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Bridging the digital divide in B.C.

Since 2002, more than 47 new communities in B.C. have been wired for broadband Internet, and more than 65 communities will be added this year. By 2007, high-speed Internet should be available everywhere in B.C.

Since 2002, more than 47 new communities in B.C. have been wired for broadband Internet, and more than 65 communities will be added this year. By 2007, high-speed Internet should be available everywhere in B.C.

Rural communities have been the real losers in the high-speed Internet revolution in Canada, as the limited customer base in many communities made it uneconomical for Internet service providers to pay for the installation of broadband infrastructure.

However, thanks to satellite broadband services, lower installation costs and government subsidies, rural Canada and B.C. are catching up to the cities.

B.C. is now the most connected province in Canada with more than 6 out of 10 of its citizens having Internet access. At the end of 2003 more than 89 per cent of British Columbians were in communities that had high-speed broadband services, according to the Premier’s Technology Council.

That’s hardly a surprising figure given that the vast majority of B.C. residents live in the Lower Mainland, Victoria, Nanaimo, Kamloops and Okanagan regions, but it boosts the province’s profile as a high-tech centre.

The Premier’s Technology Council was created with the goal of making B.C. one of the top-10 technology centres in the world, in the same league as Seattle and Silicon Valley.

In their sixth progress report, released last week, the PTC made 14 new general recommendations to help elevate B.C.’s status as a world technology centre. Most of these recommendations revolve around services that rural communities require in terms of e-learning and e-health, helping people in the remotest locations of the province derive some benefit from a faster connection with the Web.

The e-learning component includes everything from basic high school and university courses to high-tech programs – essentially building a workforce for B.C.’s growing tech sector. The e-health component is about making remote communities more liveable by providing doctors with the tools to provide the same standard of care as their counterparts in the city. In other words, even rural communities will be able to participate in high technology through broadband Internet, while retaining and luring talent through the B.C. lifestyle.

It’s an ambitious goal, but one that will seem a lot more realistic once B.C. becomes the first province to be 100 per cent wired for broadband Internet.

German teenager behind most viruses

Sven Jaschan is in deep, deep trouble. In the first half of 2004 the 18-year-old German unleashed more than 50 per cent of the viruses that plagued the Web, causing billions of dollars worth of damage and lost productivity. And if you count all the variations and versions replicated from his original worms, Netsky and Sasser, Jaschan is actually responsible for 70 per cent of all viruses.

Jaschan wasn’t caught by authorities. Rather, he was turned in by a friend and arrested in early May after a short investigation.

No dollar value has been attached to his worm viruses, but damage was easily in the tens of billions. Because Jaschan was under 18 when he wrote the worms, he will most likely be tried as a youth rather than an adult.

Software piracy tops $30 billion

The illegal copying of software titles is estimated at US$29 billion a year, according to a study by the industry. By way of comparison, the industry only makes annual sales of approximately $51 billion.

Online peer-to-peer services and unlicensed duplicating of programs are the main culprits, and authorities are only know discovering that software thieves are more organized and business-minded than anyone gave them credit for. One company that was busted for selling illegal software was caught with more than $50 million in stock.

To combat the problem, major software companies are looking at the idea of reducing the price of their software while lobbying for stricter penalties for offenders.

Western Europe was the biggest offender, accounting for more than $9.6 billion in pirated software. Asia was a close second, followed by North America.

Music industry targets dentists

Canadian dentists recently received a warning from the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) that they would be required to play licensing fees on any copyrighted music they play in their offices.

Many dentists already subscribe to music services like Muzak or DMX Music, paying an annual fee for unlimited listening. Others play radio stations, which are also exempt from SOCAN regulations if they are small enough.

However, dentists are not allowed to play their own music because that constitutes a public performance. That includes the practice of giving patients headphones to block out the sound of drills and other sounds during surgery.

The SOCAN regulations go back for several years, but have never been enforced until now. Similar rules are on the book is the U.S., applying directly to physicians, dentists, retailers and other businesses – even your local grocery store has to pay for the piped-in music. The argument is that the background music is part of a business’ overall service, and because these businesses are run for profit the artists that make the background music are entitled to royalties.

There’s no word yet on how SOCAN is enforcing their regulations, but numerous dentists, doctors and other professionals have received letters advising them of their options.

Music fees are between $100 and $200 a year for piped-in music subscribers, but there’s no word on what businesses that play their own music could be charged.

If it’s more expensive, then prepare yourself to hear a lot more Muzak in the future.