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Special to TEP
From Robert Scott, Commissioner of Education
Government officials are experts at adding but they rarely know how to subtract. Law and regulations are constantly added but rarely do we eliminate or reduce any. I think it is time for this to change.
That is why I have announced that I will be reviewing all education regulations known as commissioner rules. These cover a wide range of topics, such as charter school operations, teacher incentive programs, financial accountability ratings systems, various pilot programs and much more.
I am convening a series of stakeholder meetings, so I can gather direct feedback from those affected most. I want to know what rules are obsolete or burdensome or just aren’t needed anymore.
State sunset law requires that any rule by reviewed every four years. This formal process will continue, but I want to conduct an informal review this year. If there are changes or updates that need to be made and that I have the authority to make, I will do so. If those changes require legislative approval, I will present a list of potential changes to the Texas Legislature for review when it next convenes in January 2011.
Please take a look at the commissioner rules located at http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/home/ and give me your thoughts on how we can improve and simplify our regulations. You can send feedback to commissioner@tea.state.tx.us.
Major Network Providers Have Created Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs
Recently, the Broadband for America (BfA) coalition released a new study that shows the important contributions to the U.S. economy made by private investment in information and communications technology.
The study, which was conducted by Robert W. Crandall and Hal J. Singer — both experts in the economics of the telecommunications industry — shows that the massive investments made in mobile and wired Internet capacity by the major network providers has created hundreds of thousands of jobs over the past six years and the expected capital investment over the next few years “would create approximately 509,000 jobs relative to a world without such investments.”
The authors caution that the explosive growth in broadband access will be severely limited if “new regulatory changes undermine the incentives of broadband service providers to continue to invest.”
Singer and Crandall quote a Pew study showing that broadband access to the Internet was at 47 percent in 2007, but “by the end of 2009, nearly 65 percent of all U.S. households subscribed to broadband.”
Because of the open competition, which has been the hallmark of broadband expansion, the authors write that the data “implies that most U.S. households have a choice of at least three broadband technologies and even more suppliers” in any given service area.
During the worst recession in modern economic history, while “nonresidential private investment declined by 18.1 percent” from 2008 to 2009, “broadband investment declined by only 3.3 percent” but was still $30 billion over that same period.
Crandall and Singer also make the point that there is a difference of opinion regarding from where future innovation will come. They say that the supposition that the most important source of innovation will be “at the edge of the network” is often assumed, but not supported empirically.
“There is a clear track record of job and wealth creation associated with investment in first-generation access technologies, suggesting that investment at the core of the network is equally if not more important.”
Thus, the increases in broadband’s reach, penetration, capabilities, and services which we have seen over the past seven years with a minimum of government interference should be embraced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as it moves through the process of creating a National Broadband Policy.”
The complete study is available here .
Broadband for America (BfA) is a growing coalition of over 180 members ranging from independent consumer advocacy groups, to content and application providers, to the companies which build and maintain the Internet. The complete BfA membership list is available at: http://www.broadbandforamerica.com/about/members.
By MIKE ESTERL / Wall Street Journal
The U.S. airline industry hopes the return of business travelers, who disappeared for much of 2009, will help it claw its way back to profitability. But the era of extensive, expensive corporate travel may be over for good. Read complete article
Lone Star State awarded largest grant among states
Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples today announced Texas will receive $2.5 million in grant funds from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to map the state of Texas for comprehensive broadband coverage through an initiative called Connected Texas. Another $500,000 award will fund broadband planning activities. To date, Texas has received the largest of the 51 grants awarded to states and territories.
“These grant dollars are an investment in the future of Texas,” Commissioner Staples said. “The fact that Texas is receiving the largest share of grant funds indicates the critical need in the Lone Star State. Many communities do not have sufficient broadband service, which limits their abilities to attract new economic development opportunities. It is essential families, schools and businesses have high-speed Internet access that will open up the prospects for development.”
The Connected Texas initiative will create a comprehensive broadband map for Texas and provide data on broadband availability, technology, speed and infrastructure. The map will be used to help develop the infrastructure necessary to allow high-speed Internet companies to increase their service capacity to consumers across Texas.
According to Connected Nation, the company selected to measure and map the availability and use of broadband in Texas, full broadband distribution in Texas is expected to create or retain more than 170,000 jobs and result in an additional $9.4 billion in direct economic impact.
Last summer, Gov. Rick Perry designated the Texas Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Public Safety Commission, as the lead agency in coordinating broadband expansion activities funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“I have seen firsthand how renewable energy has created jobs for rural Texans and I am certain increased broadband availability made possible through this program will do the same,” said Commissioner Donna Nelson of the Public Utility Commission of Texas.
The completion of the initial phase of broadband mapping for Texas is expected by spring 2010.
Special to TEP
By Rep. John Carter
During my time in Congress, I’ve seen many changes (some better than others, but that’s a whole different discussion). One of the biggest changes, though, is the way we communicate with people in our district.
Sure, I can pick up the phone, or even send out an e-mail. But here in my office I’ve placed a new emphasis on using social media to share my thoughts and to connect with people in a more personal way.
The rise of social media — Facebook, Twitter, YouTube — has not replaced anything else I do up here, but has merely enhanced my abilities to reach out to the public, and to let them reach out to me.
Fewer people are turning to the traditional media outlets for their information, and instead are using social media platforms for daily news. That’s why it’s important for me to share what stories and events I feel are pertinent to my constituents.
And with so many important issues taking place today in politics, and with fewer and fewer traditional media outlets around, space is at a premium. When my voice isn’t heard or known, I can go directly to social media and share it with my friends.
Social media isn’t an alternative anymore, it’s a primary way of communicating. And it’s a two-way street. While I can post endlessly on social media, it also lets constituents interact with me, and lets them get a feel of where I’m coming from and what I’m doing on a more personal level.
TEP Continues with the Sixth Power of Connectivity Event
Our Group Teams up with the Texas Leadership Institute to discuss Social Networking
This past month, TEP hosted another Power of Connectivity event. This time, TEP partnered with the Texas Leadership Institute to discuss social networking. The room was full and chamber executives, city and county employees and even elected officials came together to learn and discuss the latest social networking techniques from respected Texas leaders in this new medium. Speakers included; Carla Pendergraft with the City of Waco and David Neff with the American Cancer Society who discussed the tools to try with your laptop, Facebook, Twitter and Blogs.
As a sponsor of this event, TEP donated a gift certificate for a free iPhone to a very lucky attendee. Doris Messer, the Executive Director of the Llano Chamber was the lucky winner.
Congressional Business Forums in Texas Continue
TEP also helped sponsor another Congressional Business Forum. Most recently, TEP partnered with key business groups to bring together business leaders to discuss critical federal legislative issues with Congressman John Carter® Georgetown. In the past, TEP has worked with associations and business groups to sponsor other similar forums for Congressman McCaul, Congressman Charlie Gonzalez and Congressman Kevin Brady. At all events, guests were able to interact with the individual congressmen on a variety of issues, including taxes, healthcare and the future of the Internet and broadband in Texas.
Mobile Future Comments on FCC “Net Neutrality” Proceeding
(TEP has permission to reprint this form Mobile Futures)
The Federal Communications Commission recently launched a proceeding that would extend so-called “net neutrality” regulations to wireless networks. Following is a comment from Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter.
“Since the inception of mobile phones, Congress and the FCC have fostered competition through a restrained approach to regulation which has led to significant investment and innovation in the wireless space. This competitive marketplace allows for consumer choice which guides further wireless innovation, while carefully protecting consumers from abuses and ensuring providers are innovative stewards of the country’s spectrum assets. These policies have proven to work well for America, creating millions of goods jobs, hundreds of billions of dollars in investment, and making our mobile industry the most competitive in the world.
“The FCC now needs to find a balanced path forward—one that keeps pace with consumers’ diverse mobile interests and facilitates further wireless innovation and investment.
“At this important juncture, policymakers must ensure that additional regulation of wireless services, devices and networks do not compromise one of the most promising drivers of economic growth, investment and jobs. While our government is appropriately taking an in-depth look at the state of wireless today, it is critical that the outcome of this greater scrutiny continues to foster a marketplace that is driven by consumer value, intense competition and the promise of economic renewal through innovation.”
Special to our TEP Newsletter
The War on Cyber Terror
Cyber Security Column for Texans for Economic Progress
By Congressman Michael McCaul
Last month’s foiled terror plots in Dallas, Chicago and New York are a stark reminder of the threats the United States continues to face eight years after 9/11. Without the successful national security and counter-terrorism policies we have implemented, the latest threats may have come to fruition.
Unfortunately, another kind of terrorism has flown under much of the public’s radar. On any given day, foreign nationals pull virtual moving vans up to the loading docks of government agency buildings, fill them with computers and drive away with sensitive information. America is under attack in cyberspace. But not enough is being done to combat it.
Today’s hackers are no longer thrill-seeking teenagers; they are organized crime syndicates and national militaries that commit espionage. From thousands of miles away, increasingly sophisticated foreign adversaries are electronically infiltrating sensitive U.S. computer networks to obtain military technologies. Foreign competitors and criminals unabashedly steal trade secrets from American companies through similar methods. Critical systems that run our financial, energy, and transportation infrastructures have also become victims of cyber attack and exploitation. One operation discovered a vulnerability in which generators could be destroyed by the mere click of a mouse.
Our national leaders have been far too slow to understand the scope and significance of this threat. America’s laws for cyberspace are decades old. We are not prepared to meet the threats of the 21st century.
When President Obama took office, the non-partisan Commission on Cyber security for the 44th Presidency, which I co-chaired, presented his administration with recommendations to secure cyberspace. Chief among them was creating a National Office for Cyberspace within the White House to provide oversight, clarify agency responsibilities, ensure accountability, and increase transparency and collaboration for the many cyber security programs across multiple agencies.
At the end of May, the President announced the rollout of the Cyberspace Policy Review which was strongly based on our report. While I was pleased to see the President’s initial attention to cyber threats, I am now concerned that his interim cyber coordinator, Melissa Hathaway, resigned in August, and no permanent coordinator has been named.
To date, the authorities and responsibilities of the Cyber Coordinator position remain unclear, and there is a belief within the cyber community that the position has so little authority that it is not attracting top-tier candidates. The most glaring void, which we brought to light in our recommendations, is the fact that there is no central authority in charge.
Last month I sent the President a letter urging him to expedite the appointment of a Cyber security Coordinator and to outline specifically what his or her responsibilities will be. This person should play a central role in coordinating the government’s defense to combat this new breed of terrorist.
The government cannot fight this battle on its own. It will need the cooperation of the private sector, which owns the vast majority of our critical infrastructure. But first the President must do a better job bringing this serious issue to light. Appointing a qualified Cyber Coordinator and defining that role would be a good first step.
In the meantime, the threat is not going away and our infrastructure remains under nearly constant attack. Over the July 4th weekend, the United States sustained a serious denial-of-service attack that is widely believed to have originated in North Korea. It wasn’t a fishing expedition. It was attempted cyber warfare. Attacks in general are becoming more malicious in nature.
No less than our most critical infrastructure is at risk: our air traffic control system, our ports, our utilities and telecommunications. Attacks on such networks could paralyze our nation. And similar to 9-11, people will ask, “Why didn’t you do anything to stop it?”
Congressman McCaul represents the 10th District of Texas and is Ranking Member on the Homeland Security Intelligence Subcommittee.
Consumers that purchase pre-paid phones buy the service for the ability to manage the cost of using cell services. The phones are generally inexpensive and increments of minutes can be purchased for as little as ten dollars a month. It is a great product for high school or college students as well as people who just want to carry a phone for emergency purposes.
Users or pre-paid cell phones don’t buy the minutes on a regular basis. Since the time is purchased on an as-needed basis, the monthly collection method just didn’t work. Several attempts were made by state officials and companies to figure out a solution, but it couldn’t be done within the confines of ‘monthly’ billing, which was the requirement in the old law.
Both pre-paid cell phones users and monthly plan cells phone users have equal access to the emergency system. The problem came down to the method by which users paid the fees to support the system.
The legislature decided that a ‘monthly’ fee for 9-1-1 was not only inappropriate but inequitable for users of pre-paid cells. The new system of collection will require payment at the point of sale.
It became clear during the legislative session that collection of the fee at the time of purchase could be the only way to fairly assess the consumers for their portion of the fee. The collection will work much like the sales tax system. Users will pay up-front at their local store when they buy increments of minutes and the retailers will send the funds along to the state.
The result of this small change is millions of dollars being added into the improvement and reliability of the emergency system and a more equitable collection of a necessary fee.
By Sandie Haverlah is Board Member, Texas for Economic Development and the Executive Director of the Texas Consumer’s Association.
posted: Sep 10, 06:09 PM
The Future of Wireless Innovation
U.S. wireless offers a model for the 21st century — powerfully demonstrating what a collaborative approach between consumers, policymakers and a competitive, innovative industry can achieve for the nation.
If you’re interested in learning about the extraordinary potential mobile innovation holds to transform our economy and our lives, don’t miss this report:
http://www.mobilefuture.org/whitepaper
Please feel free to share the paper with your colleagues and friends. This will be an interesting read for anyone who wants to know what’s around the corner for one of America’s most exciting sectors.
We look forward to hearing your questions and comments!
By Allison Remsen, Executive Director Mobile Future
Many criticized the law as creating a “big brother” peering over the shoulders of Internet users, and several actually claimed it was technically not workable. The Socialists even argued that the law violated the notion of separation of powers by creating an extra-judicial organization with powers to punish perpetrators.
In June, France’s highest court found that the law did in fact violate the separation of powers and that it also violated the presumption of innocence because alleged pirates would have their Internet access cut off without being afforded the opportunity to defend themselves.
The court also added one more provocative reason to strike down the law—that denying Internet access to someone was a violation of their human rights.
Certainly access to communications and information enhances quality of life. And, as we’ve recently observed, the Internet can facilitate immediate knowledge of true human rights violations, such as how Twitter was used by protesters in Iran to organize and to report their situations to the world.
However, to conclude that cutting off Internet access is a violation of human rights is simply absurd.
To characterize denial of Internet access a violation of human rights devalues true human rights violations, such as political oppression, illegitimate elections, arbitrary arrest, torture, rape, and genocide.
Finally, it’s more than ironic that France, a country that has provided safe havens for genocidal African dictators and brutal South American strongmen, now considers Internet access to be a basic human right.
Today’s TechByte was written by Tom Giovanetti, president of IPI.
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