| 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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CISCO GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS HAS ENTERED THE BLOGOSPHERE!!! |
| This Week@WASHINGTON, DC |
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WHAT HAPPENS TO VOIP AFTER POWELL?— Now that he's packing boxes and getting ready for private life, FCC chairman Michael Powell leaves the Voice over IP industry anxiously awaiting his replacement -- and hoping whoever it is sees the market the same way Powell did FCC'S POWELL TO TAKE FELLOWSHIP AT ASPEN INSTITUTE— Outgoing FCC Chairman Michael Powell will join the Aspen Institute, the group announced as it also released a new report on telecommunications reform. DON'T EXPECT TELECOM REFORM IN '05, VON PANELISTS SAY—Waiting for telecom regulation reform in 2005? Don't hold your breath. That was the warning from several panelists participating in Monday's telecom regulatory track at the Spring VON 2005 show here at the San Jose Convention Center http://www.advancedippipeline.com/60407181 ELECTIONS CHIEF ADDRESSES OUTCRY OVER POSSIBLE BLOG RULES— The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has made no decisions about whether the authors of online journals known as Web logs, or blogs, will be subject to campaign-finance regulations, and there is "no reason to assume gloom and doom," FEC Chairman Scott Thomas said IDENTITY THEFT BILL PUTS COMPANIES ON SPOT—The pressure from Capitol Hill on corporate America to clean up its act with regard to safeguarding sensitive customer information continues to increase, as Sen. Jon Corzine plans to introduce a new bill next week that will require corporate officers to attest that their companies have adequate measures in place to secure customers' personal data PRIVATE SECTOR, FEDS TEAM UP AGAINST PHISHING—the FBI and the Secret Service have relied on the private sector for a great deal of help in tracking down phishing sites and taking them offline http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1772524,00.asp SENATE IT PLAN COMPLETE—U.S. Senate Chief Information Officer J. Greg Hanson has finished the first-ever U.S. Senate Information Technology strategic plan. The CIO organization, senators, system administrators and Senate staff committees will be able to comment and collaborate online, via discussion threads http://www.fcw.com/article88233 NAVY REINS IN EMPLOYEE PURCHASES OF MOBILE DEVICES, SERVICES—The Navy has issued a policy mandating that all employees use either the Navy-Marine Corps Intranet or Fleet and Industrial Supply Center San Diego contracts to purchase cell phones and other mobile devices and services. GSA ASSESSING CHARGE CARD CONTRACTORS’ SECURITY POLICIES—Under pressure from lawmakers to ensure federal charge card data is secure, the General Services Administration will review the security policies of the four other SmartPay contractors after Bank of America revealed late last month that it lost the records of 1.2 million federal employees HOUSE PANEL TO PROBE FBI CASE FILE SYSTEM—The head of the House subcommittee with oversight of the FBI’s budget has launched an investigation into the bureau’s troubled Virtual Case Files program |
| This Week@EMEA |
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EUROPEAN ICT MARKET EXPANDING FASTER THAN US AND JAPANESE MARKETS – According to European Information Technology Observatory’s (EITO report, the increased ICT growth worldwide is linked to new perspectives and opportunities arising from the convergence of IT, telecommunications, consumer electronics and new media. RESULTS OF CONSULTATION ON FUTURE EU INFORMATION SOCIETY STRATEGY – Conducted between 26 November 2004 and 17 January 2005, the Commission’s public consultation on the new EU Information Society Strategy beyond 2005 mobilised stakeholders in 13 European countries and the United States. Providing useful insight into the challenges ahead for the European Information Society, the 70 contributions received have highlighted the importance of issues such as interoperability, trust, and dependability as key areas for action at EU level. UK-MPS CALL FOR GREATER PENALTIES FOR HACKING AND DENIAL OF SERVICE ATTACKS SWEDEN MOST ADVANCED MEMBER STATE FOR E-GOVERNMENT – Over 90 per cent of public SURVEY: SWEDEN HAS HIGHEST 3G COVERAGE IN EUROPE—A recent survey from the HUNGARIAN E-PARLIAMENT PROGRAMME DELIVERS TANGIBLE RESULTS – The Hungarian e-Parliament programme, launched in 2002 to support the modernisation of parliamentary work, is achieving increasingly tangible results. QATAR DRIVES E-GOV— Qatar has made it compulsory for companies with 500 or more employees to use its e-government services, according to Gulf News. The government is on a drive to improve efficiency in services and sees e-government services as playing a major role. http://www.ameinfo.com/news/Detailed/55327.html COMPETITION LOOMS IN UAE TELECOMS SECTOR— The UAE could see the emergence of competition in the telecoms sector as early as the end of this year. http://www.itp.net/news/details.php?id=14286&category= ETISALAT ROLLS OUT ONLINE BROADBAND SIGN-UP SERVICE— eCompany, the internet services and e-solutions arm of UAE telecoms provider Etisalat, has given customers the option to subscribe to its Al Shamil broadband service online, whereas previously they had to visit an Etisalat office in person. KAMPALA’S UCONNECT TAKES ICT TO SCHOOLS— AT least 100 schools that would otherwise not afford it have been able to buy computers at lower prices from an NGO that extends Information Technology to rural areas. http://allafrica.com/stories/200503080489.html DARK DAY IN KENYA'S COMMUNICATIONS SECTOR—Telecommunications providers in Kenya have reacted with dismay to the government's decision to dissolve the Communications Commission of Kenya's (CCK) board of directors and relieve the director general of his duties. NIGERIA MOBILE GROWTH DOUBLING ANNUALLY, SAYS UK REPORT—The growth rate of the Nigeria mobile telecommunication sector received further international acknowledgement Wednesday when a report published in the UK stated mobile growth in Nigeria is doubling annually, OPINION: NIGERIA’S NTP - A POLICY CRYING FOR REVIEW SOUTH AFRICA-COPYRIGHT LAW TAKES TO THE ROAD— The Intellectual Property Action Group (IPACT) is conducting a series of training workshops with prosecutors across the country, to help fight counterfeiting and piracy in SA. |
| This Week@Americas International |
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BRAZIL’S TELEMAR, PROMON SIGN IP PARTNERSHIP—Brazil's largest telco Telemar and systems integrator Promon Tecnologia have signed a partnership to offer IP telephony solutions, Promon said in a press release. The target clients are Brazil's 1,000 biggest companies. IN VENEZUELA INTERCABLE SET FOR VOIP LAUNCH -Venezuelan cable TV and broadband internet service provider Intercable expects to launch VoIP service in July, according to company spokesman Pablo Schapira. CANADIAN POLITICIANS URGED TO REACH OUT TO CITIZENS ONLINE – A national organization of senior elected and public service officials announced a six-month e-democracy pilot project to look at how Web-based technologies can help legislators better serve their constituents and facilitate new ways for citizens to interact with government. ONTARIO, CAN TO TAKE SECOND LOOK AT E-HEALTH INITIATIVES – The Ontario government will conduct external reviews of all its e-health initiatives as it attempts to create a more formal program to serve health-care providers and their patients, a provincial CIO said. |
| This Week@Asia-Pacific/Japan |
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AUSTRALIA BROADBAND BUNFIGHT GETS POLITICAL— Far from being the disaster depicted by Labor, takeup of broadband Internet connections grew more than 100 percent last year, the government said. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/0,2000061791,39184048,00.htm PRICE CUTS JACK UP BROADBAND USE IN AUSTRALIA—The take up of broadband services by Australians surged in the past 12 months, driven by widespread price cuts, a consumer watchdog said.The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said that at the end of 2004, there were 1.55 million broadband services connected across the country. This represents an increase of 121.6% on the December 2003 figure of 698,700. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=150976 IN AUSTRALIA THOU SHALT TELECOMMUTE, SAYS SENATOR COONAN—The federal government has set up a committee to pave the way for more Australians to live the telecommuter lifestyle. However the move won't go as far as recent legislation in the United States which requires government departments to support teleworkers. TOKYO GETTING CITYWIDE WIMAX NETWORK THIS YEAR — Two vendors, one American and the other Japanese, said they have plays to deploy a citywide WiMAX wireless broadband network in Tokyo. http://www.advancedippipeline.com/wirelessip/159401454 PHILIPPINES’ PLDT OFFERS NEW WIRELESS INTERNET SERVICE, EXTENDS NDD PROMO—The massive broadband infrastructure of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and the huge wireless coverage of subsidiary of Smart Communications have combined to break new ground in wireless Internet access through a new service that offers cost-effective wireless connectivity for small and medium enterprises and large corporations with remote offices and road warriors. PHILIPPINES' NTC MAY AMEND RULES ON 'BUFFET' RATES—The National Telecommunications Commission is studying plans to come up with a new set of regulatory policies for the telecom sector that may include setting a specific period in a day during which firms could sell their unlimited deals. SINGAPORE RANKED BEST ICT COUNTRY – A report by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked Singapore as the best ICT (information and communication technology) country in the world. The report was contained in the organisation’s annual Global Information Technology Report for the 2004-2005 period. SINGAPORE EYES REGULATION OF PREPAID SALES—Singapore may regulate prepaid mobile THAI OPERATORS ORDERED TO PROVIDE DISASTER BACK-UP—The National Telecommunication Commission has established a policy to have telecom operators to participate in providing back-up networks for usage in times of disaster. INDIA ADDS 2.11 MILLION NEW PHONE USERS — India added 2.11 million new telephone customers in February, taking the total for the first 11 months of fiscal 2004-05 to 20.85 million and the overall number to 97.03 million, according to telecoms regulator TRAI. INDIAN GOVT IT PROJECTS TO FOCUS ON PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS – Suresh Pachauri, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pension, said that public private partnerships are a key factor in taking forward the spirit of e-governance. |
| This Week@US States |
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VIRGINIA BEACH SEES RFID PAYOFF— Some observers may think it's an unlikely business proposition, but David Sullivan believes his city's libraries will see a return on investment for radio frequency identification tags -- it's just a matter of time. CHICAGO LOOKING INTO CITY-WIDE WI-FI —The city government of Chicago took some small steps toward a city-wide wireless Network. |
| Other Tech News Of The Week |
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BROADBAND GROWTH BOOMS WORLDWIDE: REPORT—Report finds highest rate of growth is in the Middle East and Africa, followed by North America. ENABLING THE WIRELESS HOME— After years of literally unbelievable hype, ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless technology made its commercial debut. The technology still doesn't make seeing through walls a snap, as its promoters predicted a few years ago, but it does make it possible to send tens or hundreds of megabits of data per second a tens of meters. FIFTY TWO PERCENT OF ENTERPRISE ALREADY DEPLOY VOIP: SURVEY—Fifty two percent of enterprises are deploying some form of VoIP, 46 percent have deployment plans, and only two percent do not plan to use VoIP, according to a survey by the testing and monitoring firm Empirix. AOL TO ROLLOUT VOIP WITHIN A MONTH—AOL within a month will launch a VoIP in a bid to bring packet-based calling technology to the mass market, the top executive of the Internet service giant said. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=150768 REPORT: BUSINESSES FAILING TO TAKE BASIC WI-FI SECURITY PRECAUTIONS— The lack of security in wireless networks represents a serious threat to businesses that have not taken measures to protect themselves against those who can easily tap into the Wi-Fi systems being deployed in private and public locations. |
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