Policy and Law: State

The United States has fallen behind its international competitors in broadband deployment, price, and openness in part because it has no national broadband policy. In contrast, most other countries adopted proactive programs to address the broadband needs of their citizens at the beginning of the decade that are now proving successful. Several U.S. states are now developing their own broadband plans because of the void at the national level. This session will propose an action plan for the nation based on the lessons learned from Europe, Asia, and some U.S. states and discuss what it will take to get such a plan through Congress.

This panel will discuss the interrelation between state networks and health care networks. In particular, the discussion will focus on the various community perspectives of the FCC-funded (Universal Service Fund) rural health care initiative and how we can work together as a community to educate the FCC on the role of regional and state networks.

"In a psychologically fascinating 'grass is always greener on the other side of the firewall' scenario, states see the industry's PCI as the perfect security standard. And retail CIOs are salivating for Sarbanes-Oxley-like controls."

In light of the recent tragedy at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed an executive order April 30, 2007, creating a Gubernatorial Task Force to research University Campus Safety in Florida. The Task Force, chaired by Department of Children and Families Secretary Bob Butterworth, will evaluate the security risks at the college and university campuses throughout the State. Other members include representatives of law enforcement, education, disaster planning, the Attorney General's office and students. The Task Force will meet in several locations across the State before submitting their findings and recommendations to Governor Crist on May 24, 2007