FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski emphasized at an agency hearing Thursday that extension of internet service to all Americans will depend on investment of up to $350 billion in private capital when telemedicine and "smart grid" electrical power monitoring are factored into the expansion of internet useage. With internet non-profits like Free Press, which helped candidate Obama formulate tech policies, lobbying intently for new net neutrality rules at FCC, and with those proposed regulations adamantly opposed by the broadband purveyors who have the capital required to fund a $350 billion internet expansion program, a clash of titanic proportions is looming as the February, 2010, deadline for presentation to Congress of FCC plans for universal broadband access approaches. The major internet providers have already opted out of the government loan and grant programs in the stimulus package which were aimed at promoting network expansion into rural regions of the country.
Monday, October 5, 2009
An Alternative Chinese Drywall Solution
A better understanding of the cause of the smelly and corrosive fumes released by certain lots of drywall imported from China has led one company to a solution for the problem in homes and other buildings, short of tearing out the offending drywall and replacing it along with any affected copper containing mechanical elements of the structure. Slingerlands, New York based Sabre Technology Services has developed a technique costing $10 to $15 per square foot, using a tent placed over the affected home or other building and fumigating the entire tented structure with chlorine dioxide gas.
Apparently the chlorine dioxide not only kills the bacteria in the drywall which produce the gas, it also neutralizes whatever sulphurous fumes have already been released and absorbed into other components of the structure, preventing the recurrence of smells and corrosion which sometimes happen even when all the offending drywall product has been physically removed. Sabre has even developed a technique for using dry filter units to detect the presence of fumes in suspect structures which are too new to have become smelly as yet. It seems Sabre is the only company owning chlorine dioxide generating equipment with enough capacity to perform this service.
Apparently the chlorine dioxide not only kills the bacteria in the drywall which produce the gas, it also neutralizes whatever sulphurous fumes have already been released and absorbed into other components of the structure, preventing the recurrence of smells and corrosion which sometimes happen even when all the offending drywall product has been physically removed. Sabre has even developed a technique for using dry filter units to detect the presence of fumes in suspect structures which are too new to have become smelly as yet. It seems Sabre is the only company owning chlorine dioxide generating equipment with enough capacity to perform this service.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Secretary LaHood Doesn't Understand The Meaning Of "Out The Door"
In testimony today before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood swore that the Obama administration is spending the stimulus appropriations for highway, transit, rail and maritime infrastructure as fast as it can, testifying that $29.4 billion of the $48.1 billion appropriated is "obligated" as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act requires. "We've followed every guideline," LaHood testified. "The money is out the door."
While Secretary LaHood's testimolny probably would not subject him to a perjury prosecution, he is dead wrong if he believes what he said. Most of the money is still in Treasury Department vaults. Only $1.4 billion, or a little less than 5.1% of the money, has actually been spent, finding its way into the hands of contractors and material suppliers. So far, very little of it is actually in the hands of the tradespeople and plant workers on their payrolls. LaHood was challenged to do better by Congressman John Mica, who pointed out that in the 10 states with the highest rates of unemployment, the numbers of jobless have either stayed the same or increased since the stimulus legislation was passed.
If you are wondering where your share of the stimulus appropriations is, call Secretary LaHood and ask him.
While Secretary LaHood's testimolny probably would not subject him to a perjury prosecution, he is dead wrong if he believes what he said. Most of the money is still in Treasury Department vaults. Only $1.4 billion, or a little less than 5.1% of the money, has actually been spent, finding its way into the hands of contractors and material suppliers. So far, very little of it is actually in the hands of the tradespeople and plant workers on their payrolls. LaHood was challenged to do better by Congressman John Mica, who pointed out that in the 10 states with the highest rates of unemployment, the numbers of jobless have either stayed the same or increased since the stimulus legislation was passed.
If you are wondering where your share of the stimulus appropriations is, call Secretary LaHood and ask him.
Highway Fund Compromise Hits The Guardrail - Continuing Resolution To The Rescue
The Senate and House leaders could not resolve their 11th hour differences over a three month extension of the federal Highway Trust Fund in time to beat the stroke of midnight last night, so the 2005 reauthorization's recission of $8.7 billion in unspent appropriations will take effect until both houses can send a conference committee bill of some sort to the Oval Office. The Senate's three month extension bill, including a reversal of the recission of unspent money, failed to pass by unanimous consent, with Republican senators wanting to fund the recission reversal with unspent construction stimulus money, while the Democrats wanted to use unspent TARP funds to pay the highway trust fund bill.
Had the Senate passed its version of the measure, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar would have scotched any chance of final legislative action, since the House version did not include a reversal of the unspent funds recission, due to House rules on pay as you go legislation.
Nevertheless, Congress did arrange another month to work on resolving House and Senate differences by sending the Legislative Branch appropriations bill to the Oval Office for signature last night, including a 31 day continuing resolution extending all government funding at current levels, with some increases for Veterans Health Administration and the Cencus Bureau. On a floor vote of 61-39 the Senate also included a provision permitting the Postal Service to defer a namdated $4 billion contribution to fund retiree health benefits. Isn't it interesting how the end of the fiscal year produces so much eleventh hour legislation robbing Peter to pay Paul?
Had the Senate passed its version of the measure, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar would have scotched any chance of final legislative action, since the House version did not include a reversal of the unspent funds recission, due to House rules on pay as you go legislation.
Nevertheless, Congress did arrange another month to work on resolving House and Senate differences by sending the Legislative Branch appropriations bill to the Oval Office for signature last night, including a 31 day continuing resolution extending all government funding at current levels, with some increases for Veterans Health Administration and the Cencus Bureau. On a floor vote of 61-39 the Senate also included a provision permitting the Postal Service to defer a namdated $4 billion contribution to fund retiree health benefits. Isn't it interesting how the end of the fiscal year produces so much eleventh hour legislation robbing Peter to pay Paul?
"Card Check" Without The Card Check
Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio said today he expects the Senate to eventually pass the Employee Free Choice Act in a compromise version which will dump the provision eliminating secret ballot elections when a majority of employees have signed union authorization cards. Brown himself opposes elimination of the provision, but acknowledges it would be extremely difficult to get the required 60 votes, over intense business lobbying against the measure, unless the card check - no secret ballot clause is dropped from the bill.
Broadband Extension Costs Estimated Up To $350 Billion
How broad is broadband communication? That's the question the FCC must answer by February 17, 2010, the deadline for it to report on the cost of extending broadband service to every American household, enacted in the stimulus legislation. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced to reporters yesterday that providing all underved households only the bandwidth required for e-mail and web surfing would likely cost $20 billion, while expanding service to include high definition movie transmission and video conferencing would cost as much as $350 billion.
Present statistics show that 4% of the population has no access to internet service, while 33% choose not to pay for the service, and 63% are already subscribers. Whether the FCC chooses the low end, the high end, or some middle ground in the range of its estimates, there will be a lot of cash in this program for construction businesses.
Present statistics show that 4% of the population has no access to internet service, while 33% choose not to pay for the service, and 63% are already subscribers. Whether the FCC chooses the low end, the high end, or some middle ground in the range of its estimates, there will be a lot of cash in this program for construction businesses.
Senate Cap And Trade Bill Faces Uphill Battles
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry and Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer unveiled an 800 page partially complete draft of their cap and trade climate change proposal today, but the measure faces strong opposition even within their own party. Democratic Senators Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Kent Conrad of North Dakota expressed objections to the bill's requirement of a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, a 3% increase over the terms of the measure passed this summer in the House. According to coal state Senator Rockefeller, the higher goal "is unrealistic and harmful -- it is simply not enough time to deploy the carbon capture and storage and energy efficiency technologies we need. Period."
Democratic Senators Kent Conrad, Byron Dorgan and Maria Cantwell object to the measure's lack of provision for oversight of the carbon allowance market, fearing market manipulation harmful to their states' argicultural interests. Other democrats object to the fact that the draft includes no details yet on how free and auction based carbon credits will be allocated among businesses in various segments of the economy which will be affected wither by the carbon emission restrictions or the higher enegry costs resulting from emission caps.
Democratic Senators Kent Conrad, Byron Dorgan and Maria Cantwell object to the measure's lack of provision for oversight of the carbon allowance market, fearing market manipulation harmful to their states' argicultural interests. Other democrats object to the fact that the draft includes no details yet on how free and auction based carbon credits will be allocated among businesses in various segments of the economy which will be affected wither by the carbon emission restrictions or the higher enegry costs resulting from emission caps.
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