MaSSSoftech

MEDFORD — Because of its commitment to utilizing information technology to inform and serve the public, Jackson County Government has been named one of 2009’s Top Ten Digital Counties in the United States. Jackson County ranks 8th in its category, based on size, in the 2009 Digital Counties Survey, which recognizes the most technologically-advanced, cutting-edge county governments in the U.S.

The 2009 Digital Counties Survey is an annual study by e.Republic’s Center for Digital Government (Center) and the National Association of Counties (NACo) which identifies best practices and recognizes those counties with exemplary digital service to their citizens.

“We are honored to be recognized for our leading-edge technology use,” said Mark Decker, Director of Jackson County Information Technology Services. “County government has a duty to taxpayers, especially during these hard economic times, to operate as efficiently as possible. Our investments in technology have helped us deliver services more efficiently, increase convenience for citizens, and communicate with the public. The Jackson County website is one of the most cost-effective communication tools we have. We've put a lot of energy into making information available online. As a result, citizens have instant access to a wealth of public information, and don't have to call or visit county offices to get it. This saves time and money, both for county staff and for the citizen.”

Jackson County Government undertook a major web site renovation last year to provide improved search tools, more information, and easier navigation. The web address is www.jacksoncounty.org.

The new site was designed to encourage more citizen participation and allow better access to government. Some of the new services include: a new search engine optimized to return the best results to the 100 most commonly searched terms; embedded interactive maps to County offices with pan, zoom and driving directions; RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds which allow citizens to subscribe to news and pages such as election results, and be notified as soon as information is added; “Quick Link” navigation with one-click access to the most commonly viewed pages; a live video feature so users can watch live RVTV (Rogue Valley Television) video of weekly Board of Commissioners’ meetings; land survey information; and real-time public water data, including current reservoir levels, from the Watermaster.

“The response to our new web site has been very positive,” said Decker. “The number of people who subscribe to receive county news via email has increased by more than 50 percent since the re-design.”

Jackson County competes in the 150,000 to 249,999 population category; winner in that category was Roanoke County, Virginia. Complete results are available at www.centerdigitalgov.com or direct at www.govtech.com/dc/surveys/counties/90/2009.

“As counties face the budgetary challenges of 2009 and beyond, they are finding Information Technology essential for effective and efficient government,” said NACo Executive Director Larry E. Naake. “Not only are county governments using technology to continue delivering services with fewer resources, they are using innovative technology to communicate more effectively with their citizens and businesses. The Digital Counties Survey illustrates the innovation and tenacity of counties across the country."

The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. The Center is a division of eRepublic, Inc., a national publishing, event and research company focused on information technology in the public sector.

The National Association of Counties (NACo) is a full-service organization that provides legislative, research, technical, and public affairs assistance to county governments. Created in 1935, NACo continues to ensure that the nation’s 3,066 counties are heard and understood in the White House and Congress.

For more information, please contact: Mark Decker, Director, Jackson County Information Technology Services, at (541) 774-6023.

By BOB LEWIS
AP Political Writer
Published: July 30, 2009

2:00 p.m.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The state superagency that provides computer and information technology service to every other state agency doesn’t answer to the governor, and it should, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said Thursday.
Kaine said he feels most of the failures that have spawned two legislative panels to probe the Virginia Information Technologies Agency result from its oversight structure and management.
“I hope what the Legislature will do ... is come to the conclusion that this agency should report to the governor like every other agency does,“ Kaine said on his monthly radio program on WRVA in Richmond and the Virginia News Network.
VITA, established six years ago, and Northrop Grumman, its partner in a $2.4 billion, 10-year contract, have missed major deadlines in their task of transforming a far-flung patchwork of disparate agency computer systems into an integrated statewide network. Delays in providing service have prompted complaints from state agencies for several years.
The House Science and Technology Committee and a subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee have both held hearings on the issue. Also, the Freedom of Information Advisory Council ruled last month that the board that oversees VITA improperly met in private to discuss the Northrop Grumman contract, the largest state contract with a single vendor ever in Virginia.
Kaine voiced frustration Thursday that the agency through which all other agencies communicate is outside his authority to manage.
“State agencies have felt they have not been well served by the contractor and by VITA, the agency. This is where the structural problem becomes important,“ Kaine said.
He noted that rather than report to the governor, VITA reports to the Information Technology Investment Board, a majority of whose members are appointed by the General Assembly.
“More of the customer service problems have been because of the VITA structure and management than because of the performance of the contractor,“ Kaine said.
The issue of Northrop Grumman’s performance was at the heart of the dismissal in June of the former state chief information officer Lemuel Stewart. In the CIO’s role as overseer of VITA, Stewart had balked at paying a monthly bill to Northrop Grumman, citing missed deadlines and other complaints.
Stewart’s interim replacement is Leonard Pomata, a former corporate information technology executive whom Kaine had appointed days earlier as his secretary of technology. Legislators criticized Pomata’s holding the dual roles as VITA’s overseer and his seat on the governor’s cabinet.

————

12:40 p.m.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Gov. Tim Kaine says the state’s information technology superagency is the only statewide department not under executive control, and it ought to be.
Kaine said Thursday on his monthly radio show on Richmond’s WRVA that he’d like to see the General Assembly transfer oversight of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency to the governor.
Two legislative committees are investigating charges that VITA and its corporate partner, Northrop Grumman, have missed key deadlines by months and provided poor service to state agencies.
Kaine voiced frustration that the one agency that doesn’t report to him is the one that provides computer service and online technology support to every other agency, those that answer to him.
He said he feels more service complaints result from the structure and management of VITA than from Northrop Grumman.

By BOB LEWIS , 07.30.09, 02:09 PM EDT

RICHMOND, Va. -- The Virginia superagency that provides computer and information technology service to every other state agency doesn't answer to the governor, and it should, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said Thursday.

Kaine said he feels most of the failures that have spawned two legislative panels to probe the Virginia Information Technologies Agency result from its oversight structure and management.

"I hope what the Legislature will do ... is come to the conclusion that this agency should report to the governor like every other agency does," Kaine said on his monthly radio program on WRVA in Richmond and the Virginia News Network.

VITA, established six years ago, and Northrop Grumman Corp. ( NOC - news - people ), its partner in a $2.4 billion, 10-year contract, have missed major deadlines in their task of transforming a far-flung patchwork of disparate agency computer systems into an integrated statewide network. Delays in providing service have prompted complaints from state agencies for several years.

The House Science and Technology Committee and a subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee have both held hearings on the issue. Also, the Freedom of Information Advisory Council ruled last month that the board that oversees VITA improperly met in private to discuss the Northrop Grumman contract, the largest state contract with a single vendor ever in Virginia.

Jackson County is one of the top 10 most technologically advanced counties of its size in the U.S., according to an annual study by e.Republic's Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties.

The way this county uses technology, particularly through its Web site and other Web features, has given it a ranking of eighth nationwide in the 2009 Digital Counties Survey.

"We are honored to be recognized for our leading-edge technology use," stated Mark Decker, director of the county Information Technology Services, in a prepared statement.

Last year the county completed a major Web site renovation to provide more information, easier navigation and improved search tools.

Some of the new features on the site include interactive maps to find county offices and instant electronic feeds of county news and election results.

The county has a live video feature through Rogue Valley Community Television so that viewers can see the weekly Board of Commissioners' meetings.

Jackson County competes with other counties that have a population between 150,000 and 249,999. The winner was Roanoke County, Va.

Results of the survey are at www.centerdigitalgov.com or www.govtech.com/dc/surveys/counties/90/2009.

— Damian Mann

Internet services provider Bharti Airtel is all set to launch a price war in the broadband segment, with plans to offer high bandwidth at low prices.

Its main competitors – the government-owned Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) have said that they would offer services at lower than Bharti prices.

“We are bringing down prices of 1 Mbps broadband speed to Rs 1,699 per month from Rs 2,999 per month,” said K Srinivas, joint president, telemedia services, Bharti Airtel. This is a 43 per cent cut.

The company is also reducing charges for 512 kbps connection by 31 per cent from Rs 1,599 to Rs 1,099 a month. Bharti Airtel has about 12.5 lakh broadband subscribers.

“If our private competition reduces tariff, then we will certainly react and have a look at our tariff,” said MTNL director (technical) Kuldeep Singh. “We are always more competitive than our competitors.”

The company is planning to offer speeds up to 8 Mbps for home users. Currently, MTNL offers broadband speed up to 2 Mbps.

BSNL is also set to lower its tariff. “New plans are being finalised and we will soon announce them,” said a BSNL official who did not want to be identified. “Our plans will be much lower than our competitors.”

BSNL has about 40 lakh broadband subscribers. The company plans to add a broadband capacity of another 50 lakh subscribers. Reliance Communications, another broadband service provider did not comment to HT’s queries.

Asus, the company that kickstarted the netbook craze that's taking over the world, today announced the launch of the Eee PC Seashell series. This netbook is all about stylish looks, with Asus stating that they emanate the beauty of nature. The Eee PC Seashell Series comprises of the Eee PC 1008HA, Eee PC 1005HA & Eee PC 1101HA. All three sport the Super Hybrid Engine that intelligently monitors the programs in use and adjusts the power supply with performance to provide an power saving solution.

The Eee PC 1005HA has a claimed battery life of 10.5 hours (real-world usage should see at least 7-8 hours of battery life) while the Eee PC 1101HA has a screen size of 11.6 inches. The Eee PC™ Seashell series have a 2.5-inch SATA II 160GB hard disk drive with a 10GB of online Eee Storage facilities.

With a design inspired by a seashell, the Eee PC Seashell is enveloped in an opalescent glossy exterior—created through In-Mold Roller technology—that looks good and also serves as a protective shell providing scratch resistance for day-to-day durability. The lid has reflective specks which glisten in the light. The ergonomically designed keyboard makes typing on-the-move relatively easy, measuring in at 92% compared to its conventional desktop counterpart.

New models offer HD video recording, advanced features.

Melissa J. Perenson, PC World

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