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Governors Sketch Tech Goals For 2006
by Michael Martinez
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin used his State of the State speech on Wednesday to encourage lawmakers to pursue a progressive agenda in 2006.
Despite the grim backdrop of this month's coal-mining tragedy in the state, Manchin said he is optimistic that technological advancements will improve the state's economy and modernize its healthcare system.
Manchin previously has promoted electronic health records and pledged in his speech to create a statewide health information network to increase the quality of care and lower costs. He said the initiative will be completed in conjunction with HealtheWV, an electronic records program championed by U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., and managed by the National Technology Transfer Center at Wheeling Jesuit University.
Manchin, a Democrat, also announced plans for the construction of a new technology park in Charleston. He said the initiative would result in the relocation of engineering programs at the West Virginia Institute of Technology in Montgomery to the new facility. The technology park will help repair economic maladies related to the deterioration of the state's manufacturing industry, he said.
Manchin said West Virginia already is well on its way to economic recovery. He listed Amazon.com and Northrop Grumman among a list of 40 companies that chose to relocate to the state or expand operations there in 2005.
Governors throughout the country echoed Manchin's enthusiasm for technology in other State of the State speeches this week.
Arizona's Janet Napolitano urged lawmakers in her state to support an innovation initiative designed to attract world-class researchers and develop advanced technologies and products. "We're going to emphasize the cutting edge in everything we do here, whether it's sustainable systems technology, nanotech, biotech, defense tech, aerospace tech or new communications and information technology," she said.
Napolitano, a Democrat, also proposed a $100 million plan to curtail illegal immigration and secure the state's Southern border. She said her strategy includes incorporating high-tech systems to intercept stolen vehicles traveling to Mexico before they return to the United States with illegal immigrants.
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue announced plans for a $5 million grant program to provide rural, high-speed Internet access. He also said he intends to budget $38 million in bonds to complete the construction of a nanotechnology research center at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
In Indiana, Gov. Mitch Daniels used the podium to throw his weight behind a Senate measure to deregulate telecommunications laws. The bill would allow phone companies to set their own prices after 2009 and would empower the state with franchising authority for video programming.
Daniels, a Republican, said the state has learned its lessons about waiting to reform telecom laws. "Two decades ago, Indiana waited too long, left an outmoded regulatory regime in place and lost its in-state banks as a result," Daniels said.
And in Missouri, Gov. Matt Blunt said he is creating an information technology task force to recommend ways to revamp the state's healthcare system. He also pressed lawmakers to create a healthcare technology fund to ensure that innovations pervade the state.
Good And Bad News For Minnesota Broadband
Minnesota is ahead of the curve in offering high-speed Internet access, but a "digital divide" has grown between rural and urban areas, according to a study released this week.
The Center for Rural Policy and Development, a nonprofit research organization based in St. Peter, Minn., found that although a majority of Minnesotans are now online, there is still a significant difference in technology adoption between rural and metropolitan households. The report summarizes the data of organization's fifth annual study on Internet use in Minnesota.
Jack Geller, the center's president, attributed the rift to socio-demographic differences between geographic areas. He said broadband connectivity has swelled, but the growth of computer ownership has flattened. According to the report, broadband adoption in Minnesota increased nearly 6 percent in 2005.
Minnesota is home to several municipal broadband projects, including a low-cost, wireless network in Chaska that was among the first of its kind. Minneapolis is in the in early stages of developing a privately owned, citywide network.
According to the report, demand for broadband connectivity in Minnesota is a function of computer ownership. Geller said the data intuitively suggests that areas with more computers tend to be the ones with more people connected to high-speed service.
"It seems what is really driving this is the adoption of computers in the home," he said. "That really is the entry point at which everything else falls. In those geographies where there is greater penetration of home computers, everything else seems to follow."
Geller said the data collected by the report opens a complex debate about the proliferation of broadband. He said that even though the data demonstrates a split between rural and urban areas, the root of Minnesota's digital divide is about much more than geography.
"The fact of the matter is that rural populations tend to include more old people and more low-income households," he said. "People who are older and have less money are far less likely to adopt these technologies. Geography is only the first layer of the onion here."
Washington Gets More Cash For Highway GPS Program
Washington received an additional $1.48 million from the Federal Highway Administration on Tuesday to continue testing global positioning systems as a way to track traffic congestion.
The grant is part of the federal agency's push for innovations to reduce traffic backups on toll roads and high-occupancy-vehicle lanes. Washington received $600,000 to start testing its GPS program last year on a highway in King County.
Under the program, Washington transportation officials monitor traffic with GPS devices to learn more about the effect of charging travelers to use certain roads or lanes based on "peak periods."
Acting Federal Highway Administrator J. Richard Coppa said the tolling implemented by the program would keep traffic flowing, and generate revenue for improvements and expansions to be made to transportation systems.
L.A. Libraries To Install Porn Filters
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday allocated $344,000 for the installation of filtering software and privacy screens to block pornography on computers at 14 public libraries.
The board also voted to relocate "adult" computers at libraries, and to require the facilities to have signs warning that sexually explicit sites are not allowed to be viewed on the premises.
The board approved the measure in October but did not vote on funding until this week. The money will come from the city's information technology fund.
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