 | |
| |
TechnologyDaily Mobile
Engler Lobbies For Michigan Broadband
by Liza Porteus
Michigan Gov. John Engler is encouraging state residents to write to their respective state lawmakers and urge support for the Michigan HiSpeed Internet Plan.
The state's main Internet portal asks constituents to e-mail lawmakers and tout the creation of a financing authority to help fund the rollout of broadband services, and the establishment of a right-of-way authority to streamline the process and lower the fees for installing high-speed Internet infrastructure. Engler said the plan would create 500,000 new jobs over the next 10 years, increase income by nearly $500 billion and help close the "digital divide."
"The bottom line is that Michigan needs broadband," Engler said. "And I will not let Michigan continue to fall behind."
In other Michigan news, the state's official site has added new education services for parents, students, educators and school administrators. In January, Michigan.gov will enhance its "Paying for Higher Education" portal.
D.C. Ponders E-Signatures
The District of Columbia City Council Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs last week debated a measure designed to ensure consumers protection when they use e-signatures.
The bill would require that consumers consent to the use of e-signatures to complete transactions and that companies using them provide consumers with details on how the e-signatures are used.
"It is our hope that this bill will be applied to any electronic transaction ... so that there is no doubt or ambiguity about the way electronic transactions must be conducted for consumers in Washington, D.C.," Claryce Nelson, a representative for the American Association of Retired Persons, told the council.
But James McKay, a member of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws that drafted the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA), expressed concern about the measure. He said it would enact sections of a federal e-signature law that are less beneficial to consumers than provisions within UETA.
McKay said in prepared testimony that a section of the District bill detailing procedural consumer-disclosure requirements when e-signatures are used in transactions just repeats the federal language and is unnecessary. And other sections on retaining electronic records conflict directly with UETA, McKay said.
The bill still faces a committee vote, but no date has been set. The committee also is considering another measure that would implement UETA.
City Leaders Talk Local Security
A policy session of the National League of Cities (NLC) in Atlanta this week included workshops on topics such as e-government, terrorism and homeland security, election laws, and technology.
IBM safety consultant Jim Lingerfelt moderated a workshop that addressed approaches to technology's use in handling and sharing critical information. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta discussed airport and transportation security, while Robert Hirshon, president of the American Bar Association, spoke on civil liberties in an era of heightened security.
Other workshops addressed how cities can acquire new public-safety technology, how they can better coordinate emergency response, and how they can use new technology and management-coordination practices to better prepare for emergencies at the local level.
On Thursday, NLC President and Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer will outline his vision on homeland defense and report on Wednesday's action by the NLC board to set priorities for a new partnership with the federal government on homeland security. Archer will be replaced as president by Minnetonka, Minn., Mayor Karen Anderson this month.
Utah Sites Get Facelifts
Utah's Web site has a new look -- and a new name. Utah.gov also now includes applications for renewing driver's licenses online and a link to the Utah Technology Alliance, which promotes the state's high-tech industry. Other new online services on the state's main portal include sales-tax licensing for special events and the ability to renew annual business registrations.
Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff also has a new look to his Web site. The site serves as a "one-stop information center" on issues handled by the office -- subjects ranging from appeals to education and taxes to children's justice.
The site includes: historical perspective of the office; legal documents, such as the latest census filings in the state and Microsoft lawsuits; videos that offer tips on how to stop fraud; and brochures on Internet safety, club drugs and domestic violence. Plans are underway to add a "frequently asked questions" site and separate pages for children.
In other Utah news, 35-year-old Raymond Silvaz was convicted last week under the state's new Internet porn law, which prohibits using the Internet to entice a minor into sex. Silvaz was found guilty of using a chat room to arrange a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old boy.
The law was the result of several tech-related bills the Utah legislature cleared this year. The others included:
- S.B. 74, which authorizes the state to enter into multi-state discussions on sales-tax simplification.
- S.B. 174, which exempts semiconductor fabricating or processing materials from state sales and use taxes for three years -- from July 1, 2001, through June 30, 2004.
- H.B. 131, which requires local libraries in Utah to establish policy and reporting requirements on Internet access in an effort to prevent minors from accessing obscene material.
- H.B. 373, which requires the state porn ombudsman to create a program to combat Internet pornography.
- H.B. 295, which allows electronic proxy voting for corporations.
- H.B. 149, which limits the authority of municipalities to own and operate cable television and public telecommunications facilities.
- H.B. 35, which expands grants for cross-agency technology projects, under the direction of the state's chief information officer.
- H.B. 77, which appropriates $225,000 for development of the Utah Science Center Authority.
- S.B. 112, which provides $75,000 for assistive technology devices and services at the State Office of Rehabilitation.
- S.B. 21, which outlines how members of a commission established by the Information Technology Act will be chosen.
- H.B. 16, H.B. 17, H.B. 27 and S.B. 11, all of which make technical changes to current law to help facilitate e-government in various agencies.
Kansas Promotes The Cause
Kansas officials recently launched a new Web site to promote and encourage informed decisions when contributing to a charitable cause.
Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh, Attorney General Carla Stovall and Secretary of Aging Connie Hubbell partnered to launch Kansas Charity Check. It includes a feature that allows users to search for information on 950 charitable organizations, such as the percentage of money they use for fundraising expenses and the amount of money they actually contribute to their specific cause.
Free Access For New York Police, Firefighters
MedStrong International announced Monday that it will allow members of the New York City fire and police departments and their families to use its services for free after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center.
The service allows users to access medical records through the Internet. The system is designed to help emergency services and emergency-room personnel in hospitals treat incapacitated patients. "This is just a small token of our gratitude for their selfless acts of courage and compassion," MedStrong CEO Jerry Farrar said in a statement.
NEW FEATURE
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
