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Michigan To See Telecom Deregulation
by Chloe Albanesius
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm last week signed a telecom deregulation bill that will allow phone providers to set their own rates in most markets.
The Michigan Public Service Commission would maintain control of rates for those with basic phone service. Under the bill, H.B. 5237, basic service was increased from 50 to 100 calls a month per household. Commissioners would not have authority over municipally owned network.
The measure "reflects the new reality of telecommunications competition," bill sponsor and chairman of the House Energy and Technology Committee Mike Nofs, said in a statement. "A critical component of a successful business climate is a viable telecommunications industry."
The Senate last month approved a similar telecom deregulation bill, S.B. 754, but it is awaiting action in the House Committee on Energy and Technology.
The public service commission, meanwhile, voted three months ago to deregulate residential rates in metropolitan Detroit and other large Michigan cities.
Verizon Expands Fiber To Washington State
Verizon Communications on Wednesday announced that Washington will be the 16th state in which it will deploy a fiber-optic network.
The company next year plans to install more than 2.7 million feet of fiber-optic cabling, which eventually will reach 60,000 homes and small businesses. Verizon will roll out the service in sections of Bothell, Redmond, Kirkland and Kenmore before moving on to Everett, Bellevue and portions of adjacent counties.
The effort is designed to "stimulate the local economy and offer telecommuting and additional online options," Verizon Northwest President Steve Banta said in a statement.
Verizon will add 65 full-time positions by mid-2006, including those needed for fiber splicing, installation and repair, engineering and drafting. The company also plans to hire about 435 contract employees by next summer for similar projects. The fiber deployment "sends a strong signal to other potential investors -- now is the time and Washington is the place," said Gov. Christine Gregoire, a Democrat. Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., said it will provide communities will the ability to "continue leading the nation in innovation."
Verizon has spent millions on fiber-to-the-home efforts as it moves to provide more services, including television, over the networks. It is building FTTH networks in 15 other states, including Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.
Virginia Center Wins $21M Defense Contract
The Defense Department has awarded a Virginia-based homeland security program a $2.1 million program development grant.
The Institute for Defense and Homeland Security, which is housed within Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology, will take proposals submitted to Defense for three security-related programs and turn them into more cohesive working concepts.
"As we face threats such as bioterrorism and avian flu, we must use existing technology in new and innovative ways that will help us be better prepared for these security issues," said Gov. Mark Warner, a Democrat. "By turning these concepts into workable programs, we will be taking steps to both spur research opportunities and help keep our citizens safer."
The institute will work on, among other things, an environmental bioterrorism detection network. It will use animals and plant life and biosensors to better detect and respond to biological threats, according to the center. Another effort, dubbed Red Cell, will use cell-phone technology for an alert system for responders to emergencies. Finally, "Remote Presence" will incorporate more low-tech options into emergency response strategies, such as ground and aerial vehicles.
"These three programs are taking existing technologies and, with limited money, leveraging their use into other areas in innovative ways that will not only make us safer but may create additional economic opportunities for creative entrepreneurs," said Eugene Huang, the commonwealth's secretary of technology.
Tempe Launches Wi-Fi Network
The city of Tempe, Ariz., on Monday unveiled its city-wide Wi-Fi network. The 40-square-mile setup is using wireless technology from California-based Strix Systems and was deployed by telecom company MobilePro. Nan Chen, Strix vice president of marketing, said the system is "the first and largest of its kind to demonstrate not only the ability to provide data services to users, but advanced voice and video applications as well." In addition to enabling businesses and residents to connect anywhere in the city, police cruisers and fire trucks will be equipped with wireless enabled laptops in order to stay connected.
Seattle Dubbed Most 'Internet Literate' City
Seattle is the most "Internet literate" city, according to a report from Central Connecticut State University.
Using figures collected from Intel's third annual survey on the "most unwired cities," researchers selected cities with more than 250,000 residents and analyzed the number of library Internet connections, commercial and public wireless Internet access points, Internet book orders per capita and the percentage of residents who have read a newspaper online. Rounding out the top five cities were Minneapolis, Washington, Atlanta and San Francisco.
The Center for Digital Government, meanwhile, has released its annual "Best of the Web," with Delaware's Web portal topping the list. The cities of Washington and New Orleans tied for first place in the city portal category, and Hennepin County, Minn., won top honors in the county category.
The state Web portals for Tennessee, Indiana, Washington and Virginia also were praised for their efforts. Sites run by Virginia Beach, Va.; Tampa, Fla.; Seattle and New York City also won acclaim.
States Irked By Web Revenue Drain
State tax officials bemoaned the lack of revenue coming in from online purchases made on the Monday after Thanksgiving, often the busiest day for Internet shopping.
Dubbed "cyber Monday," shoppers swarmed popular e-commerce Web sites for deals not found at brick-and-mortar outfits over the weekend. But while states received tax revenue from sales made in stores on "black Friday," they continue to lose out on revenue from Internet-based shopping.
States have banded together through groups like the Streamlined Sales Tax Project, which looks to allow the taxation of online sales, but have not yet been successful in reaching a consensus among all 50 states.
Carole Valardo, president of the Nevada Taxpayers Association, told local KLAS-TV that the state loses between $50 million to $100 million every fiscal year because of uncollected Internet sales taxes. Nevada next year will kick off an amnesty program for retailers who do not currently collect sales tax. Ohio, meanwhile, lost an estimated $600 million last year, Gary Gudmundson of the Ohio Department of Taxation, told the Springfield News-Sun.
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