E-GOVERNMENT
Calif. Leads In E-Gov, Tenn & Nevada Vie For Worst (WP)
FCC
Telecom's Man Of The Moment (SA)
SECURITY
Gates: Security Is Top Priority
E-GOVERNMENT
CALIF. LEADS IN E-GOV, TENN & NEVADA VIE FOR WORST
Issue: E-Government
According to a newly released report, based on a study conducted by
researchers at Indiana University-Bloomington, California, Maine, North
Carolina, North Dakota and Pennsylvania host the most citizen-friendly Web
portals in the nation. The study, commissioned by PricewaterhouseCoopers,
found that the states with the best Web sites offered citizens a chance to
customize the sites by creating personal profiles and choosing relevant
content based on those profiles. The report awarded the highest marks to
states that organized online service delivery around events - such as
vehicle registration - rather than government departments. Yet researchers
found that many sites failed to offer even basic contact information, and
most state portals did little to instill constituent trust. Several states
merited kudos for having particularly "accessible and usable" sites that
attempted to ensure access to users of different skill levels and abilities.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Krebs (Newsbytes.com)]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/govtit/14712-1.html)
FCC
TELECOM'S MAN OF THE MOMENT
Issue: FCC
Recently celebrating his first anniversary as chairman of Federal
Communications Commission, Michael K. Powell has established himself as a
strong free-market advocate who has steadily advanced a mantra of "less
regulation, more competition." Having initiated policy reviews on everything
from cross-media ownership to how the radio-frequency spectrum should be
allocated, Powell says he is eager to create "a coherent, cogent vision" of
the commission's goals and activities. His critics, though, assert that he
has to clearly articulate his policy goals. The trouble is that "he doesn't
distinguish between diversity in the sense of variety of content and
diversity in the sense of independence of voices and opinions," contends
Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president and CEO of the Media Access Project, a
public-interest law firm. "The test we're looking for is whether he'll try
to use technology to promote the [media] diversity goals he talks about."
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Julie Wakefield]
(http://www.sciam.com/2002/0202issue/0202profile.html)
SECURITY
GATES: SECURITY IS TOP PRIORITY
Issue: Security
In a memo e-mailed to all employees Tuesday, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates
commanded his troops to attack the problems of computer security and privacy
as a top companywide priority. "When we face a choice between adding
features and resolving security issues, we need to choose security," Gates
wrote in the e-mail. "Our products should emphasize security right out of
the box." The message to the Microsoft staff comes after a recent set of
security and reliability problems that have added fuel to long-simmering
worries about the defensive capabilities of the company's software.
"Microsoft has a serious image problem when it comes to the reliability,
security and stability of its network services and products," said Richard
Forno, chief technology officer for information assurance firm ShadowLogic.
"My gut feeling on this announcement today is that it's a PR blitz, pure and
simple," Forno added.
[SOURCE: CNET, AUTHOR: Robert Lemos]
(http://www.usatoday.com/hear.htm)
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