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TechnologyDaily Mobile
Tips For 'Enhanced 911' Service
by Chloe Albanesius
Virginia, California and Montana have taken significant steps to speed the implementation of "enhanced 911" services that can pinpoint the location of emergency mobile telephone calls, according to a National Governors Association (NGA) report released Wednesday.
The FCC in 1996 issued rules requiring that all mobile phones be able to provide location information to 911 centers by Dec. 31, 2005. The centers have had to upgrade their systems in order to read the data. Inadequate funding, coordination, staff training and progress assessments have marred some progress toward that goal, according to NGA, so the association issued four guidelines designed to help struggling 911 centers finish the work.
NGA's primary suggestion is to designate statewide coordinators to oversee resources for E911 implementation. Virginia's Wireless E-9-1-1 Services Board includes various government and law enforcement officials who are guided by a governor-appointed coordinator. "This structure contributes to greater authority and accountability for implementing E911 statewide," the report said. California, Montana and Vermont also were cited for their coordination efforts.
NGA also commended Montana for its assessment of E911 resources, the second guideline suggested by the group. Officials made an inventory of needed equipment that makes resources allocation easier when E911 funding becomes available.
NGA further encouraged states to identify opportunities to more efficiently fund implementation, like California's program that allows 911 centers to purchase equipment from specific vendors.
Finally, NGA suggested that states provide education and outreach to the centers in order to help them with implementation. The E911 unit in Washington, for example, works with counties and communications companies to ensure that their systems are operational.
Internet Taxation: A Federal Issue?
While U.S. senators debate taxes on Internet service, state legislators have been relatively quiet on the issue, save for the few proposed resolutions supporting a federal ban on such taxes.
California Assemblyman Ed Chavez, a Democrat, introduced a measure in January that would extend the state's now-expired ban on taxing Internet access until Jan. 1, 2010. The Assembly's Revenue and Taxation Committee unanimously approved the bill March 23, and the Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy Committee approved the measure April 20. The bill, A.B. 1971, now awaits approval from the Appropriations Committee.
Other state efforts, however, have been confined to calling on their congressmen to vote against measures that would tax Internet service. State representatives from Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, Hawaii and Mississippi, and state senators from Washington and South Carolina have introduced resolutions.
Most are languishing in committee, and the Washington measure was killed Feb. 25.
In other news, more than half of the states estimate that they will finish the year with budget surpluses, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). After three years of financial problems, Florida, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming expect surpluses of more than 5 percent in their general funds.
"States are turning red ink black," NCSL Executive Director Bill Pound said in a release. Twenty-two states reported that sales-tax collections were higher than forecasted.
Pittsburgh Council Condemns Anti-Terrorism Law
The Pittsburgh City Council on Monday adopted a resolution urging Congress to amend the 2001 anti-terrorism law known as the USA PATRIOT Act and make it constitutional.
The American Civil Liberties Union praised the move, criticizing a recent tour by President Bush in support of reauthorizing certain provisions of the act that are set to expire soon. "President Bush's speech in Pennsylvania was filled with misinformation about what the PATRIOT Act does and how it affects our freedoms," Laura Murphy, director of the ACLU Washington legislative office, said in a release.
Some privacy advocates have expressed concern with the law's increased surveillance powers. To date, 298 governing bodies have adopted resolutions against the statute, the ACLU said.
In other news, U.S. immigration officials last week announced that customers in the Dallas are will be able to make appointments online with immigration information officers. The intent is to eradicate long lines outside Dallas immigration offices and speed the issuance of documents. The program currently accepts up to 300 appointments per day but will be expanded.
Meanwhile, the four forensic laboratories of the Kansas Bureau of Investigations on Tuesday were awarded national accreditation, Attorney General Phill Kline and state bureau Director Larry Welch announced. The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors' accreditation board rigorously inspected lab facilities and personnel. Labs in Topeka and Great Bend were re-accredited, while the Pittsburg and Kansas City labs were approved for the first time.
California Targets Privacy Of Overseas Data
The California Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday approved a measure that would require workers in overseas affiliates of California-based firms who handle the personal information of U.S. citizens to abide by California privacy law.
State Sen. Liz Figueroa, a Democrat, introduced the bill, S.B. 1451, after privacy advocates expressed concern about foreign workers handling U.S. financial or medical information as more companies ship jobs overseas. Figueroa's bill would require California companies to include in their contracts language stating that workers abroad will treat personal information with the same care as they would in California and that violators would be subject to prosecution under California's privacy laws.
"We can't change globalization, but we can help manage it," Figueroa said in a release. "I want to make sure California's privacy laws apply, no matter how far our personal information travels."
Figueroa is also the sponsor of a measure, S.B. 1452, that would prohibit the "outsourcing" of jobs for state contracts to other countries, and a bill, S.B. 1453, that would require employers to tell the state and affected employees of plans to move more than 20 jobs overseas.
In other news, the Michigan Senate on Thursday is expected to vote on a measure that would allow video lottery terminals at the state's seven horse tracks. AP reports that action on the bill would mark its first major movement since House passage a year ago.
'Do Not Call' Those Virginia Cell Phones
Virginia's "do not call" list against unwanted telemarketing will include cellular telephones starting July 1, Attorney General Jerry Kilgore announced Tuesday. Consumers will be able to sue violators in general district court.
"It is important that Virginians using cell phones know that they can receive the same protection as on their home phones," Kilgore said.
In other news, Kilgore announced last week that a Virginia Beach man was convicted on five counts of computer solicitation of a minor and one count of attempted indecent liberties with a child after soliciting supposed children in an Internet chat room for sex. The man's contacts in the chat room were actually undercover Virginia Beach officers.
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