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TechnologyDaily Mobile
Big Apple Could See $30M For DTV
by Chloe Albanesius
New York would receive $30 million to help it shift from analog to digital television signals thanks to a budget reconciliation amendment approved Wednesday by the federal House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The collapse of the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001 led to the loss of broadcasting transmission facilities that were preparing to switch to a digital signal. City officials now rely on facilities atop the Empire State Building, but they have a weaker reach.
As a result, Democratic New York Rep. Eliot Engel called for funding that "will enable New York City broadcasters to boost the signal in New York City and surrounding areas."
"When the World Trade Towers fell...the broadcasting transmission facilities fell with them, setting New York significantly back in their digital transition process," he said. TV signals from the Empire State Building "simply cannot travel as far."
Broadcasters have spent $60 million since 9/11 for upgrades to the Empire State Building. The money has helped bolster the structure so it could support the excess weight and electrical power, Engel said. The federal funds "will help alleviate that burden and ensure that New Yorkers' TVs won't go dark come 2009."
The committee on Wednesday approved, by a 33-17 vote, to set a Dec. 31, 2008 deadline for broadcasters to complete the DTV transition.
Grove Donates To City College
The City College of New York on Thursday announced that Andrew Grove, the co-founder and former chairman of Intel, made a $26 million donation to his alma mater.
Grove enrolled at the college in 1957 after emigrating from Hungary to the United States. The school is a "veritable American-dream machine, [and] I hope to keep it that way," he said.
Some of the funds will go toward establishing the Grove Endowment, which will support engineering students and faculty who show promise. The college also pledged to use the money to attract and retain new faculty, upgrade existing lab equipment and develop new interdisciplinary programs. The school will equip its main building with wireless Internet access and install a central e-mail server.
Chancellor Matthew Goldstein recommended that the board rename its engineering school as The Grove School of Engineering. Grove's donation "sends a powerful signal of support for quality public higher education," Goldstein said. The college is looking to raise $1.2 billion by 2010; prior to Grove's contribution it had raised $625 million in gifts and pledges.
States Test IP Responder System
Cisco Systems this week unveiled a new Internet protocol-based system for first responders. It is intended to facilitate communication between disparate agencies. Law enforcers in Honolulu are testing the system. New York is also trying it out in the state's emergency management office. Cisco has deployed the technology in the office and communications vans, said Cisco's Dean Zanone, who is a former sergeant with the Seal Beach, Calif., police department.
An IP-based system will allow communication systems to roll over an area where there might be a power outage. "What we're suggesting is that the end users no longer know or care how they're getting information, just that [it is done in a] secure fashion," Zanone said.
"I want to give a disproportionate advantage to public safety" during emergency response, said Cisco's Morgan Wright, who also has a law enforcement background. Cisco has not disclosed pricing information; the technology is still in a test phase.
San Jose OKs Wireless Expansion
California's San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to expand wireless Internet access in the downtown area.
With the assistance of a pro bono provider, the city has had wireless "hot spots" in San Pedro Square, Plaza de Cesar and the Circle of the Palms since 2004. But Mayor Ron Gonzales in his 2005 budget address asked staff to explore the project's expansion. His wireless technology policy team found that private-sector stakeholders were receptive to online service in the city's libraries and community centers, but were reluctant to support a city-wide wireless system.
Two main drivers for the installation of Wi-Fi downtown are the Zero-One arts and technology festival scheduled for August 2006, and the potential for a wireless system of automated traffic signals that could ease traffic congestion, according to a memo last week from Chief Information Officer John Bjurman.
As a result, the council approved a plan that will issue a request for proposals by December and select a vendor by January. Costs are expected to be less than $100,000 for initial deployment, which will be split between a parking fund and the redevelopment agency. It likely will cost $60,000 per year thereafter. The parking fund is expected to generate $18,000, while the remaining $42,000 will be addressed during the annual budget process.
ID Ruling Not A Peach Of A Deal
Georgia's attorney general on Friday filed an appeal to a federal court decision that ruled a voter identification bill unconstitutional. A Rome, Ga., federal court last week delayed implementation of a recently enacted law requiring voters to show a state-issued photo ID at the polls. The plaintiffs argued that the burden of obtaining acceptable identification would be too high for poor voters.
Judge Harold Murphy agreed. He said the state is not providing enough assistance to voters who cannot afford ID cards. The appeal from Attorney General Thurbert Baker seeks to delay the judge's preliminary injunction and requests speedy action on behalf of the appeals court.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center in July submitted public comments in opposition to the law. "Compelling qualified citizens to acquire and present state-issued picture identification cards at voting polls represents an unjustified privacy infringement," the group wrote.
School Donation Site Expands To L.A.
A Web site that provides a link between schools and people who want to donate books and supplies expanded this week to the Los Angeles, Compton, Inglewood and Hawthorne districts of California, the Los Angeles Times reports. Donors Choose has raised more than $4 million for schools in New York, Chicago and elsewhere over the past five years. The expansion in Los Angeles was made possible by a donation from Robert Daly, former chief executive and chairman of Warner Bros., and singer Carole Bayer Sager. The Los Angeles School District has been struggling amidst $1 billion in spending cuts. Teachers have posted more than 40 requests, including money for museum field trips, sports equipment and astronomy books.
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