legislators

Of wireless wonderlands and city politics

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 07:00:00 -0400

It is disappointing to see Chicago and San Francisco's municipal wireless initiatives falter, because the biggest losers in that delay are the citizens who are disconnected from the digital economy. This summer, Chicago unveiled, to great fanfare, a digital inclusion initiative backed by Mayor Daly, which was to serve as a national model for integrating the disenfranchised into a connected society--a society that increasingly depends on high-speed Internet access to accomplish even the most basic tasks. Indeed, many government services are now being offered online, including everything from paying traffic tickets to accessing financial resources from social services. Wireless access to network resources is a critical component of efforts to improve outreach and to serve those most in need. San Francisco, similarly, has turned muni WiFi into a political game of football, pitting city legislators against a popular mayor. Whatever the merits of the arguments on any side of the negotiating table, the big losers will be the citizens of these great cities.

I hope you have a great labor Day. I'm going to the beach and FierceMarkets is closed, so look for your regular issue of FierceCIO on Tuesday instead of Monday. Enjoy your time off. -Patty

Homeland security plans for interoperability by 2008

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 19:01:36 -0500

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has set some formidable goals for itself. One is establishing true interoperability for emergency communications. In fact, DHS leader Michael Chertoff wants to have such a system in place by the end of 2008. Legislators, unsurprisingly, are a bit skeptical of the ambitious plan, noting the security and tech issues that have plagued both state and federal agencies during the past few years. But the biggest hurdle may be the money needed to make Chertoff's plan a reality.

For more on the DHS tech goals:
- read the news at Computerworld

Plus: What's stalling the Navy's interoperability innovations. Article
Related Article: Why humans are the biggest tech threat. Article

H1-B visa issue still looms in Congress

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 20:01:35 -0400

In what has to be music to the ears of techies who believe that the H1-B immigration program threatens U.S. IT professionals, it's becoming increasingly unlikely that the visa cap will be increased this year, as there are too many bills ahead of it in Congress. Right now the cap is set at 65,000 and it's maxed out. Some big tech titans want to boost the number, saying that an increase is needed to get skilled talent on board. Some professional tech groups, such as the Programmers Guild, are still keeping a close eye on immigration bills pending before legislators, hoping that some amendment boosting the cap doesn't suddenly appear and get approved.

For more on the visa issue:
- read this article at InformationWeek

Data-selling falls under close scrutiny

Sun, 09 Jul 2006 20:01:37 -0400

If your company relies on data for business operations and is busy buying up data records -- or even selling customer data to other businesses as a revenue line -- you need to make sure everyone's following the rules, and that you've got the right privacy and data protection walls in place. Businesses that sell and buy data are under scrutiny these days from legislators and lawmakers are worried about the continual spate of data breaches and consumer security and privacy issues.

For more on data rules and privacy laws:
- see this article at InformationWeek

Lawmakers haggling over new communications rules

Sun, 02 Jul 2006 20:01:36 -0400

The Internet and all that comes with it--such as increased security risks to data, the proliferation of child pornography and the battle over selling bandwidth based on use--is the forefront of pending legislation within states and the federal government these days. One such bill is a communications legislative effort in which legislators are haggling to add amendments such as one that would stop states from preventing municipalities to build and run wireless networks.

For more on the tech issues facing legislation:
- take a look at this article at CNet News.com