 | |
| |
TechnologyDaily Mobile
New Virginia Institute Eyes Security Market
by Maureen Sirhal
Industry groups and 12 Virginia universities this week officially launched a public-private partnership to provide technology solutions for homeland security.
Gov. Mark Warner's security advisory panel had recommended creation of the Institute for Defense and Homeland Security, and it will provide resources to conduct and commercialize technology research for homeland security in areas such as telecommunications.
"Virginia is host to a large number of federal agencies and an extensive defense and security industry," Warner said in a statement this week. "The geographic proximity of these agencies and companies, as well as their integration with Virginia universities, enables the [institute] to accelerate technology innovation from concept to commercialization, allowing a more rapid deployment of high-quality end products for our nation."
A steering committee composed of representatives from academia, industry, and the federal and state governments will establish policies for the consortium, which initially will be located at the Center for Innovative Technology in Herndon, Va., and be funded by public and private sponsors.
State leaders are hoping the institute will capitalize on the federal homeland security spending to spur economic growth. Already, several tech firms have begun hiring employees and expanding operations in northern Virginia. Just this week, the defense-software contractor Gray Hawk announced plans to invest an additional $8.7 million in its Virginia facilities in anticipation of market demand for security technologies.
The institute's founding university members are the: College of William and Mary, Eastern Virginia Medical School, George Mason University, Hampton University, James Madison University, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Military Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and Virginia State University.
In other Virginia news, Old Dominion University has become certified to join the state's electronic procurement system, which is known as eVa. Warner announced this week that the university fulfilled the requirements necessary to join the network, which links state agencies and institutions with private-sector suppliers and vendors. Nearly 170 agencies and institutions and 171 local governments use the system.
The State Anti-Spam Brigade
Unsolicited commercial e-mail is emerging as a major action item in state legislatures. At least nine states are weighing legislation to regulate the so-called spam.
The issue is proving immensely popular with voters. A poll conducted by Alexandria, Va.-based Public Opinion Strategies revealed that nine out of 10 consumers support a mandate that the contents of unsolicited commercial e-mails be labeled and criminal penalties for individuals who send spam with misleading addresses. Most state anti-spam bills include those two provisions.
Seventy-three percent of the poll's 488 respondents said they "strongly favor" such a measure, while only 8 percent oppose it.
Here is a look at anti-spam legislation in select states:
- Alaska: Two bills, H.B. 36 and H.B. 82, would ban misleading headers or routing information on commercial e-mails. And a third measure, S.B. 34, would require that the e-mails contain a toll-free telephone number so consumers could call to stop receiving the notices.
- Arizona: H.B. 2107 would prohibit the sending of commercial e-mail with false or misleading information and would set damages for violations.
- Arkansas: H.B.1008 would require that spam contain authenticate information on the senders and that messages be labeled as advertisements.
- California: S.B. 12 would tighten the state's anti-spam statute by requiring that individuals consent to receiving unsolicited e-mails before they can be transmitted.
- Oregon: S.B. 261 would ban commercial e-mail messages that misrepresent the subject or origin of the messages.
Albany vs. Austin: The Chip Industry Rivalry
Several high-tech business leaders, lobbyists and academics in Austin, Texas, are working to boost incentives for an international research consortium on computer chips to remain in the city.
The Austin-American Statesman reports that the group is developing the Texas Technology Initiative in response to efforts by New York state to lure chip makers and other tech firms to facilities near Albany.
Tech leaders spearheading the initiative to keep the firms in Texas said Austin could lose International Sematech, a consortium created more than decade ago. Sematech decided to establish a facility in Albany last year, after receiving millions in state funding under a strategy developed by New York Gov. George Pataki and other officials.
Over the last year, New York has been investing in its Centers of Excellence, laboratories that aim to leverage academic resources with research and development grants in specific sectors, such as nanotechnology. Participants in the Texas Technology Initiative have been meeting for the past several months and plan to approach Gov. Rick Perry and state lawmakers about packaging new incentives and R&D funding to keep the tech firms in Austin.
The strategy could expand opportunities for firms like Sematech to collaborate with researchers at the University of Texas. According to the newspaper, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, is trying to win federal funding to sweeten the deal for tech companies.
Sematech officials, however, say they have no plans to leave Texas. The consortium's new CEO, Michael Polcari, added that he expects the firm to remain in Austin.
Life Or Death E-Government
Michigan's Office of Financial and Insurance Services (OFIS) this week launched a system to let insurance companies apply online for the licenses necessary to operate in the state.
The move, part of Michigan's ongoing e-government expansion, will eliminate much of the hand processing of paper applications by state employees. OFIS staff manually entered 26,870 insurance-agent applications into a database last year alone.
"We have virtually eliminated the paper from the insurance-agent licensing process," said Frank Fitzgerald, the state's commissioner of financial and insurance services. "Those using the forms will find a very functional and user-friendly format with dropdown boxes and prompts for missing or incorrect information."
In other e-government news, South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds signed a measure, S.B. 26, that will allow officials to file death certificates electronically.
Ye Are The Champion
The trade association for state technology leaders has established a new award to honor major contributions to the information technology field.
The National Technology Champion Award, created by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), will be presented annually to a person whose efforts in the IT field have had a broad impact across lines of government or multiple IT disciplines. Federal, state or local officials, academics, or industry workers are eligible for the award.
NASCIO currently is soliciting nominations at its Web site, and they are due by Feb. 25. The winner will be announced March 6 at the group's mid-year conference in Pittsburgh.
NEW FEATURE
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
