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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2005 U.S. House Requires HDTV Conversion in 2009 NIST Sets Data Specs for Biometric ID Cards Meeting Compliance Laws Raises IT Costs Expert-Edited Alternative to Wikipedia Google Buys Part of AOL U.S. HOUSE REQUIRES HDTV CONVERSION IN 2009 The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation requiring complete conversion to HDTV broadcasting in early 2009. The bill included funding to aid consumers with analog TV sets who watch free TV stations to purchase converter boxes. Satellite and cable TV consumers would not be affected by the digital switch. The requirements and funding were part of a larger deficit-cutting bill still to be addressed by the Senate. A major goal of the digital TV requirement is to gain radio spectrum for emergency use. Yahoo, 19 December 2005 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051219/ap_on_hi_te/congress_digital_tv NIST SETS DATA SPECS FOR BIOMETRIC ID CARDS The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has established and published biometric data specifications, required for federal ID cards slated for implementation in October 2006. The new specs cover fingerprints and facial image recognition. Comments on the draft specs will be accepted until January 13, 2006. Federal Computer Week, 16 December 2005 http://www.fcw.com/article91747-12-16-05-Web MEETING COMPLIANCE LAWS RAISES IT COSTS According to a recent Gartner study, laws on corporate governance and compliance, such as the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act, force businesses to spend more on information technology. The report predicts increases in IT budgets from 10 to 15 percent in 2006, up from roughly 5 percent in 2004. The survey included 326 audit, finance, and IT professionals in North America and Western Europe. Gartner recommended solutions that can support multiple regulations across a business to maximize effectiveness on spending for compliance. ZDNet, 15 December 2005 http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-5996670.html EXPERT-EDITED ALTERNATIVE TO WIKIPEDIA Larry Sanger, a co-founder of Wikipedia, plans to launch a project called Digital Universe that will take advantage of public input for its content but rely on acknowledged experts to edit the submissions. Material will be free, with copyrighted material available to subscribers for a fee. A number of institutions have already signed up for the project, including the American Museum of Natural History and the National Council for Science and the Environment. Sanger has raised $10 million in start-up funding. The Register, 19 December 2005 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/19/sanger_onlinepedia_with_experts/ GOOGLE BUYS PART OF AOL Google has agreed to buy a 5 percent stake in America Online (AOL) from parent company Time Warner for $1 billion cash. The goal is dominance in the online advertising market. Microsoft competed with Google for the partnership agreement, which must still be approved by the Time Warner board. As part of the deal, Google will give AOL ads special placement on its site, a switch from its ad auction system. New York Times, 17 December 2005 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/17/technology/17aol.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings, or access the Edupage archive, visit http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639 Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for information concerning use and management of IT in higher education. To access resources including articles, books, conference sessions, contracts, effective practices, plans, policies, position descriptions, and blog content, go to http://www.educause.edu/resources ***************************************************** CONFERENCES For information on all EDUCAUSE learning and networking opportunities, see http://www.educause.edu/31 ***************************************************** COPYRIGHT Edupage copyright (c) 2005, EDUCAUSE
