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Shaheen Makes Rural Broadband Pitch
by Liza Porteus
New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen last Friday urged the state's two U.S. senators to support legislative language designed to help expand access to affordable high-speed Internet access for rural areas of western New England and, eventually, all of New Hampshire.
In a letter to Sens. Judd Gregg and Bob Smith, both Republicans, Shaheen asked the lawmakers to support language by Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., that seeks $500,000 in funding for the Western New England Connectivity program. Shaheen and Kerry have been working on various ways to expand affordable telecommunications services.
"In order to expand economic opportunity to all New Hampshire citizens, we must have a digital infrastructure that includes access to affordable, high-speed Internet and advanced telecommunications services through the Granite State," Shaheen wrote. "The federal government can help make it possible for states to work cooperatively on this effort."
A spokesman for Gregg's office said the lawmaker had received the letter Monday and has always been a "huge supporter" of rural broadband initiatives. Gregg is a cosponsor of S. 88, a bill that would provide a tax incentive for broadband deployment to rural areas.
Kerry tried to include the language in a fiscal 2002 spending bill to fund the Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development departments but was unsuccessful. Both Kerry and Shaheen are planning to lobby House and Senate negotiators to include the language, said a Kerry spokesman.
Shaheen has tried to expand telecom services in rural areas of New Hampshire by pursuing partnerships such as North Country Connect and Monadnock Connect, which are partially funded through the state's economic development fund.
Delaware To Welcome New CIO
Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner next week will announce the name of the nation's next state chief information officer (CIO).
Last fall, Minner signed an executive order creating the Information Technology Task Force to review the quality of IT services provided to the state government. The task force recommended that Minner hire a state CIO and create the Department of Technology and Information. Minner paved the way to fulfill those recommendations June 30 when she signed into law a bill, S.B. 215, that creates the department, which the CIO will oversee. The CIO will act as the governor's chief technology adviser and develop technology strategies among state agencies.
Other tech-related bills Minner has signed so far include:
- H.B. 283, which establishes a board to develop comprehensive plans for a wireless and wireline emergency 911 (E-911) telephone system and to implement a statewide wireless E-911 system consistent with FCC requirements. Such a system will enable officials to pinpoint the location of people who place emergency calls. The effort will be funded by replacing the current surcharge imposed on wireline residential telephone subscribers with one imposed on all wireline and wireless residential and business subscribers in Delaware.
- H.B. 163, which makes it illegal to knowingly possess, sell, promote, use or distribute any unlawful telecom device.
Democratic Governors Set Agenda
The Democratic Governors' Association (DGA) will focus on its recently drafted policy positions for 2001 at its new economy conference in New Jersey on Sept. 10-11.
The group's agenda for the Democratic Party in 2002 includes a call for policies designed to sustain economic development and encourage small-business growth and an understanding that the 21st century presents opportunities for highly skilled, high-paying jobs. The governors also are working to ensure that rural and underserved areas have the technology necessary to stay competitive. And they are pledging better access to computers and the Internet in the classroom and better technology training for teachers.
The policy agenda also highlights the Democratic governors' accomplishments in technology-related areas since they took office.
Tech News In The Big Apple
New York City was the target of the Business Software Alliance's "truce" campaign last month.
The nationwide campaign encouraged companies and individuals to review their technology and acquire the licenses they needed to legally run the software on their systems. For organizations that became fully licensed, the alliance promised not to seek penalties for any unauthorized copying before July 31.
The alliance offered software truces to nearly 700,000 businesses in the New York, Atlanta, Portland, Ore., Kansas City, Mo., and Oklahoma City areas. In New York, entire subway cars were plastered with threats of the alliance "targeting" the city for software piracy.
In other New York news, the city's Economic Development Corporation has presented Eyebeam Atelier with the first rent-abatement check issued under the city's new package of tax benefits that encourage tech-related businesses to relocate to Manhattan and other designated areas in the city.
Eyebeam Atelier is building in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood, which is located in one of the city's Digital NYC: Wired to the World high-tech districts. The economic development initiative has created eight high-tech districts with affordable rents, fiber connections, transportation services and tax and financial incentives.
Back To School ... Online
Michigan schools now offer Internet-accessible school information -- everything from test scores and graduation rates to teacher salaries -- as part of a new system designed by Standard and Poor's.
The firm hopes to make Michigan the first of many states to present such information online. Previously, the state Education Department provided online "report cards" to analyze school performance. "We feel it opens the doors for not just teachers and school administrators on how their schools are performing but also [for] the parents," said Susan Schaefer, a spokeswoman for Michigan Gov. John Engler. "We're not pulling this information to beat schools up."
Michigan and Pennsylvania reportedly are the only two states to undertake such a project.
"More and more people have home computers and are turning to the Internet to do everything from ordering Christmas presents to finding out information about their kids' schools," Schaefer said. "We think this is a good tool and that it's something we can continue to improve upon."
Georgia Industry On My Mind
Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes this week tapped three people to serve on the Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism's state board. Two of the new members have ties to the tech industry.
The new members are: Loretta Cecil, the vice president of law and government affairs for AT&T's Southern region; Phil Jacobs, the president of Georgia operations for BellSouth and also a board member at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Corporation for Economic Development and the Georgia Center for Advanced Telecommunications Technology; and Howard Callaway, who has been an active member of several boards, including those for the Georgia Power Company and World Business Council.
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