DIGITAL DIVIDE
Habitat For Humanity, Cisco Building Net-Wired Homes
Connecting Indian Country to the Information Age
E-GOVERNMENT
Michigan Considers a Cybercourt
Council Offers Plan For E-Government (WP)
INTERNET
Data Basics: Internet Use Slipped Late Last Year (WP)
Top Dollar DSL (ZDNET)
DIGITAL DIVIDE
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, CISCO BUILDING NET-WIRED HOMES
Issue: Digital Divide
A California-based chapter of Habitat for Humanity Inc., in partnership with
Cisco Systems, is wiring almost every room in a group of homes in Redwood
City, CA for Internet and telephone access. Each of the cluster of six
townhouses is wired to be a small area network, connected to outside
utilities through a "community center." Outside Internet access to the
cluster can be by cable, DSL or telephone lines. These homes could become a
prototype for homes being built for the poor around the world. They will be
the first of many wired homes planned for construction in the United States,
Europe and Africa by Habitat for Humanity International in collaboration
with the Cisco Foundation.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Marilyn Lewis]
(http://www0.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/front/docs/habita022201.htm)
CONNECTING INDIAN COUNTRY TO THE INFORMATION AGE
Issue: Digital Divide
Federal Communications Commissioner Gloria Tristani spoke before the
National Congress of American Indians about efforts to provide access to
telecommunications in Indian country. Full remarks:
http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Tristani/2001/spgt103.html.
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Tristani/2001/spgt103.html)
E-GOVERNMENT
MICHIGAN CONSIDERS A CYBERCOURT
Issue: E-Government
In an effort to lure technology companies to Michigan, Gov. John Engler
wants to establish a separate "cybercourt" for cases involving technology
and high-tech businesses, where virtually everything would be done via
computer rather than in a courtroom. Briefs could be filed online, evidence
viewed by streaming video and oral arguments delivered by teleconferencing.
Lawyers would not have to be in Michigan or even be licensed to practice in
the state. The Judges would be trained to understand the complex issues that
arise in technology disputes. But not everyone is enthusiastic to have such
a cybercourt. Max S. Oppenheimer, a Baltimore lawyer specializing in
intellectual property, wondered whether "by training our judges to be
friendly to business, we will deliberately build in a bias to attempt to
attract a certain class of litigants to the state."
[SOURCE: New York Times (Online), AUTHOR: Pam Belluck]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/22/technology/22CYBE.html)
(requires registration)
COUNCIL OFFERS PLAN FOR E-GOVERNMENT
Issue: E-Government
The Council for Excellence in Government has released a plan for "achieving
full electronic government in the United States" by harnessing "a
breakthrough seen as comparable in impact to the invention of the printing
press." The nonprofit group recommends establishing a new federal leadership
structure accompanied by a five-year, $3 billion appropriation from Congress
for an "e-government strategic investment fund." The new leadership
structure would include a Cabinet-level position and an office of electronic
government and information policy within the Office of Management and
Budget. Don Upson, chief technology adviser to Virginia Gov. James S.
Gilmore III (R), endorsed the proposed management structure but also
suggested that most useful e-government action for individuals takes place
at the local level. "I challenge anyone to quickly name three transactions
that you think of making daily with the federal government," he said.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (A07), AUTHOR: Ben White]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37667-2001Feb21.html)
INTERNET
TOP DOLLAR DSL
Issue: Broadband
With the competition vanquished, the coast is clear for regional Bells to
raise rates for broadband services over Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL). SBC
has quietly boosted its standard residential packages that sold for $40 per
month last fall to $50. Market experts predicted others will follow and
prices will keep rising. At the end of 2000, there were 2,429,189 DSLs in
service, according to telecommunications research firm TeleChoice. By the
end of 2004, there will be more than 17 million, the firm predicted. While
the FCC has promised consumers choice and competition in broadband services,
it has not been able to protect DSL competitors from the dominance of the
regional Bell telecommunications powerhouses. "The strategy for telcos in
DSL has been to destroy the competition," said Alan Tumolillo, senior vice
president at Probe Research. Eric Moyer, director of marketing at
competitive DSL provider Covad Communications, said regional Bells, as well
as competitive providers, created immense demand for DSL by keeping the
prices so low. Once they realized they couldn't satisfy those demands and
create any meaningful revenue, it was time to raise the prices and only
serve those customers willing to pay a premium. "They're probably realizing
it's a little more expensive than they once thought," Moyer said. "They
realized those price levels were not something they could sustain."
[SOURCE: ZDNET Interactive Week, AUTHOR: Ploskina and Coffield]
(http://www.zdnet.com/intweek/stories/news/0%2C4164%2C2687148%2C00.html)
INTERNET USE SLIPPED LATE LAST YEAR
Issue: Internet
According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, several studies have
detected a drop in Internet use in the latter months of 2000.
PricewaterhouseCoopers reported in November that the average American user
spent an hour less than time online than in the same period in 1999.
Nielsen/NetRatings reported the average person spent 14.9 hours online in
December, a drop from 16.5 hours in November and 17.5 hours in October. Pew
researchers said they also found that users spent an average of a few
minutes less online in November and December than in the corresponding
May-June period. And researchers said there also was a slight decrease at
the end of the year in the number of people who use the Internet for two or
more hours at a time. But Pew is attributing those changes to the fact that
the Internet population grew significantly during 2000. The number of adults
going online during the past year grew by 16 million, to 104 million, or 56
percent of the population.
[SOURCE: The Washington Post (E10), AUTHOR: Dan Beyers]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38515-2001Feb21.html)
See Also:
THE INCREDIBLE EXPANDING INTERNET
[SOURCE: CNET News, AUTHOR: AP Wire]
(http://cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-4861949.html?tag=mn_hd)
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