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NewsWatch: Information Technology -- Birmingham's Buses; Smart Grid Denied; Phone Apps for Candidates; Electronic Election

Birmingham's Buses; Smart Grid Denied; Phone Apps for Candidates; Electronic Election.

State Regulators Deny Smart Grid Proposal
A high-tech proposal promoted as a way to save utility customers billions of dollars and help them better control energy use was thrown into doubt Monday, after Maryland regulators denied BGE's request that ratepayers shoulder most of the upfront costs. Baltimore Sun

Birmingham's New High-Tech Buses (Video)
New buses will be rolling into Birmingham this fall, and the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority gave a preview of their forthcoming models today in front of City Hall. The bus system will use $8.7 million in federal money to help purchase 17 new buses. They are being built by North American Bus Industry located in Anniston.  Birmingham News

Candidates Turn to Phone Apps
Running for office? You can make an app for that. Maintaining a Facebook page and Twitter feed has become standard practice for political candidates seeking to get their message out. And some are even creating iPhone applications so supporters can follow their campaigns and make contributions on the go. The method has grown in popularity -- especially since President Barack Obama's widely chronicled and successful embrace of social media during the 2008 campaign. He even had a sophisticated iPhone app that let people get in touch with local organizers and find local events. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Philippines Holds First Electronic Election
Although the US$155 million project was fraught with technical difficulties and controversy from the start, the Philippines' first computerized election has been hailed an historic success. But how could Asia's first democracy go one better next time round? FutureGov