NEBRASKA INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COMMISSION

Tuesday, January 23, 2001
Union Pacific, Harriman Dispatch Center
850 Jones Street, Omaha, NE
APPROVED MINUTES

MEMBERS PRESENT
Lieutenant Governor Dave Maurstad State of Nebraska	L. Merill Bryan, Senior Vice President Union Pacific Information Technologies
Greg Adams, Mayor City of York	Dr. Doug Christensen, Commissioner Department of Education
Eric Brown, Manager KRVN Radio	Dr. Dennis Smith, President University of Nebraska
MEMBERS ABSENT: Hod Kosman, CEO, Platte Valley Financial Services; Gary Kuck, CEO, Centurion International; and Pamela Vanlandingham, Senior Vice President

CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL AND NOTICE OF MEETING

The chair, Lieutenant Governor Dave Maurstad, called the meeting to order at 1:35 p.m. Roll call was taken. There were six members present. A quorum existed to conduct official business. Lieutenant Governor Maurstad stated that the meeting notice and agenda were posted to the NITC Web Site on January 4, 2001 and on the State's Public Meeting Calendar on January 16, 2001. Links to the agenda were added on January 18, 2001.

APPROVAL OF NOVEMBER 6, 2000 MINUTES

Commissioner Adams moved to approve the minutes as presented. Commissioner Smith seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion was carried by voice vote.

PUBLIC COMMENT

There was no public comment.

COMMUNITY COUNCIL REPORT - Anne Byers, Community Information Technology Manager

Jean Saathoff has been elected as the new co-chair of the Community Council. At the January meeting the Council recommended Mary Wernke as a new member representing the business sector.

Commissioner Christensen moved to approve Mary Wernke as a new member to the Community Council. Commissioner Bryan seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Adams-Yes, Brown-Yes, Bryan-Yes, Christensen-Yes, Maurstad-Yes, and Smith-Yes. Motion was carried.

The Community Technology Fund has received 43 pre-proposal applications. The deadline for pre-proposals was January 17th with an application deadline of February 16th. A list of pre-proposals was distributed to the Commissioners.

The final report on the Telehealth Feasibility Study had just been delivered prior to the meeting. Copies were distributed to the Commissioners. The reported will be posted on the UNMC web site. Both the Community Council and the Telehealth Subcommittee have reviewed the draft report and will be developing action items which address the report's recommendations. Some of the benefits of telehealth included: joint participation by physicians and patients in consultative sessions; continuing medical education for the health care professionals; patient care remains in the local community; and patients are more likely to make and keep appointments for care. Recommendations of the study were as follows:

1. Initial applications of telehealth must be responsive to the provider's needs.
2. Any new program should aim to include interactive video.
3. Health professionals currently using telehealth services should be champions of those applications.
4. There should be formal training for everyone involved in telehealth consultations.
5. Advocates for telehealth must continue to press for changes in reimbursement policies.
6. Programs in telehealth should incorporate broad-based community participation by including applications of interest to community groups.
7. Fast and reliable broadband interconnectivity needs to be available.

Commissioner Smith was thanked for his support of this project.

EDUCATION COUNCIL REPORT - Tom Rolfes, Education Information Technology Manager

The Council has begun the review and further development of its six priorities and action items in the statewide plan. Commissioners were alerted to two legislative bills pertaining to the "Bridging the Telecommunications Gap" proposal - LB336 and LB833. The NEB*SAT Scheduling Priorities document is in draft form. The Education Council's Operations Working Group has been given a deadline for completion of the policies. The Education Council will vote on recommending the policies at the February meeting. The policies then will go to the NETC for final adoption and approval.

STATE GOVERNMENT COUNCIL REPORT - Steve Schafer, Chief Information Officer

The Council has met twice since the last NITC meeting. A work group has been formed to address the business portal. The E-government Strategy Work Group has been meeting regularly. The Governor is in support of the strategic plan and would like the focus to be on business to government transactions. The work group anticipates that the plan will be developed by March 1st.

TECHNICAL PANEL REPORT - Walter Weir, Chief Information Officer, University of Nebraska

The Technical Panel has approved the nomination of Michael Beach to serve on the panel as the representative for NET. Individuals approved as alternate members to the Technical Panel were Bob Huber for Michael Beach and Rick Golden for Walter Weir.

Commissioner Adams moved to approve the nomination of Michael Beach as a new member on the Technical Panel and Bob Huber and Rick Golden as alternates. Commissioner Bryan seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Smith-Yes, Maurstad-Yes, Christensen-Yes, Bryan-Yes, Brown-Yes, and Adams-Yes. Motion was carried.

A Video Standards Work Group had been established with Michael Beach as the chair. The Technology Assistive Work Group has developed a technology access clause that is to be included in all contracts entered into by state agencies on and after January 1, 2001. This clause was developed in accordance with LB352 (2000).

All other work groups have been meeting regularly and will have reports on specific topics later in the meeting.

Update on NIS Project - Tom Conroy, Project Manager

Mr. Conroy thanked the Technical Panel for their assistance and advice with the NIS Project. Don Mihulka, Associate CIO, University of Nebraska-Computing Services Network, was designated as the Technical Panel's representative to serve on the NIS project team. The Project has made every attempt to involve stakeholders in the process by the following means:

• Project team consists of large key agencies such as Department of Roads, Education and Health & Human Services.
• Meetings with code and non-code agency directors and staff regarding the purpose and goals of NIS
• Feedback was provided on the RFP before its release
• Agencies will be involved in the evaluation of the products proposed by the vendors before a contract is signed
• The NITC will be involved in the review of the RFP selection process and implementation plan.

The project is staying on schedule with an anticipated date for contract selection by May 2nd. The RFP was released last week. Four bids were submitted. Two of the bids (PeopleSoft and SAP) were not responsive to the needs and requirements of the RFP. Two met the requirements and are being reviewed: Oracle and J.D. Edwards. Commissioners were given copies of their executive summaries. The cost ranges are within the estimated figures. Mr. Conroy entertained questions and concerns regarding the following: estimated costs to agencies; training and retention of I.T. staff.

Security Policy. The Security Architecture Work Group has worked over the past several months on the security policies. An IBM consultant was brought in to assist the work group. The policies were posted on the NITC web site and had a 30-day review for comments and suggestions. The policies are divided into seven sections: (1) Information Security Management Policy; (2) Access Control Policy; (3) Disaster Recovery Policy; (4) Education, Training and Awareness Policy; (5) Security Breaches and Incident Reporting Policy; (6) Individual Use Policy; and (7) Network Security Policy. At the December meeting, the Technical Panel approved adoption of the Security Policies for NITC approval.

Commissioner Christensen moved to adopt the Security Policies. Commissioner Smith seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Maurstad-Yes, Bryan-Yes, Smith-Yes, Adams-Yes, Christensen-Yes and Brown-Yes. Motion was carried.

STAFF REPORT - Rick Becker, Government Information Technology Manager

Copies of a listing of legislative bills was distributed. This information, including how the bills relate to information technology and links to the appropriate bill, will be posted to the NITC web site. The Lieutenant Governor requested that the Commissioners be contacted via e-mail when the information is available on the web site.

Improvements to the information clearinghouse continue to be developed. Mr. Winkle reported that the Councils are being encouraged to provide more information and suggestions for their sectors.

SPECIAL REPORT, TINA - Brenda Decker, Director, Division of Communications

The TINA project name is now NETCOM (Nebraska Telecommunications) but may also be referred to as WIDEN (Wide-band Integrated Digital Enterprise Network). The Network Architecture Work Group is developing the RFP. The Work Group is comprised of individuals representing stake-holder institutions and departments within State Government and the educational community. After researching what other states have done for the RFP process, the Work Group decided to develop the RFP rather than hire an outside consultant. The Division of Communications is working with Purchasing regarding the feasibility of posting the RFP on the website for input from the private sector prior to its release. The final RFP is scheduled for release April 30, 2001 with the Announcement of Selection of Prime Contractor and initiation of negotiations in August 2001. The Initial Implementation Phase of Network Installation will begin in December 2001. Maps were provided for review. Questions and comments were entertained. The Lieutenant Governor commented that the state must address the digital divide as much as legally possibly through NETCOM. Andy Pollock of the Public Service Commission will be working with the Division on legal issues.

SPECIAL REPORT, WIRELESS - Mike Jeffries, Radio Communications Manager, Division of Communications, State of Nebraska

In 1999, Legislative Bill 446 provided funding for the Wireless Communication System Design Study. The Wireless Project remains on schedule. Federal Engineering has prepared the final report. Copies of the executive summary were distributed to the Commissioners. The design study outlines the recommendations and functional requirements for a wireless system architecture for Nebraska’s public safety entities. The Division of Communications is managing the study, which will be completed by June 30, 2001. The FCC is very explicit on the regulations and use of wide-band for public safety. At a future meeting, the Commissioners requested information regarding the linkages and benefits between NETCOM and the Wireless Project.

SPECIAL REPORT, GIS - Larry Zink, Coordinator, Geographical Information Systems Steering Committee

A PowerPoint presentation was given to the Commissioners. Mr. Zink entertained questions and comments. It was suggested to provide this information to the League of Municipalities.

NEW BUSINESS

There was no new business.

NEXT MEETING, DATE, LOCATION AND ADJOURNMENT

The next meeting of the NITC will take place on either April 25th or 26th. Staff will follow-up with the other Commissioners on their availability.

The Chair, Lieutenant Governor Maurstad adjourned the meeting at 4:00 p.m.

Minutes were taken by Lori Lopez Urdiales and reviewed by staff of the Office of the CIO/NITC

Meeting Minutes