colleagues for their work on behalf of the CIO Council, and for participation toward "thinking and acting more like a statewide enterprise." http://www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php/96940

GAO REPORT - CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICERS— Responsibilities and Information Technology Governance at Leading Private-Sector Companies. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-986

WIRELESS LANS, IP TELEPHONY TO BOOM— Spending on wireless LAN and IP telephony gear is likely to more than double by 2009 in key business segments, according to a report released Thursday by IDC. The largest spending will be concentrated in the government sector, which accounted for $100 million in wireless LAN equipment and $118 million in IP telephony gear in 2004. http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=GPLRQ45EG1Q32QSNDBCCKH0CJUMEKJVN?articleID=172300882

SURVEY: IT SPENDING TO RISE IN 2006— U.S. companies plan to hike their spending on technology by 5.5 percent in 2006, according to a survey released by Gartner. The thrust of increased technology investments will be on application development and integration, the market research firm said. While spending on security and storage segments will level off in 2006, mobile devices will become a major purchasing priority. http://news.com.com/Survey+IT+spending+to+rise+in+2006/2100-7342_3-5893853.html?tag=cd.hed

CONSUMER GROUP CALLS FOR RFID PROTEST AT DALLAS WAL-MART— Study results due this week are expected to show that RFID helps reduce out-of-stock problems at Wal-Mart stores. http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=GPLRQ45EG1Q32QSNDBCCKH0CJUMEKJVN?articleID=172301047

THE WINDING ROAD TO WIRELESS BROADBAND— Where as 3G is now a viable option for many enterprises, WiMax is not. Although it's often portrayed as a "super-Wi-Fi" technology that creates citywide hot zones, most users won't access WiMax via cards in their notebooks as they do with 802.11b. WiMax is really an infrastructure technology, like DSL or cable modem service http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=03200000QITC

FOURFOLD RISE IN BROADBAND-ENABLED HOTELS PROJECTED— The number of broadband-enabled hotels worldwide is expected to increase more than fourfold by 2009, with much of the growth occurring in North America. http://206.190.35.122/s/cmp/20051013/tc_cmp/172300680

WIMAX TO FILL 4% OF BROADBAND USE BY 2010— The worldwide WiMAX market is expected to reach $3.5 billion and account for 4 percent of all broadband usage by 2010, according to a new report from idate. http://www.rcrnews.com/news.cms?newsId=24472

AT&T CLAIMS SOLUTION TO E911 PROBLEM— AT&T has developed what it calls "an innovative new solution" to address the routing of 911 calls when its CallVantage Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) users are away from home. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20051011/tc_nf/38607;_ylt=AnNseZUMmZQzpjd6X631xzL6VbIF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--

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