Government Affairs

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WWGA BLOG ENTRIES THIS WEEK:

Cisco Statement for Congressional Human Rights Caucus Meeting
http://blogs.cisco.com/gov/2006/02/cisco_statement_for_congressio.html

EU: "Television Without Frontiers" Directive
http://blogs.cisco.com/gov/2006/02/eu_television_without_frontier.html

Broadband: Slovenia in the Rearview Mirror
http://blogs.cisco.com/gov/2006/02/broadband_slovenia_in_the_rear.html

OP-ED BY CISCO CEO JOHN CHAMBERS— Response to President Bush’s State of the Union Address - "For the past several years, some of us in the high-tech community have stated that our competitive edge has slipped and that we, as a nation, aren't doing enough to ensure that our economy remains the most innovative and dynamic in the world." http://news.com.com/Answering+Bushs+competition+challenge/2010-1014_3-6033639.html

BUSH: MATH AND SCIENCE CRITICAL TO GLOBAL COMPETITION— President Bush urged spending more federal funds to improve math and science programs in U.S. schools during his State of the Union address, a call to action that won approval from private sector execs in the tech industry as well as science professors at universities. http://www.technewsworld.com/story/E1gLe9PCGlH022/Bush-Math-and-Science-Critical-to-Global-Competition.xhtml

BUSH CALLS FOR LIFTING CAP ON SPECIAL H-1B VISAS — President George W. Bush called on Congress to raise the cap on the so-called H-1B visas that allow companies to fill high tech jobs with foreign workers. "The problem is, is that Congress has limited the number of H-1B visas," Bush said in a speech. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/02/AR2006020201141.html

DIGITAL TV TRANSITION DATE APPROVED— Legislation requiring U.S. broadcasters to abandon their analog spectrum, opening up the "beachfront" spectrum to next-generation wireless services and emergency response agencies, is headed to U.S. President George Bush to be signed into law. http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/124598;_ylt=An4dHk7U93flO8JOc4xaiaAjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

U.S. TO JUDGE: HOLD OFF ON BLACKBERRY SHUTDOWN— The U.S. Justice Department urged a federal judge to refrain from any plans to shut the BlackBerry portable e-mail service over patent infringement until the government gets more assurances its users will be exempted. http://news.com.com/U.S.+to+judge+Hold+off+on+BlackBerry+shutdown/2100-1047_3-6034147.html

PERSPECTIVE: ANTI-CHINA HYPOCRISY IN CONGRESS?— It's usually wise to be skeptical when our elected leaders in the U.S. Congress start to proclaim their devotion to democratic ideals like free speech. This time is no exception. The Congressional Human Rights Caucus is holding a briefing to look at how U.S. Internet companies are complying with Chinese government orders, and a House International Relations subcommittee has a virtually identical session planned for Feb. 15. http://news.com.com/Anti-China+hypocrisy+in+Congress/2010-1023_3-6033681.html

FCC PROPOSES FINES FOR AT&T, ALLTEL— U.S. communications regulators proposed fining AT&T and Alltel $100,000 each for failing to properly certify that they have safeguarded their customers' personal call information. http://news.com.com/FCC+proposes+fines+for+AT38T%2C+Alltel/2100-1036_3-6033120.html

REALIZING THE BENEFITS OF IPV6 WILL TAKE TIME — There are a lot of reasons for using version 6 of the Internet Protocols: Expanded address space, simplified management, improved security. But for federal network managers, all these arguments have been trumped by commandments handed down from the Defense Department and the Office of Management and Budget: Thou shalt move to IPv6. http://www.gcn.com/25_01/Communications_Networking/37897-1.html?topic=Communications_Networking

EC TO STEP UP E-GOVERNMENT SERVICES— European Commission (EC) Vice-President Siim Kallas is currently taking a three-day visit to Portugal to address the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in achieving the goals of the Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs in Europe http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=13094

EU LOOKS TO STRENGTHEN PARTNERSHIPS IN LATIN AMERICA— During talks with ministers in Brazil and Argentina today and tomorrow, Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media, will be discussing ways to build on the EU's cooperation with Brazil and Argentina in information and communication technologies. HTTP://WWW.DMEUROPE.COM/DEFAULT.ASP?ARTICLEID=13024

TWENTY PERCENT OF EUROPEANS FIND LANDLINES UNNECESSARY— More and more consumers -- not just twenty-somethings -- are interested in giving up their conventional landline telephone for a mobile phone. http://www.technewsworld.com/story/48471.html

GATES DOWNPLAYS E.U. LEGAL PROBLEMS — Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates says his company's legal dispute with the European Union is relatively unimportant in view of the company's overall strong relations with the 25-member bloc. The European Commission ruled in 2004 that the world's biggest software maker had violated EU antitrust rules, but Gates said Microsoft was a "key partner" in the EU's plans to raise its competitiveness. http://news.com.com/Gates+downplays+EU+legal+problems/2100-1014_3-6034733.html

U.K. BATTLES WEB TV REGULATION— The U.K. government is fighting an attempt by the European Commission to change the way television is regulated in Europe amid fears that this could lead to the regulation of Internet content. James Purnell, the broadcasting minister, plans to lobby a number of European countries this week against proposed changes to the Television Without Frontiers directive. http://news.com.com/U.K.+battles+Web+TV+regulation/2100-1028_3-6032794.html

UK BROADBAND VETS SEE DSL CONNECTIONS CUT— Some of the UK's longest-serving ADSL customers have lost their broadband connections because of work being carried out by BT. As many as 100 people, who were early trialists of broadband in the UK supplied by BT Wholesale, are understood to have been cut off this week. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/03/bt_dsl_demon/

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS and MOSCOW -ENFORTA BV ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT IT WILL EXPAND ITS BROADBAND SERVICES TO ANOTHER 12 REGIONAL RUSSIAN CITIES BY THE MIDDLE OF 2006 and an additional 14 regional cities by 2007. Enforta is currently providing broadband services in Novosibirsk and Ryazan. In all, Enforta will provide services in at least 28 cities over the next two years http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=107742

VIRUS DELAYS STOCK TRADING IN RUSSIA— Trading was suspended for an hour at Russia's main stock exchange because of a computer virus, officials said. No permanent damage was caused and no information was lost. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/03/AR2006020301478.html

DEUTSCHE TELEKOM ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR 2006— At Deutsche Telekom's annual press conference in Berlin, the telco unveiled its initiatives for 2006. Among its plans for the year are a fibre-optic network rollout for 10 cities, a fixed-mobile convergent telephone solution, the launch of HSPDA services and IT services for the FIFA World Cup. Deutsche Telekom will invest €500m up front towards connecting the first 10 cities to Germany's new hyper-fast broadband network. http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=13122

PORTUGUESE INTERNET USERS INCREASED BY 6.6% IN Q3— The number of internet access service customers in Portugal stood at 1.4 million in September, 6.6 per cent more than in the previous quarter, according to figures from Portuguese telecoms regulator Anacom. Some 1.1 million of these users were broadband customers, 8 per cent more than in the second quarter of the year. The figure for dial-up internet customers was 295,756, up 1.3 per cent over the preceding quarter http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=13018

ALL COUNTRIES EXCEPT FOR U.S. BACK RUSSIA'S ACCESSION TO WTO - PUTIN— All countries except for the United States back Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a Kremlin news conference. http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060131/43257865.html

BATELCO'S BROADBAND VISION— Batelco's vision is to offer Broadband service to every household in Bahrain by 2008, and reductions for Broadband Business Packages of up to 43% have been announced. Batelco research showed that almost 50% of its customers believed that its internet access rates are high and expected faster access. http://www.ameinfo.com/76760.html

DOUBTS OVER NEW UAE TELCO— UAE newspapers are expressing skepticism over the new Emirates Integrated Telecoms Company, established to end the Etisalat monopoly. Questions have been raised over the secrecy surrounding EITC, its lack of ability to compete on price, and what actual choice the telco will offer customers. UAE international call rates are currently among the highest in the world, with IP telephony banned. http://www.ameinfo.com/76424.html

QATAR-TEACHERS TO BE TRAINED ON USE OF INTERNET TECHNOLOGY— The teacher training marks the first step in empowering teachers in integrating ICT in education. http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=February2006&file=Local_News200602024467.xml

COMSAT HIKES LATAM INVESTMENT TO US$70MN — US telecoms operator Comsat International plans to increase investments in Latin America to US$70mn this year, from US$40mn pumped into the region last year, Comsat's global CEO George Kappaz told BNamericas. The investment will be directed at mainly mega-projects and network expansion, in particular a large-scale network expansion in Brazil. This will allow Comsat Brasil to grow from 60 points of presence to 100, allowing direct control of last mile access to end customers, he said. http://www.bnamericas.com/story.jsp?idioma=I§or=2¬icia=343274

PERU- OSIPTEL BETS ON SMALL OPERATORS, WIRELESS TO UP TELEDENSITY— Peruvian telecoms regulator Osiptel believes small operators and wireless technology are the answers to increasing the country's low teledensity—Osiptel general manager Jaime Cárdenas told BNamericas. http://www.bnamericas.com/story.jsp?idioma=I§or=2¬icia=342810

WOMEN DECIDE IT'S A BOY THING— More Australian women than ever are turning their backs on information and communication technology degrees, according to a Victorian report that suggests a new crisis in low participation rates. http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,17998300%5E15317%5E%5Enbv%5E15306,00.html

NEW ZEALAND-BROADBAND ESSENTIAL FOR DELIVERING FUTURE GROWTH— Communications Minister David Cunliffe says a regulatory review should be completed by the middle of the year, and he has strongly signalled that the status quo is not an option. That's because broadband, a fancy term for fast internet, is no longer a topic for geek magazines or newspapers' tech pages - it's gone mainstream. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=55&ObjectID=10366810

NEW ZEALAND - INDUSTRY CALL TO BREAK BROADBAND MONOPOLY BACKED— Greens back industry call to break broadband monopoly. Telecom's monopoly over the IT wire infrastructure is harming New Zealand businesses and denying people access to technology, Green Party Information and Communications Technology spokesperson Nandor Tanczos says http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0602/S00058.htm

THE CHINA INTERNET NETWORK INFORMATION CENTER REPORTS THAT THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED ".CN" DOMAIN NAMES TOPPED ONE MILLION FOR THE FIRST TIME— This represents an annual increase of 154% and makes the .cn top-level domain the largest in Asia and the sixth-largest in the world, it said. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=302530

PHILIPPINES-NEW BROADBAND-OVER-POWER LINES TECHNOLOGY KICKS OFF IN BATAAN — A United States-based firm and the Peninsula Electric Cooperative of Bataan formally launched a new technology that will make use of electric lines not only for electric power but also for Internet connection, telephone lines and cable television. http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/jan/29/yehey/prov/20060129pro3.html

MICROSOFT TO TAKE INTERNET TO RURAL INDIA — Microsoft has announced a new program in India, called Saksham, that aims to set up internet kiosks that offer localised content and applications. The program's focus is rural India, where 70 per cent of the country's population lives. http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?home&NewsID=13747

S.KOREA TO OPEN FREE TRADE TALKS WITH U.S — South Korea decided to begin talks with the United States toward a free trade agreement between the two countries, a government official said. The decision came at a meeting of Cabinet ministers in charge of the economy Thursday evening, said Lee Seong-ho, an official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0206/299387.html

FATAL CONCEIT AT THE CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION— After a year of heading in the right direction, the California Public Utilities Commission veered off course last week when Commissioner Dian Grueneich initiated a dangerous move towards old command-and-control regulation. http://www.technewsworld.com/story/rJUsIkqKgVBPSM/Fatal-Conceit-at-the-California-Public-Utilities-Commission.xhtml

PA-SCHOOL GRANT SEEKS BETTER INTERNET USE— A $1.1 million state grant announced Thursday will pop the ''technology bubble'' that has sealed off some area schools from better Internet access, officials said.The money, from a $10 million ''E-Fund'' paid for by Pennsylvania telecommunications businesses to improve schools and develop technological infrastructure for economic growth, was announced at a news conference. http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b1_1wiredfeb03,0,7064063.story?coll=all-newslocal-hed

NEW YORK REPORT RECOMMENDS TECH RESEARCH CENTER— A new report describing New York’s homeland security vulnerabilities recommends the creation of a center where representatives from the public, private and academic sectors can develop innovative technologies. The report, “After the Storm,” recommends establishing a Center for Homeland Security Innovation as a “nexus” of public- and private-sector resources to develop strategy, policy and technology. http://www.fcw.com/article92166-02-01-06-Web

MA- FORMER MASSACHUSETTS CIO RETURNS— Louis Gutierrez, a former Massachusetts chief information officer, has been reappointed to that position by Thomas Trimarco, the commonwealth’s administration and finance secretary. Gutierrez served as the state’s CIO from 1996 to 1998. http://www.fcw.com/article92149-01-31-06-Web

BIOMETRICS USE TO ACCELERATE IN 2006— Electronic passports have driven technological improvements in biometrics and will pave the way for greater commercial use of it in 2006, IT services company Unisys predicted. http://news.com.com/Biometrics+use+to+accelerate+in+2006/2100-1029_3-6034384.html

VPN SERVICES REVENUE TO HIT $278 MILLION BY 2007: REPORT — Revenues from virtual private network (VPN) and integrated security services will grow significantly, representing a major revenue opportunity for service providers over the next two years, according to Infonetics Research. http://www.networkingpipeline.com/news/177104114;jsessionid=5115P1201WEFOQSNDBECKHSCJUMEKJVN

GLOBAL VOIP SUBSCRIBERS TO TOP 55M IN 2009— The global market for consumer VoIP services has arrived, with total VoIP subscribers worldwide reaching 16 million in 2005 and projected to grow to over 55 million by 2009, according to a report from market research firm In-Stat. http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=13160

BROADBAND PROVIDERS OUTPACE PURE-PLAY VOIP FIRMS— Broadband service providers in Europe and North America have surpassed pure-play vendors in the number of Internet telephony minutes used by subscribers, a network management vendor said. http://206.190.35.122/s/cmp/20060202/tc_cmp/178600532

NEW EXAM AIMS TO MEASURE TECH 'LITERACY'— When it comes to downloading music and instant messaging, today's students are plenty tech-savvy. But that doesn't mean they know how to make good use of the endless stream of information that computers put at their fingertips. Educators and employers call those skills "technology literacy," and while everyone agrees it's important to have, it also is difficult to measure. The ICT Literacy Assessment touches on traditional skills, such as analytical reading and math, but with a technological twist. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/02/AR2006020201198.html

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