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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 |
| OPTIONS EXPENSING DELAY NOT ENOUGH, SAY US SENATORS – A group of Republican senators vowed to use the closing days of Congress this year to try and stop accounting rule-makers from requiring the expensing of stock options. Saying they were not satisfied by a decision to postpone a new expensing requirement by six months, the Senate Republican High Tech Task Force said a delay would not solve underlying problems with the expensing plan. http://www.reuters.com/financeNewsArticle.jhtml?type=bondsNews&storyID=6506666 ACCOUNTING COPS DELAY CHANGE – Bowing to pressure from securities regulators and corporate executives, the organization that sets the nation's accounting standards announced a six-month delay in its long-awaited plan to require companies to treat employee stock-option compensation as an expense that counts against earnings. |
| This Week@WASHINGTON, DC |
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DECISION LOOMS ON HIGH-SPEED ACCESS ALOFT – The FCC is set next month to decide how to auction spectrum to wireless carriers to bring high-speed Internet service to U.S. airlines as early as next year. FCC EASES HIGH-SPEED NETWORK RULES – The Federal Communications Commission made more of the local phone companies' high-speed fiber networks free from competition rules. FCC ADOPTS RULES FOR BROADBAND OVER POWER LINES – The Federal Communications Commission has voted to modified its rules to open the door to the widespread deployment of broadband access over power lines. CARRIERS SEE KEY RULINGS SOON – The major U.S. regional carriers want to leapfrog cable operators with advanced video services over IP, and expected upcoming FCC rulings may help pave the way for those rollouts. COMMENTARY BROADBAND POLICY – BUSH OR KERRY: WHO HAS A BETTER PLAN? AGENCIES URGED TO STEP UP TELEWORK EFFORTS – A key House lawmaker is considering introducing legislation that would cut the budgets of all agencies and departments that fail to allow qualified employees to telework. LACK OF BROADBAND ACCESS HAMPERS AGENCY TELEWORK ACCEPTANCE – Four years ago, Congress mandated that by 2004 agencies offer 100 percent of all eligible workers the opportunity to telework. That deadline passed Sept. 30 and departments have offered only 14.1 percent of federal workers qualified to telecommute that opportunity, according to the Office of Personnel Management’s report from January. CONGRESS APPROVES $32 BILLION FOR HOMELAND SECURITY – Congress recently approved $32 billion for the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year 2005. This is $896 million more than the president's fiscal year 2005 spending request and $2.8 billion more than the fiscal year 2004 amount. HHS AWARDS $139 MILLION TO DRIVE ADOPTION OF HEALTH CARE IT – The Health and Human Services Department today announced $139 million in grants and contracts to promote the use of health IT and take the department another step closer to electronic health records for all Americans. FDA APPROVES RFID TAGS FOR HUMANS – VeriChip says its RFID chip could save lives and prevent medical mistakes. VA SMART CARDS ROLL ON – The Department of Veterans Affairs expects to issue up to half a million smart cards in the next five years, GAO says. http://dclsmtp1.techwire.com/trk/click?ref=zp7waa8wo_0-1b7x1f33x19670& FOCUSING ON SECURITY: WHAT MATTERS? – Federal Computer Week held a roundtable discussion with seven experts on information security. COMMENTARY: WANT TO CURE THE SPYWARE PROBLEM? – The answers lie in technology rather than in laws that are as sensible as banning toad licking. COMMENTARY: FEDS ARE LOSING THEIR BALANCE ON PRIVACY – Two related events highlight the challenge of balancing telecom privacy with security. |
| This Week@EMEA |
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IT SPENDING ON E-GOVERNMENT TO GROW IN WESTERN EUROPE – E-government expenditure is to continue to increase in the five countries studied by market advisory firm IDC. WESTERN EUROPE ICT MARKET TO GROW TO 4% IN 2004 – Overall, the ICT market in Western Europe is expected to grow by three per cent in the current year to €611bn, and in the coming year, growth will increase to four per cent, bringing total company turnover to €636bn, according to new figures from the European Information Technology Observatory. NOMINEES STRUGGLE IN EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT – Controversy surrounds two of Jose Manuel Barroso's picks as Parliament is left 'underwhelmed' by the incoming commission. UK RINGS UP NEW 'REAL PHONE' VOIP SERVICE - A German company has launched a new internet telephony service in the UK which offers cheap calls and uses "geographical" numbers. http://go.theregister.com/news/2004/10/13/sipgate_uk_voip/ A DIGITALLY UNITED KINGDOM – The Cabinet Office this week published Enabling a Digitally United Kingdom, a report by the Digital Inclusion Panel (DIP), which explores ways of bridging the 'digital divide'. UK ID CARDS TO BE ISSUED WITH FIRST BIOMETRIC PASSPORTS – ‘Voluntary' nature of first phase now even more debatable. 24 HOUR ACCESS TO E-LEARNING COULD BECOME PART OF THE UK SCHOOL DAY – Launching a 'National Conversation About Personalised Learning,' supported by a dedicated pamphlet and website, School Standards Minister David Miliband called on all schools to set out a foundation for the development of personalised learning, tailoring education to meet the individual needs, aptitude and aspirations of every child. 80% OF LONDON'S 2600 SCHOOLS NOW HAVE BROADBAND CONNECTIVITY – Ahead of target DEUTSCHE TELEKOM RETURNS INTERNET UNIT TO THE FOLD – Deutsche Telekom is buying back its internet unit, spun off as a separate company in 2000. DT is offering shareholders in T-Online €8.99 in cash for each share, valuing the unit at just less than €3bn. Most share holders are expected to exchange T-Online shares for shares in Deutsche Telekom. T-Online floated in April 2000 for €27 per share. AUSTRIANS PURCHASE CAR-PARKING TICKETS BY MOBILE PHONES – Mobile payment is already part of the everyday routine for many drivers. About 50,000 drivers are now purchasing their car-parking tickets by mobile phone and SMS in Vienna and five other cities in Austria. SWISSCOM LAST MILE MONOPOLY ENDED – The Swiss House of Representatives has voted to end Swisscom’s monopoly of the local loop. Swisscom, the country’s largest telecommunications DUTCH REGULATOR PUBLISHES CONSULTATION ON VOIP – The Dutch regulatory authority, OPTA, has released a discussion document concerning proposed regulatory obligations for providers of voice-over-IP telephony services in the country. DUTCH TELECOM WATCHDOG SHOWS ITS TEETH - AND ATTRACTS SOME CRITICISM – According to OPTA, the Dutch telecom watchdog, the monthly frequency of spam runs has dropped from over 100 in the first six months of 2004, to well below that figure since then. DUBAI E-GOVT LAUNCHES PAYMENTS PORTAL – New application architecture will help Dubai achieve its e-government vision. IRAN’S CRACKDOWN ON INTERNET JOURNALISTS – Iranian authorities have arrested at least six Internet journalists and webloggers in recent days in a further blow to limited press freedoms in the Islamic state. PAKISTAN SETS UP NEW GOVT IT COUNCIL – In a review of the progress of government automation, Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has directed e-government efforts to be accelerated. |
| This Week@Asia-Pacific/Japan |
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A-PAC SECURITY MARKET TO GROW 150PC – The internet security market in 29 PER CENT OF NEW ZEALANDERS USE E-GOVT – New Zealanders are almost twice as likely to communicate with government online as they are to deal with a government representative in person. BIG REFORM PUSH IS ON IN AUSTRALIA – After a surprisingly vigorous debate on technology policy during the election campaign, the local industry is looking forward to a period of rapid change as a spending slowdown lifts and new federal policy initiatives begin. AUSSIE BROADBAND GETTING OFF THE GROUND – The Australian broadband market is "slowly getting off the ground" according to information technology advisory firm International Data Corp, with residential broadband penetration, pricing and competition levels showing improvement. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/0,2000061791,39162847,00.htm AUSTRALIAN RESISTANCE LIMITS E-LEARNING GROWTH – Most organisations say resistance to change is the biggest challenge to e-learning, followed by IT issues such as bandwidth, firewalls and infrastructure, a report shows. AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL HEALTH E-RECORDS BODY TAKES SHAPE – The shape of the federal government's HealthConnect national health information network is emerging with the appointment of Ian Reinecke to head the fledgling National E-Health Transition Authority. AUSTRALIAN ID CARDS URGED IN TERROR WAR – Senior federal police are urging the Howard Government to consider introducing a national identity card to help combat terrorism. AUSTRALIAN ALSTON TAKES ON TELECOMMS EQUIPMENT CHAIRMANSHIP – Former Communications Minister Richard Alston is set to become chairman of telecommunications equipment company Broadcast Services Australia Ltd (BSA). PHILIPPINES’ CICT TO APPOINT CIO – President Arroyo will shortly appoint a fourth commissioner for the Commission on Information and Communications Technology. INDIAN POLICE GO ON ‘E-BEAT’ – Several police forces in the Indian state of Karnataka have adopted an 'e-beat' system to keep track of officers. US PUSHES INDIA ON CYBER SECURITY – The US has urged India to adhere to a European convention on internet security for improved and more secure trade ties. INDIA’S BROADBAND POLICY IS TECHNOLOGY-NEUTRAL – A main feature of the broadband policy announced today by the Communications and IT Minister, Dayanidhi Maran, is that it is technology neutral. In other words, operators will be free to employ any technology of their choice but the spread of fibre networks will be emphasised because in the long term it can provide huge amounts of bandwidth in the last mile as well as a true converged network. INDIA BROADBAND BOON COMES CHEAP – The government today announced the much-awaited Broadband Policy 2004, assuring consumers that Internet at the speed of 256 kbps could be available at the price of Rs 500 to Rs 800 per month. http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=1&theme=&usrsess=1&id=57054 INDIA'S NEW BROADBAND POLICY AIMS AT 20 MLN USERS – India announced a new policy to boost high-speed Internet connections in the country on Thursday and said the booming telecoms sector would have 20 million broadband and 40 million Internet users by 2010. JAPAN IS COMING BACK ONLINE – After a decade long economic slump, Japan grew faster than the US in the first half of 2004, a recovery that made front-page news around the world, including a Business Week's cover story in June calling Japan's turnaround "remarkable." JAPAN’S SOFTBANK SUES OVER 3G PLAN – Japanese internet firm Softbank has asked a court to block a government plan for distributing high-speed bandwidth to mobile phone operators, saying it would bar new entrants until 2012. |
| This Week@US States |
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CIOS: STATE AND LOCAL HOMELAND SECURITY IT NEEDS MORE FEDERAL GUIDANCE – State and local homeland security IT programs would be more effective if the federal government provided firmer standards and practices, senior federal officials said. DIGITAL GOVERNMENT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED – Winners of the 2004 Digital Government Achievement Awards (DGAA) have been announced by the Center for Digital Government. The awards program recognizes outstanding agency and department Web sites and applications that enhance interactions, transaction and/or services -- in four categories: government-to-government, government-to-citizen, government-to-business, and government internal. WEST VIRGINIA FUNDS PUBLIC GRID COMPUTING EFFORT – The state of West Virginia has authorized funding to develop the first state-sponsored open public Internet grid computing effort. The initiative, which will be funded through the state's Economic Development Authority, is being led by the West Virginia High Technology Consortium. MD. ELECTIONS CIO OFFERS E-VOTING ASSURANCES – Pamela Woodside, chief information officer at the Maryland State Board of Elections, outlined the security measures that state officials have taken for the election. She defended the state board against allegations that officials have not taken prudent measures. COST OF UPGRADING CALIFORNIA'S DATA SYSTEMS MAY TOP $1 BILLION – Taxpayers face a price tag of at least $1 billion over the next seven years to fix the state's aging computer systems that run payroll, budgeting and purchasing functions, according to the state's technology chief. AN INTERVIEW WITH THE MAYOR AND CIO OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU, HAWAII – Mayor Jeremy Harris and IT Director Courtney Harrington recently sat down together to talk to the Center for Digital Government about recent technology projects and programs happening in the city of Honolulu. |
| Other Tech News Of The Week |
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VOIP REGULATION WORRIES RE-SURFACE AT TELECOM '04 – It's becoming a familiar sight at telecom trade shows: A panel of speakers from industry and government get together and agree that Voice over IP is a regulation- and paradigm-shattering technology that is moving too fast for regulators, especially the FCC, to keep up with. CONSUMER VOIP ADOPTION – A new report from Jupiter Research, "Broadband Telephony: Leveraging Voice Over IP to Facilitate Competitive Voice Services," forecasts that VoIP telephony services will grow to 400,000 US households by the end of this year, and to 12.1 million households by 2009. That would represent about 10% of all US households. WORLDWIDE HOT-SPOTS TO GROW TO 200,000 LOCATIONS BY 2008 – With more players, more venues and more users, the hot-spot market keeps expanding in all aspects, according to a report from market research firm In-Stat/MDR. ULTRAWIDEBAND HERALDS ZIPPIER WIRELESS CONNECTIONS – Do you use Wi-Fi and dream of WiMax? Well, here's a look at what Ultrawideband can do. WIMAX TO CO-EXIST, NOT COMPETE, WITH WI-FI – Despite claims of proponents, it will be a long time before WiMAX competes with Wi-Fi, if at all, according to a researcher. PREDICTIONS POINT TO INCREASE IN IT SPENDING – IT spending, already on the upswing in 2004, is expected to grow at an even better rate next year, IBM's chief executive Sam Palmisano told a group of customers in Paris. NETWORK SECURITY SET FOR QUANTUM LEAP – It's a hacker's nightmare but a dream for bankers and spies: A computer network so secure that even the simplest attempts to eavesdrop will interrupt the flow of data and alert administrators to the snooping. |
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