State & Local Weekly News Wrap-Up

By Timothy Brett posted Nov 03,2011 09:17 AM

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MULTI-JUSISDICTION

The Federal Communications Commission is staking out a rough position on broadband. The commission is considering capping broadband funds while simultaneously promoting broadband expansion nationwide. The vote would cap funds for rural broadband available through the Universal Service Fund. The Universal Service Fund is a surcharge every American pays on their telephone bills in order to keep the telephone infrastructure in working order and lately, to expand rural broadband. The vote would cap these funds and their use, and may include provisions to make the funding cap retroactive. That possibility has telecom councils worried in rural states especially if previously promised funding is abruptly capped. The potential for a retroactive provision has already slowed some broadband expansion projects as states wait to find out if funding is still secure. Even with the FCC support for rural broadband urban areas still get significantly more funds. Funding for rural broadband is often a difficult sell for private providers who feel there isn’t sufficient subscriber demand. Rural broadband funds under scrutiny

FLORIDA

Florida Governor Rick Scott has reversed his position on federal funds and is allowing the state’s application for Race to the Top education funding to go through. Previously, Scott rejected federal funding on a variety of projects including some children’s healthcare funding which made the state ineligible for Race to the Top. Scott will have to accept that funding to move that application forward. The Governor is allowing the application to go forward as part of his focus on education. However, he has stated that if the funds come with any additional requirements or includes too much federal involvement he will reject the funds. The state is eligible for up to $100 million under the program. Governor Scott has made education the central focus of his administration but has had harsh criticism for the Race to the Top program. Only four states are eligible for the program and Florida is one of them. Florida to apply for race to the top funds

HAWAII

Hawaii is in the throes of a comprehensive initiative to modernize its IT infrastructure. Three months on the job, CIO Sanjeev “Sonny” Bhagowalia is juggling multiple projects as he gears up to lead the Aloha State through this journey. The first phase of Hawaii’s IT transformation initiative was completed at the end of September with the release of findings from a baseline assessment conducted by SAIC. The state also released a companion Benchmarking Report and Administrative Directive, which gives Bhagowalia authority to deal with the myriad challenges the state faces. Using the findings and recommendations contained in the report, Bhagowalia, who began as CIO in July 2011, and the Office of Information Management and Technology will now develop a comprehensive, statewide information management and technology strategic plan, which is anticipated to be delivered in July 2012. Former fed Bhagowalia takes on Hawaii's IT transformation

CONTRACTING/ACQUISITION

CGI Group Inc. said that the California Department of Transportation has selected it to transform its Construction Management System utilizing business process management (BPM) and a service-oriented architecture. The project is valued at $13.7 million over three years and includes one year of system maintenance and operations. Under the same contract, six one-year options for additional maintenance and operations are available. CGI will transform Caltrans' construction management business processes by automating a paper-based workflow and replacing inflexible, outdated computer systems that are costly to modify and do not keep up with changing business needs. The new Web-based system will provide mobile job site computing, smart forms and online document management to easily research project records and facilitate timely reporting. California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Selects CGI to Transform State's Construction Management System

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