Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 16:01:00 -0800 From: Jim Warren Subject: GovAccess.090: Snarl, Fed Res FRRS, WY Ferret, NY Loot, NC Info Petulant Preface to Next GovExcess - A Listing of Senate Contact-Vectors It's rather infuriating to notice how many of *our* "representatives": 1. Have no email addresses even though the Senate's Internet host is available to them, 2. Refuse to give their constituents or the nation's tax-payers their tax-funded fax-numbers - which most-assuredly *are* available to their big-bucks lobbyists, donors and "important" people, 3. Provide a fax-number that is in their *state* office, but refuse to provide the fax-number in their *Washington* office, where they are conducting *our* business [repeat preceding note], and 4. Refuse to consider - much less respond to - communications except from constituents who can vote for them - i.e., who are in their state. Nonetheless, they vigorously solicit and contentedly accept campaign contributions and lobbyists' loot from beyond their state. Much more to the point, their actions and votes impact *all* of us - not just those who can vote for them. Can you imagine legislators refusing to give out their voice-phone numbers, "because too many calls might come in," or other such drivel?!! --jim &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Federal Reserve Regulatory Service Now on PC Diskettes - for $300/Year Thu, 19 Jan 1995 11:03:01 -0500 (EST) >From Paul Havemann This is the paraphrased substance of a PR from the Federal Reserve, dated 1/12/95, which may be of interest to those GovAccess readers (esp. lawyers) involved with the Fed's regulatory activities: The Federal Reserve announced today that the _Federal Reserve Regulatory Service_ (FRRS) is now available in electronic form (HD 3.5" disks) for DOS-based personal computers. Updated monthly, the FRRS uses Folio VIEWS search-and-retrieval software to let users: -- Search for any word, phrase, or combination of words and phrases in the Regulatory Service -- Search the complete text or the major headings -- Limit searches to a specific portion of the Service such as a statute, a regulation, or one section thereof The software features cross-references and indexes with hypertext links, and the ability to print or export data. Needs 17 megs(!) but only 512K RAM. Comes with on-screen user's manual, printed manual, command- specific help, and telphone tech support. Single-user subscriptions to FRRS are $300 annually; the printed version remains at $200 annually. Call 202-452-3242 for more info, or to order. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Wyoming Ferret Telecom Activism and State Legislative Information, Online Wed, 18 Jan 95 10:50:46 PST >From Brett Glass You might be interested to know that the State of Wyoming has put legislative information online on a gopher site called the Wyoming Ferret. The Wyoming legislature is a part-time citizens' legislature which meets only 20 days one year and 40 days the next; therefore, parties who are interested in the progress and texts of individual bills need instant access to them. The Ferret provides information, updated daily, on the progress of bills and the activities of House and Senate subcommittees -- as well as links to other state government information. The Ferret has already been instrumental in organizing opposition to proposed wording in a telecommunications bill which would allow local exchange carriers (primarily US West) to charge measured or usage-based rates for "any service to be resold or shared by the customer." If this language is added, an LEC could, if it so desired, charge measured rates to any company with an e-mail system, FAX server, or modem pool. It could also charge a BBS or Internet provider per call for INCOMING calls -- in essence, instituting a per-call "tax" on these services. The proposed language would also allow the LEC to institute per-packet charges on digital leased lines which were shared by several users or companies or leased by Internet service providers. (This poses a grave danger to the Internet, whose vitality relies upon flat-rate leased line service.) Finally, the language overrides the authority of the Wyoming Public Services Commission to dictate that usage-based or measured rates not be instituted, even if it believes that this method of billing is inappropriate, hurts consumers, or is contrary to the public's best interest. All of the above would be ALLOWED to happen if the language was added to the bill, but is this the intent? Comments from telephone company representatives indicate that it might be. At the January 16th meeting of the Wyoming State Telecommunications Council, Mr. Tom Johnson, a registered lobbyist employed by US West who also sits on the Council, said that US West did not have immediate plans to raise costs for modem users, "...but that doesn't mean we won't." At the same meeting, Mr. Stan Bader, a US West Vice President, said that the usage-based or measured rates were intended to be applied to anyone who "sets up a server" -- a category which includes e-mail systems, Usenet nodes, FIDOnet nodes, FAX servers, modem pools, Gopher servers, Web servers, computer bulletin boards, Internet services, and even the Ferret itself. Fortunately, citizens in Wyoming and elsewhere will be closely monitoring amendments to the bill via the Ferret, and can send electronic mail to Representative Cale Case (Chairman of the Wyoming State Telecommunications Council, and a member of the House Corporations, Elections, and Political Subdivisions Committee) urging that this onerous language not be adopted. Because this provision could set a terrible precedent for other states, Internet users throughout the US are also urged to send e-mail to Rep. Case, via the Ferret, in opposition to the resale/sharing provision. The Wyoming Ferret is reachable via gopher at ferret.state.wy.us. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& NY May Open Its Coat - Bill to Open Campaign-Finance Disclosures Online Thu, 19 Jan 1995 08:25:56 -0800 (PST) >From winkleme@assembly.ca.gov (Mary Winkley) New York is attempting to put the campaign finance reports on-line. The Assemblywoman who is spearheading the effort is Assemblywoman Sandra Galef (90th District) Fax: (914) 941-9132 or (518) 455-5728 Phone: (914) 941-1111 or (518) 455-5348 The first numbers are her district numbers. The second numbers are the Capitol office numbers. People are encouraged to write or call in with their support. Any help you may be able to provide will be greatly appreciated by her staff, David Levine, who, btw, is willing to answer any questions anyone may have. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& North Carolina Institute of Government Announces a New Gopher Thu, 19 Jan 95 08:37:16 -0500 >From "Langelier, Patricia" Chapel Hill, N.C. - The Institute of Government is pleased to announce its presence on the Internet on our new gopher (ncinfo.iog.unc.edu) and web servers (http://ncinfo.iog.unc.edu). Our servers provide a number of information resources relevant to North Carolina local and state government, including a catalog of Institute publications, full text of selected recent articles appearing in _Popular Government_ and _School Law Bulletin_, an email directory of Institute faculty and staff, calendars of activities at the Institute, and a guide to its library collections and services. Created to promote and enhance local and state government electronic communication, the servers are a joint project of the Institute of Government, the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners,and the North Carolina League of Municipalities. The servers provide 24-hour access to timely information by and about the three organizations, including North Carolina General Assembly legislative updates (beginning late January) and local government job listings in North Carolina. The servers provide links to many other North Carolina resources as well as other state, local, and federal government gopher and web servers. A department of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Institute of Government is the largest and most diversified of the university-based governmental training and research organizations in the United States. For sixty-two years, local and state officials in North Carolina have relied on the Institute to help them get the information and hone the skills they need to conduct public business. We are very pleased to expand access to our information resources through the Internet to everyone interested in North Carolina state and local government. For more information about the: -- Institute of Government, contact Pat Langelier (pal.iog@mhs.unc.edu) CB # 3330 Knapp Building, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3330 -- North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, contact Rebecca Troutman (rtroutman@sips.state.nc.us) PO Box 1488, Raleigh, NC 27602 -- North Carolina League of Municipalities, contact Dr. Lee Mandell (lmandell@sips.state.nc.us) PO Box 3069, Raleigh, NC 27602 For technical information, contact gophermaster@ncinfo.iog.unc.edu &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& "Earlier this month ... America Online..shut several feminist discussion forums, saying it was concerned that the subject matter might be inappropriate for young girls who would see the world 'girl' in the forum's headline and 'go in there looking for information about their Barbies,' a spokeswoman said." - Peter H. Lewis, "Censors Become a Force on Cyberspace Frontier", _New_York_Times_, 06/07/94 [via Stanton McCandlish ] Mo' as it Is. --jim GovAccess is a list distributing irregular info & advocacy, maintained by Jim Warren, columnist, MicroTimes, Government Technology, BoardWatch, etc. 345 Swett Rd., Woodside CA 94062; voice/415-851-7075; fax/<# upon request> jwarren@well.com (well.com = well.sf.ca.us; also at jwarren@autodesk.com) & To add or drop the GovAccess list, email to jwarren@well.com . & & Permission herewith granted for unlimited reposting and recirculation. & & Past postings are at ftp.cpsr.org: /cpsr/states/california/govaccess & & by WWW at http://www.cpsr.org/cpsr/states/california/govaccess &