On The Hill
Rep. Gordon Nears His Personal Goal On Science Panel
by William New
Tennessean Bart Gordon, the new ranking Democrat on the House Science Committee, comes from a district with a legacy of providing some of America's most high-profile political figures but says he is now just one step away from his personal goal as a member of Congress.
"I never expected to die with my boots on here and to outlive everybody and be chairman of some major committee," Gordon, 55, said in a recent interview. "It was always a goal to be the chairman of the Science Committee, [and] the ranking position is a good place to start."
Gordon's predecessors in the district include: Presidents Andrew Jackson and James Polk; Cordell Hull, the secretary of state under President Franklin D. Roosevelt and a man known as the "father of the United Nations"; and Al Gore Sr. and his son, former Vice President Al Gore Jr. Gordon, now in his 10th House term, has continually won tough partisan battles to keep his seat in a district that did not back Gore Jr. for president in 2000.
Gordon is well versed in his new duties. But he is taking a careful approach, seeking consensus on initiatives and waiting until next year, when Congress is not busy with elections, to launch any major efforts. Taking his time may not come naturally. Gordon has a reputation as the fastest member of Congress after beating all other members in an annual three-mile race more than a dozen straight years.
On one issue, cyber-security policy, Gordon favors a hands-off approach to the private sector.
Gordon replaced Rep. Ralph Hall of Texas as the top Democrat when Hall became a Republican last month. When asked to compare himself to Hall, Gordon joked, "Well, he's a little taller and a little older." Although Hall was seen as perhaps the most conservative House Democrat, Gordon said that on committee votes, he and Hall agreed "98 or 99 percent of the time."
He said he hopes to maintain the bipartisan nature of the committee, but said, "There has to be respect for the minority ... for fair play in terms of participation."
When Gordon came to the House, then-Speaker Jim Wright of Texas "showed him the ropes." "He told me some of the Sam Rayburn stories that Sam Rayburn had told him," Gordon said.
But he said Maryland Democrat Steny Hoyer has been his best source of advice and guidance over the years. "I guess if anyone has been a guardian angel, it's been Steny," he said. Gordon also has drawn inspiration from Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California. "When you're around Nancy, you just have to be a better person," he said.
But Gordon denied that he would do the Democratic leadership's bidding on committee. "I think you're going to see just the opposite," he said. "I hope to take them some of the jobs and economic growth issues that can be part of the overall message, where maybe Ralph didn't take those kinds of initiatives."
Lobbying
EIA President Outlines Tech Solutions To Boost Economy
by Ted Leventhal
Despite a tight jobs market and concerns about the overseas exporting of manufacturing and services jobs, the technology industry has solutions for America's short- and long-term economic fears, according to an industry executive.
In an interview with reporters from National Journal's Technology Daily, Dave McCurdy, president of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA), said a national policy on high-speed Internet service would deepen the nation's nascent economic recovery, and he added that a major focus on math and science education is vital to ensure that America remains ahead of the "innovation curve" required to create high-paying jobs for future generations.
"The United States leads the world," said McCurdy, who served as a U.S. congressman from Oklahoma for 14 years before taking the top job at EIA five years ago. "It is not in our interests to withdraw from the world either diplomatically or economically. The answer is not managed trade; the answer is worldwide engagement and competition."
EIA member companies show signs that "the recovery is real," McCurdy said, but growth is slow. "Competition is tight. Return on investment is tight. This is not a bubble nor a boom by any means." The electronics sector has shown gains but is leveling off, he said, while the telecom sector is showing signs of growth and could see real gains next year.
Deploying broadband to every home, regardless of the technology used to do it, would be the best thing America could do to hasten the recovery, McCurdy said. "The government has not been able to develop a broadband strategy or goal," he said. "It's unbelievable. This nation created the technology, but Japan and Korea have higher rates of connectivity because they have a national policy."
But for the U.S. tech economy as a whole to remain vibrant, American dominance in science, engineering and mathematics must be ensured, he said, and that will only come with a new commitment to primary and secondary education. With the world's best universities and most industrious, entrepreneurial workers, the United States will create and profit from at least the next two major industrial trends. But it is unclear which nation will drive the industries of the future.
America must expand the education level of its workforce and continue to innovate if it wants to stay ahead of the jobs curb, McCurdy said. "If we do not emphasize [science, technology, engineering and math], we will lose our dominance," he said. "There is no guarantee that future industrial waves will stem from U.S. creations."
While in the past a college degree was needed for a professional to get ahead, to earn and keep a job, today Americans need more education and training, McCurdy said, adding that workers may have to undergo retraining up to seven times over their lifetimes.
"The traditional partisan response [in Congress] to this problem is not going to work," he said. "I think the [House] Speaker and leadership on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers are looking for solutions."
International
Progress On E-Europe Plan Mixed, Report Finds
by William New
A mid-term review of the European Union's e-Europe initiative to make Europe the most advanced knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010 shows both progress and shortcomings in many areas.
"E-Europe is a key element of our approach to boosting productivity and competitiveness in the European Union while ensuring that people in every part of the union can draw the full benefit from the information society," EU Enterprise and Information Society Commissioner Erkki Liikanen said in a statement. "It has started to take root, but this report shows that acting in partnership with member states we now need to shift up a gear."
The report, which was issued Thursday, shows that information and communications technology is helping to modernize national governments' services, but "wide differences persist" among EU nations in the range of services offered electronically and how much the services allow interaction with public authorities, as opposed to simple collection or downloading of documents.
In another key area, security, a network and information security agency still has not been established. The goal now is to have it in place by the end of 2004. Only 54 percent of companies have a formal security policy for networks and information, the report said.
On e-commerce, more needs to be done to integrate information and communications technology into business processes, the report said. The legal framework for e-commerce is "taking shape," with countries implementing EU laws on e-signatures, e-commerce and copyrights. National governments also will be faced with a package of e-procurement directives for the public sector.
Critical to the success of e-Europe is the adoption of high-speed Internet services, and following an agreement one year ago by EU nations to adopt national broadband strategies, most countries have notified the commission of their plans. The EU is pushing for investment in broadband in economically disadvantaged and rural areas of Europe.
On e-learning, the report showed that almost all schools and training centers in Europe are now online, but more reliable technology and high-speed Internet access are needed. Emphasis also needs to be placed on training teachers, adapting courses to the Internet and moving more educational content online, the report said.
The area of e-health captures all the main themes of the e-Europe plan: dependence on bandwidth, security and privacy. Most EU nations now have dedicated e-health plans aimed at using technology to improve access, deliver better care and control costs. Some have set specific targets for the portion of the budget to be spent on e-health, the report said.
Finally, the report found that implementation is needed for e-accessibility standards, Web Accessibility Initiative guidelines and consistent labeling rules for accessible Web pages. The EU recommended that access be provided over a range of platforms, such as personal computers, digital television and advanced mobile devices. The body also urged campaigns to promote information and communications access and digital literacy.
Telecom
Phone Interests Take Sides On FCC Telephony Ruling
by Molly M. Peterson, CongressDaily
Last week's FCC ruling that an Internet telephony service offered by Pulver.com is not subject to telecommunications regulations has drawn mixed reactions from interest groups, highlighting thorny issues that the technologies are likely to raise as Congress ponders an overhaul of the 1996 Telecommunications Act.
Supporters said the ruling will help create a deregulatory environment for Internet-based telephone services and encourage investment and innovation among potential providers of voice-over-Internet protocol" (VoIP).
But critics contend that the ruling was premature in light of a rulemaking process the FCC announced the same day to address VoIP issues more broadly. They also said the ruling raises troubling questions about potential implications of VoIP on the fund designed to bring affordable telecom access to all Americans, on "enhanced 911" requirements and on the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), which allows police wiretaps in certain cases.
In its declaratory ruling, issued last week and released to the public on Thursday, the FCC concluded that Pulver's Free World Dialup service is an "unregulated information service subject to the commission's jurisdiction" and not a "telecommunications service" subject to traditional phone regulation.
Grant Seiffert, vice president of external affairs and global policy for the Telecommunications Industry Association, called the ruling a "critical first step in setting a deregulatory agenda" on Internet telephony.
"We believe this technology is still in its nascent stage and has so many potential applications and benefits that we can't even talk about today," Seiffert said. "Fifty different rules on VoIP from 50 different states would be a problem. That's why the FCC's assertion of their jurisdiction is very important to the future of VoIP."
But Michael Brunner, CEO of the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association, called the ruling "a bit premature" and said it "negates the importance" of the proposed rulemaking on VoIP. "While we are excited about the potential VoIP technology holds for the industry, those providers using [Internet] protocol to offer telecommunications services should be held accountable to support the universal service program, as well as CALEA and enhanced 911 requirements," Brunner added.
The U.S. Telecom Association (USTA), whose members include the regional Bell telecom firms, applauded the Pulver ruling and the rulemaking on VoIP. But USTA President and CEO Walter McCormick noted THAT the FCC has not yet ruled on an AT&T petition asking the commission to explain whether existing access-charge rules apply to long-distance calls made online.
"If the FCC were to further delay or rule adversely to its current access rules, the consequences may be catastrophic" for rural, local phone carriers, McCormick said in a letter to the FCC.
AT&T spokeswoman Claudia Jones said AT&T officials "feel strongly that our petition is part and parcel of the overall VoIP proceeding and that it would be incongruous for the FCC to apply bloated access charges to calls that travel over the Internet."
Spectrum
Firms Seek New Standard For Wireless Homes, Offices
by Drew Clark
SAN FRANCISCO -- Consumers who want to connect their personal computers, camcorders and high-definition televisions without a tangled bundle of cables need a common wireless standard using ultrawideband (UWB) technology, executives said on Wednesday.
The technologists announced their plans at the Intel Developer Forum here, and Intel executives are playing a leading role in three interlocking industry bodies that are attempting to drive the adoption of a single UWB standard. "There is a need for high-speed, interoperable, wireless communications between devices that also brings the benefits of volume economics to users," said Pat Gelsinger, Intel's senior vice president and chief technology officer.
Such a platform would permit high-speed digital transfers among a wide range of electronics devices within a home network or within an office. Because UWB transmissions are conducted at very low frequencies, and with very low power, experts said they do not interfere with existing wireless services, like cellular or Wi-Fi technologies.
But before the technology can be deployed to consumers, something the companies hope will happen in 2005, the FCC must approve a broader use, something it is currently considering. "We are confident the FCC will rule favorably," said Yoram Soloman of Texas Instruments, one of more than 60 companies supporting the UWB effort.
The companies, including Hewlett-Packard, Matsushita, Microsoft, Nokia and Philips, also plan to sidestep a stalemate within the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) by formalizing a rival group on Tuesday. IEEE played a key role in the adoption of Wi-Fi, formally knows as IEEE 802.11, by certifying it as an industry standard.
The rival group will attempt the next version of the UWB standard and resubmit it to IEEE, Solomon said.
The ultimate goal is to standardize the technology so manufacturers in the electronics, computer and mobile industries can build UWB radios into their devices that will recognize and transmit data -- at up to 480 megabits per second -- to other digital devices within a few feet. By comparison, cable-modem services transmit data at up to 3 megabits per second.
"UWB is ideal whenever there is a need for high bandwidth and portability over relatively short distances," Gelsinger said. The technology is designed not to interfere with Wi-Fi; consumers still would use Wi-Fi to transmit high-definition video from one room to another.
Another top Intel official said on Wednesday that UWB complements other wireless technologies. Established, licensed cellular services can send data the furthest distances, but a range of emerging, unlicensed services will meet closer needs, said Sean Maloney, the executive vice president of Intel's communications group.
The most powerful is WiMAX, shorthand for World Interoperability for Microwave Access, the organization founded in 2001 to promote the 802.16 wireless standard. Maloney described WiMAX as "Wi-Fi's big brother or sister."
WiMAX signals can send data at rates greater than 70 megabits per second for nearly 40 miles. Wi-Fi is the next wireless stage, followed by UWB and then by radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. Because RFID tags cost pennies, businesses use them to track inventories.
Privacy
Panelists Debate Pros And Cons Of New Technologies
by Drew Clark
Panelists at an International Association of Privacy Professionals conference on Friday debated whether freedom and privacy are best served by strictly limiting how police and businesses use personal location information or by keeping the government from regulating new surveillance technologies. A secondary question at the conference on "the death of privacy" concerned the appropriateness of U.S. anti-terrorism laws.
Moderator Peter Swire, a former privacy counselor to then-President Clinton, urged the panel to address the distance between some technologists' belief that "privacy is dead" and people should "get over it," and the attention that businesses and government agencies pay to privacy. He began the debate by noting that all cellular telephones are location-tracking devices. He also said some companies offer to embed microchips under the skin of pets to keep them from being lost.
Former Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga., argued against chips in pets. "If it's good for a pet, isn't it even better for a child?" he said of an argument a supporter of the technology might make.
"Do we want to enter the type of society where every movement is tracked? That takes away freedom; there is no other way to say it," Barr said. "If tracking is great, if devices under the skin are great, then we are saying that freedom isn't great."
George Washington University law professor Jeffrey Rosen agreed. The author of The Naked Crowd, he cited Britain's widespread deployment of surveillance cameras as a cautionary tale.
"There are so many cameras in London that it resembles the set of 'The Truman Show,'" Rosen said, referring to a movie in which the main character's life is completely monitored. "People couldn't get enough of them, and when told that they made them feel better, but not safer," they still favored the cameras' use.
"I want to speak up for consumer choice," countered Ron Plesser, a Piper Rudnick attorney and privacy expert who supports consumers' rights to "chip" their pets or to buy backpacks with embedded location-tracking devices for their children.
"Freedom in society is as much the ability to obtain and use available devices as much as you want, as much as it is the government making a decision about prohibiting the devices," said Plesser, general counsel to the 1975 U.S. Privacy Protection Study Commission.
On this panel "we have techno-positivists and we have people expressing some more Luddite views," agreed Hans Peter Brondmo, senior vice president for Digital Impact, a technology company in San Francisco. "Technology is fundamentally neutral. It is going to happen, so the question is, 'What types of applications are we going to build?'"
Brondmo said technologies should be designed to "give individuals much greater control over their electronic self."
Alice Fisher of Latham & Watkins, a former Justice Department official, defended the importance of tracking tools and denied that the Bush administration has eroded civil liberties.
Budget
Tech Funds Go To Train Students, Teachers And Workers
by Chloe Albanesius
Amid Congress' emphasis on more education in science and technology, lawmakers have reserved millions of dollars for projects in their states and districts that seek to ensure that enough teachers have training in those areas and that students have training opportunities as well. Lawmakers also earmarked money in fiscal 2004 for technology training in the workforce.
On the education front, the Burns Telecommunications Center at Montana State University is among the recipients of federal aid this year. Named after Republican Sen. Conrad Burns of Montana, the center will receive $250,000 in support of a network that will give science teachers access to high-quality, online materials.
Burns has "worked closely" with the center since it opened in 1993, and the funds will be added to money already raised in order to complete the project "within the year," Burns spokeswoman Jennifer O'Shea said. The initiative, a partnership with the National Science Teachers Association, seeks to address "the weaknesses of science teachers," she added.
Virginia Sens. John Warner and George Allen, both Republicans, secured $600,000 for a series of workshops that will provide teachers in elementary and secondary schools with information on how to engage students via computer and networking technology.
The program will be operated via the Institute of Advanced Learning and Research, a regional research and technology center that leverages the resources of Virginia Tech University, Danville Community College and Averett University in Danville, Va.
The Independence USD 446 school district in Kansas also will receive $250,000 for teacher training and to develop technology curriculum. The money will support ongoing workshops on technology and other topics, as well as sessions where "teachers work on phases of technology fluency," said Bob Tincher, the district's director of technology.
Some of the other earmarks include:
-
$750,000 to Southeastern Pennsylvania's Institute for Math and Science for the professional development of elementary and secondary school teachers.
-
$200,000 to South Carolina's Beaufort County School District for its Training Wheels program, a mobile technology-training solution that delivers tech-training classes to district schools.
-
$100,000 to the Pittsburgh Technology Council's for upgrading and expanding the program that teaches elementary and secondary school students how to use computers.
-
And $98,000 to Southeast Missouri State University for a program that utilizes technology to prepare rural residents for teaching careers.
Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky won a workforce grant of $500,000 for a training center in Marion and Crittenden counties to enhance job skills and upgrade equipment. "Currently, the training center lacks critical technology to provide the high-tech telecommunications capabilities that will help the community cross the 'digital divide,'" McConnell said in a release.
Ohio's Columbus State Community College, meanwhile, will receive $400,000 for high-tech workforce improvements. "Columbus State will use this money to establish a program for training workers to maintain high-tech integrated systems used in business and industry," Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Ohio, said in a statement.
And the Maryland Association of Community Colleges will receive $1 million to improve instruction in information technology for nursing and allied health-training programs.
Today's Feature:
Executive Summary
Homeland Security officials this week unveiled a plan calling on key industries to share confidential information with the government about threats and vulnerabilities to the nation's critical infrastructure. Meanwhile, the FBI announced that it will produce an anti-piracy seal to be placed on or encrypted within frequently pirated entertainment products. Every Friday, read the Executive Summary by Editor Sharon McLoone.
|
E-briefs
Privacy: The chief privacy officer of the Homeland Security Department on Friday criticized the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for approving the transfer of JetBlue Airways' passenger data from the airline to a U.S. Army contractor. In a 10-page report to the public, Nuala O'Connor Kelly said, "TSA employees involved acted without appropriate regard for individual privacy interests or the spirit of the Privacy Act of 1974." The employees, who are not named, facilitated and were "essential to encourage the data transfer," Kelly wrote. The report said TSA did not itself receive the passenger data. The report referred the incident to the department's inspector general, called for the TSA employees to attend privacy policy training, and urged the establishment of guidelines for data sharing with the private sector. "This case offers an excellent example of why guidelines are needed," said Lara Flint, staff counsel for the Center for Democracy and Technology.
Lobbying: The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) on Thursday requested that the FCC not implement a section of its new rules on sharing telecommunications lines and that the agency start an investigation into its market-based competition policy. The new rules let the regional Bell telecom companies out of a mandate that they give competitors access to the high-frequency portion of existing telephone lines -- lines those competitors use for high-speed Internet access. "The Bells have no incentive to negotiate with companies that offer consumers a competitive alternative," CFA Research Director Mark Cooper said in a release, and that results in "less choice and higher prices for consumers." Meanwhile, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) said the FCC's rules on "unbundling" telecom networks have resulted in a "significant impact on investment in the telecommunications industry." TIA President Matthew Flanigan said in a statement that rewarding investment is "critical."
Spectrum: Sen. John McCain on Friday praised an FCC report recommending that Congress eliminate statutory limitations on low-power FM stations. "Four years ago, broadcasters masqueraded their concern about competition from new low-power FM stations in grossly exaggerated claims of interference," the Arizona Republican, who chairs the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said in a release. The FCC report strips "broadcasters of this disguise by concluding that these stations would cause virtually no interference and recommending the removal of certain limits on such stations." McCain pledged to introduce legislation using the FCC recommendation. In other news, McCain's committee on Feb. 24 will hold a hearing on Internet telephone calls. Members will hear testimony from Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., FCC Chairman Michael Powell and industry officials.
Telecom: The FCC announced Friday that under a deal reached with Business Options Inc., the parent company of Buzz Telecom, Link Technologies and U.S. Bell, will pay $770,000 to the universal service fund and make another $510,000 voluntary contribution to the U.S. treasury. The fund seeks to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable communications services. BOI, which also was accused of changing consumers' telephone service without their consent, a practice known as "slamming," also agreed to strict FCC measures to ensure that it would contribute to the universal service fund in the future and stop slamming. The FCC said in a footnote that because the decree was reached with an administrative law judge, the agency reserves the right to review the matter within 50 days after the decree is published.
Labor: Lack of adequate training, not the shipping of U.S. jobs overseas, will most jeopardize future American prosperity, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Friday. AP reports that Greenspan warned that "protectionist cures" will only worsen the jobs problem. "We have reason to be confident that new jobs will displace old ones as they always have, but America's job-turnover process is never without pain for those in the job-losing portion," Greenspan said at the annual meeting of the Omaha Chamber of Commerce. Given the more than 2 million people who have been unemployed for more than a year, Greenspan said the current high level of job insecurity is to be expected.
Domains: In a new survey released by the Network Solutions privacy forum, 70 percent of Internet users said they have provided false data about their identities out of concern for the privacy of their personal information. Based on that and other research, Network Solutions, the manager of nearly 8 million Internet addresses, announced this week the introduction of a service called Private Registration, which protects the personal information of individuals and small businessmen when they register domains. The technology bumps up against a requirement of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which oversees the Internet-addressing system, that every Web registrant provide publicly available contact information, known as "Whois" data. "Network Solutions has been an outspoken advocate for the privacy of individuals who register domain names, as well as a vocal opponent to ICANN's requirement to allow bulk access to Whois information," the company said.
Labor: The Labor Department on Thursday gave Dell Computer an award for "exemplary volunteer efforts" for its recruitment, mentoring, career development and community outreach initiatives. The award is given to federal contractors that display an exemplary dedication to diversity. More than half of Dell's U.S. employees are women and minorities, as are nearly one-third of U.S. managers. "Our customers are recognizing the immense value of diversity because our employees have similar backgrounds and styles to them, and it provides them with a more meaningful experience," said Thurmond Woodard, Dell's vice president of global diversity. Maryland Democrat Elijah Cummings, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, praised Dell's "efforts to recruit and train the next generation of African American business leaders, and promote partnerships with minority-owned enterprises." And Texas Democrat Ciro Rodriguez, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, championed the company's "commitment to advancing the interests [of] the Latino community."
|
