NEBRASKA INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COMMISSION
Thursday, February 21, 2002, 9:30 a.m.
State Office Building, 301 Centennial Mall-South, Lower Level F
Lincoln, Nebraska
APPROVED MINUTES
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Lieutenant Governor Dave Heineman, Chair
Greg Adams, Mayor, City of York
Dr. Dean Bergman, non-voting representative for Dr. Doug Christensen, Commissioner, Department of Education
Dr. Eric Brown, Manager, KRVN Radio (via telephone conference)
Hod Kosman, CEO, Platte Valley Financial Services
Gary Kuck, CEO, Centurion InternationalDr. L. Dennis Smith, President, University of Nebraska
MEMBERS ABSENT:
L. Merill Bryan, Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Union Pacific
CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL AND PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE
Lieutenant Governor Dave Heineman called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m. Seven Commissioners were present at the time of roll call. A quorum existed to conduct official business. Lieutenant Governor Heineman stated that the meeting notice was posted to the NITC and Public Meeting Calendar Websites on January 24, 2002 and that the meeting agenda was posted to the NITC Website on February 14, 2002.
APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 31, 2001 MINUTES
Commissioner Adams moved to approve the October 31, 2001 minutes as presented. Commissioner Kuck seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Adams-Yes, Brown-Yes, Heineman-Yes, Kosman-Yes, Kuck-Yes, and Smith-Yes. Results: 6-Yes and 0-No. The motion was carried by unanimous vote.
PUBLIC COMMENT
There was no public comment.
REPORTS – COMMUNITY COUNCIL
Anne Byers, Community Information Technology Manager
Leadership and Membership. Craig Schroeder has completed his term as co-chair. The newly elected co-chair is Ron Heezen, Omaha Public Library. Anne Boyle has been elected Chair of the Public Service Commission. In light of her expanded responsibilities, she has resigned as a Community Council member. Gerald L. Vap has been nominated to serve as a new member. Mr. Vap is President of Vap's Seed and Hardware, Inc., and lives in McCook, Nebraska.
Commissioner Kosman moved to approve Gerald Vap as a new member on the Community Council. Commissioner Kuck seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Adams-Yes, Brown-Yes, Heineman-Yes, Kosman-Yes, Kuck-Yes, and Smith-Yes. Results: 6-Yes and 0-No. The motion was carried by unanimous vote.
Community Technology Fund Grants. There is approximately $200,000 available. Sixty-five proposals have been received and it is anticipated 8-10 projects will be awarded. A list of the Community Technology Fund Grant Applicants was provided to the Commissioners. At the next meeting, the NITC will be approving project funding recommendations.
Building Information Age Communities Conference. The conference will be held on April 12th, at the Leadership Center in Aurora, Nebraska. Speakers so far include: Lt. Governor Heineman; Al Wenstrand, Director, Department of Economic Development; Jane Leonard, Community Technology Advisors. Sponsors are as follows: Office of Governor Mike Johanns, Technologies Across Nebraska, Nebraska Information Technology Commission, Nebraska Department of Economic Development, Nebraska Rural Development Commission, and the Nebraska Public Service Commission. More information will be available within the next couple of weeks.
REPORTS – EDUCATION COUNCIL
Tom Rolfes, Education Information Technology Manager
The Education Council has been working on their four action items via virtual discussion groups and small group meetings held prior to the regular meeting. Teacher Technology Certification has been an item of discussion. The Training Advisory Work Group training grants information is hosted on the NITC web site. So far, the web site has been hit 324 times. Council members are serving on the Nebraska Network Workgroup, as well as the technical focus group of Nebraska Network.
Recommendation for new member. Dr. Roger Koehler has resigned from the Council. Thomas (Tip) O’Neill, was his alternate. At the January 18th meeting, the Education Council approved the recommendation of Mr. O’Neill as a new Council member. A new alternate will need to be determined.
Commissioner Kosman moved to approve Thomas (Tip) O’Neill as a new member of the Education Council. Commissioner Kuck seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Brown-Yes, Adams-Yes, Smith-Yes, Kuck-Yes, Kosman-Yes, and Heineman-Yes. Results: 6-Yes and 0-No. The motion was carried by unanimous vote.
There were questions regarding Teacher Technology Certification. Mr. Rolfes explained that the State of Nebraska has not implemented technology as part of certification or re-certification for teachers in the state. The State Board of Education approved technology as proficiencies only, not as standards for teachers. Commissioner Smith recommended reviewing information on the NSITE (National Center for Information Technology in Education web site at http://www.ncite.org/. The Education Council’s focus group will develop a recommendation and may bring to the NITC at a future meeting.
REPORTS – STATE GOVERNMENT COUNCIL
Steve Schafer, Chief Information Officer
The State Government Council has met three times since the October NITC meeting. Through work groups, the Council has been working on the following issues:
- Electronic forms automation
- Development of central directory services and authentication
- E-government business portal, and
- Revision of the Council’s priorities for the Statewide Technology Plan.
Government Technology Collaboration Fund Guidelines (PDF 89k) (2002 Grant Cycle).
Due to the state ’s budget situation, Mr. Schafer recommended tabling this item until the next meeting. Without objection, this item was tabled.
REPORTS – TECHNICAL PANEL
Walter Weir, Chair
The Technical Panel continues to meet monthly every second Tuesday. The Panel receives regular updates on the progress of the Work Groups, NETCOM, Wireless Project and NIS (Nebraska Information System).
Video Standards (PDF 139k). The Video Standards Work Group was charged with developing this standard and involved representatives from the video industry, K-12 and higher education in the development and/or testing of the proposed standards. The following recommendation for dual video standards was forwarded for approval by the NITC (section below was taken from Video Architecture Standards and Guidelines document):C. Standards
MPEG-2
- MPEG 2 is specifically intended for applications that require high quality video or “full motion video.”
- Expected data rates include T-1 (1.5 Mbps) or higher.
H.263 video with G.722audio
- Low data rate teleconference applications.
- Expected data rates less than T-1 (1.5 Mbps).
D. Applicability
These standards apply to synchronous distance learning and videoconferencing facilities as follows:
- If utilizing state owned or leased communications networks:
- Any synchronous distance learning facility or videoconferencing application which utilizes state owned or leased communications networks must comply with the compression standards listed in S ection C; or
- The entity must provide, or arrange for, the necessary gateway technology to comply with the standards.
- If using state funding:
- All new facilities or applications receiving state funding must comply with the compression standards listed in Section C, unless the facility is joining an existing, non-compliant consortium contract.
- All existing facilities or applications receiving state funding for ongoing operations must convert to the standards listed in Section C as soon as fiscally prudent or upon renewal of any existing communications service contract, whichever comes first.
Discussions occurred regarding: consortiums being held back with new standards not an issue; industry participation; high costs of T1 lines in rural areas like Scottsbluff; and the influence of the NITC in making connectivity affordable to communities.Incident Reporting Procedure (PDF 180k). Mr. Weir recommended that this be tabled so that Mr. Schafer can research the FBI’s procedures and practices for incident reporting. Without objection, this item was tabled.
REPORTS – STAFF
Statewide Technology Plan Review Update (PDF 73k) (Schedule and Process).
State statute requires the Statewide Technology Plan be updated annually by July 1st. Below is the proposed timeline for the Statewide Technology Plan review and update:
February and March: Technical Panel and Councils work on priorities, implementation plan and effectiveness measures
April: NITC reviews vision, mission statement, goals and priorities; and Councils continue work on implementation plan and effectiveness measures;
May: Draft revisions provided to NITC for review and comment
June: NITC reviews and adopts 2002 Statewide Technology Plan.
Commissioner Smith would like to have progress report on the accomplishments of this year’s statewide plan, and recommended conducting a survey of communities to get data on connectivity capabilities including costs of the service. Lieutenant Governor Heineman directed Mr. Schafer to meet with each commissioner to discuss the NITC’s vision and goals in preparation for the April meeting.
Nebraska Information Technology Commission 2002 Work Plan. (PDF 113k)
Mr. Schafer provided this an informational item for the Commissioners' awareness of projects for the upcoming year.
Project Status Summary, January 2002. (PDF 211k)
Commissioners received the written report prior to the meeting. There were no questions.
Update on Information Technology Infrastructure Fund Projects.
Steve Schafer, Chief Information Officer, State of Nebraska
NIS (Nebraska Information System). The project is behind schedule and the project team will be meeting to make adjustments to the timelines.
Wireless. Brenda Decker stated that LB1211 was introduced this session to address this issue. Ms. Decker provided an update on the project, LB1211 and related issues. Lieutenant Governor Heineman stated homeland security is a priority nationwide and that there may be federal dollars available to assist in this effort.
CJIS. Mr. Schafer reported that the agency is focusing on implementing an application for prosecutors. Once this is in place, Nebraska will have a fully implemented online law enforcement system from arrest to prosecution.It will take awhile for jurisdictions to be fully implemented.
Business Portal. The web site is a couple weeks away from being launched www.nol.org/business will include a search engine for businesses to access and will have other informational links for businesses. The Office of the Chief Information Officer has a grant from the State Records Board for forms automation.Commissioner Kosman commended the Game and Parks Commission for the services available on their website.
NETCOM UPDATE
Lieutenant Governor Heineman, along with Mr. Schafer, Mr. Weir and Ms. Decker, met with the representatives from the telecommunications industry to discuss issues, concerns and provide clarification about the goal and purpose of NETCOM.The State of Nebraska must provide proof of concept and prove demand and participation from state agencies, higher education and K-12. As part of this validation, it was felt that a pilot project, that would involve all entities, should be conducted.
Commissioner Smith moved to endorse the NETCOM Pilot Project Proposal (PDF 75k) to provide proof of concept. Commissioner Kosman seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Kosman-Yes, Adams-Yes, Heineman-Yes, Brown-Yes, Smith-Yes, and Kuck-Yes. Results: 6-Yes and 0-No. The motion was carried by unanimous vote.
There was a question as to timeline for the project.It is anticipated that the project will be conducted as soon as possible.
NEBRASKA NETWORKAt the October 31st NITC meeting, the Commissioner passed a resolution to form the Nebraska Network Work Group whose purpose is to evaluate the feasibility of the development of a digital network and related support functions to serve education, communities, and state government that could be accomplished through a statewide consortium. The Work Group met informally on February 11th. There were approximately thirty people in attendance. Mr. Schafer and Mr. Weir provided their perceptions and thoughts on the meeting.
Commissioner Brown moved to approve the Nebraska Network Workgroup Charter and membership (PDF 129k). Commissioner Adams seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Smith-Yes, Heineman-Yes, Kuck-Yes, Kosman-Yes, Brown-Yes, and Adams-Yes. Results: 6-Yes and 0-No. The motion was carried by unanimous vote.NEW BUSINESS
Lieutenant Governor Heineman informed the Commissioners that their appointment terms were over in April, with the exception of Commissioner Kosman.If Commissioners are interested in serving another 4-year term, they are to contact Lieutenant Governor Heineman via a written letter or email.
Commissioner Kosman stated that Commissioner Brown has written a book on the history of radio in Nebraska.It is available at the Nebraska Bookstore.
NEXT MEETING DATE AND TIME AND ADJOURNMENT
The next meeting of the Nebraska Information Technology Commission will be held on Tuesday, April 30th, 1:30 p.m. The location will be determined at a later time.
Commissioner Kosman moved to adjourn. Commissioner Brown seconded the motion. All were in favor. The motion was carried by voice vote.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:09 a.m.
Minutes were taken by Lori Lopez Urdiales and reviewed by staff of the Office of the CIO/NITC.
Meeting Minutes