May 3, 2009 By Wayne Hanson
Late last month the Minnesota Department of Public Safety announced it would require ISPs and telcos to block computers located in the state from accessing gambling sites, and said non-compliant companies would be referred to the FCC. Now, the state has sent each ISP and telco the enclosed blacklist of sites and URLs.
At issue is whether states and localities can legally restrict access to the Internet based on federal, city, county or state laws. Minnesota is invoking a law written before the Internet became widely accessible that pertains to common carriers -- such as the use of a telephone to call a bookie and place a bet.
In 2006, Rep Barney Frank spoke out against banning Internet gambling and Frank was slated to introduce an Internet gambling related bill today, according to media reports. Speculation is that the bill may eliminate or clarify the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
This Digital Communities white paper highlights discussions with IT officials in four counties that have adopted shared services models. Our aim was to learn about the obstacles these governments have faced when it comes to shared services and what it takes to overcome those roadblocks. We also spoke with several members of the IT industry who have thought long and hard about these issues. The paper offers some best practices for shared government-to-government services, but also points out challenges that government and industry still must overcome before this model gains widespread adoption.
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Digital Communities (DC) is e.Republic‘s local government program. The particular strength of DC is its focus on encouraging collaboration and creating productive relationships between and among cities, counties, regions and select private sector companies uniquely positioned to help improve the delivery of public services.
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