Broadband Update

The Senate Communications and Technology Committee hosted a public hearing on August 8 on SB 1247, which would streamline the video and cable franchising process and provide Pennsylvania’s consumers with real savings on their annual cable bills.

“[This bill] will mean greater access for families in rural or less populated areas. Since only a statewide option would be available, companies will not be allowed to cherry-pick, taking only the lucrative contracts in certain municipalities, leaving the less fortunate municipalities without service,” wrote Senator Robert Wonderling in his Summer 2006 newsletter. Wonderling co-chairs the committee with Senator Connie Williams. “Allowing competition in other utilities across the state has resulted in more choice, better service and lower costs for consumers, and I am confident that cable competition will have the same effect for consumers.”

Appearing before the committee, David Kerr represented AT&T, along with PA Telephone Association, Cavalier and Verizon representatives.

The Cable Customer Choice and Competition Act will modernize Pennsylvania’s video services regulations and allow the market to be driven by competition, according to  Kerr. He added that the bill will also limit arduous barriers to entry. As has been seen in multiple communications markets, competition serves the best interests of consumers by bringing lower prices, better technologies and better service offerings.

Other committee members on hand for the meeting included Sen. John Rafferty, Sen. John Gordner, as well as the two co-sponsors of the bill, Sen. Dominic Pileggi and Sen. Anthony Williams. State Representative Ray Bunt, sponsor of a similar piece of legislation in the House, also attended the hearing.  (Source:  AT&T Pennsylvania – Public Policy Update)

The House Consumer Affairs Committee will host a series of hearings on HB 2880, which promotes statewide video franchising and is sponsored by Rep. Ray Bunt and Rep. Joe PrestonHere’s the list of hearings dates and cities.

8/22 in Pittsburgh
8/30 in Philadelphia
8/31 in Delaware County
9/12-9/13 in Erie
9/19 in Allentown
9/21 in Harrisburg

National News

Google on Wednesday launched a WiFi network in its hometown of Mountain View, Calif. The search giant invested about US$1 million to serve the 11.5-square-mile city just 35 miles south of San Francisco. Read the Full Story. Source: TechNewsWorld

The United States government began issuing new electronic passports this week that include radio frequency identification technology (RFID) to store citizens' personal information. The U.S. State Department referred in its announcement to biometric technology and "a contactless chip."  See the Full Story  Source:  TechNewsWorld

Data Integration Drives Healthy Customer Relationships
Several years ago, a large manufacturing company lost a key distribution center to a fire. The fire destroyed not only the building, but also thousands of shipments destined for a global customer base. Naturally, the CEO of this company wanted to send a letter to customers to explain the situation and to provide a timetable for when operations would
return to "business as usual."  See the Full Story  Source:  eCommerce Times

New Metric Promises to Illuminate Application Performance
Enterprises have armed themselves with a bevy of management and monitoring tools. These products calculate bandwidth utilization, gauge system response time, and identify system and network bottlenecks. Yet amid all the information gleaned, for many firms a simple question often goes unanswered: How is our IT infrastructure performing? See the Full Story Source:  eCommerce Times

Events

“Seven Deadly Sins” Special Publication Launch and Reception
Pittsburgh Technology Council
Is your business plagued by sloth? Overcome with envy? Steer your company toward absolution as we unveil TEQ Magazine’s custom publication, “Seven Deadly Sins,” which provides expert insight into common business mistakes and ways to avoid or overcome them. Guide your company toward the straight and narrow with advice from a panel discussion led by heavenly business legend and regional entrepreneur Jack Roseman. Sin no more, but indulge in cocktails and conversation at the Firehouse Lounge while learning how to protect your business from a fiery fate. All attendees receive a complimentary copy of "Seven Deadly Sins." Also look for a related editorial series debuting in TEQ this September. Sponsored by Clearview Federal Credit Union.

Date: Wednesday, August 30
Time: 3:30 p.m. registration; 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. panel discussion; 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. networking reception
Venue: Firehouse Lounge, 2216 Penn Avenue, Strip District
Cost: $25 for Council members, $35 for non-members
RSVP: Council Events or 412.918.4229

Ben Franklin Venture Investment Forum and the Technology Council of Central PA invite you to a seminar on Best Practices in Stock Options and Other Equity Awards to learn best practices to consider and pitfalls to avoid.  This seminar will take place on September 14, 2006 at Penn State Harrisburg, from 9:00 AM to noon.  Our breakfast sponsor for the seminar is Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC.  There is no charge to attend this seminar but we ask that you register to attend.  Email Jill Edwards at jilledwards@psu.edu or call (717) 948-6625. 

The Pennsylvania Chamber is holding a special "Information Technology Security Roundtable" from 8 a.m. to noon on Thursday, September 21, 2006, at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg-Hershey, Grantville, PA.
Handling security threats, preparing for business continuity and obtaining the required resources for response need to be addressed by every business. This session will provide a substantive overview of what companies are facing today, what they are doing that works, and examples of specific policies and procedures real companies are using to handle the information security challenges:

• General Threats in Pennsylvania—some significant threats are affecting Pennsylvania's businesses. The Senior Force Protection Intelligence Analyst for Carlisle Barracks & US Army War College will review events that are occurring of which businesses need to be aware.  

• Business Continuity Services Framework—a look at the change in thinking from disaster recovery to business continuity; assessing outage thresholds and defining business requirements; evaluating recovery needs; and determining cost/benefit trade offs.

• How To Secure Company Funding For IT Security—"keeping the bad guys out" is now an operational dilemma for many companies, not just another IT item. How do you convince management to give you the tools and resources you need to do this critical job effectively for the company?

The fee to attend is $35 for Chamber members, $50 for non-members, and includes a buffet breakfast starting at 8 a.m. The program will run from 9 a.m. to noon.  For more information, visit the Chamber’w website, www.pachamber.org/cp/  or call 877 866-8965.