One of the key messages the Administration has is that PA PowerPort is about 90% involved with streamlining government operations online. Depending on the definition of "government operations", there doesn't seem to be much disagreement that this would be a good thing. Of course, it's CRITICAL that the term "government operations", particularly STATE government oeprations, be defined publicly.

It's the other 10% that we still see as the problem. There are large policy questions as to why the state government should be involved in "the other 10%". And the business community has 45 days or so to figure out how it feels about it.

Apparently, the Microsoft proposal is a big wish list of things Microsoft is willing to provide for the PA PowerPort internet portal. And all the things mentioned before are still on that list:

web site development at a reduced cost to Pennsylvania businesses via Microsoft's Bcentral service, as seen at http://www.bcentral.com

links to MSNBC news and weather

searchable yellow pages for business listings

e-mail services

and possibly more. All could be available from the state web site. It could happen. It might not happen. Hey, it all depends on what, the business community says it wants. Governor Ridge wants to make the business community happy.

Of course, there's no definition of business community. Does he mean big business? Or what about small businesses? Internet business? International business?

So the Administration, with the help of the Department of Community and Economic Development, will be setting up a meeting in Eastern PA, and in Western PA, and in Central PA, with stakeholders, to get their input. Stakeholders will be organizations, usually business or technology associations, that can provide members for discussion and input. This all should happen in the next 45 days.

These aren't going to be meetings open to the general public. I was told that a meeting with 200 attendees probably won't get anything done. Well, maybe there would be some lively differences of opinions with that many people, but that's not necessarily the goal here. The Administration is looking for consensus. Consensus is most likely to be found in a group of organizations with similar goals.

So there will be invitations. I suspect we could have a better definition of the term "business", as far as policy for keeping business happy is concerned, once we determine who was invited.

Now, if you are lucky enough to attend one of these stakeholder meetings, don't be surprised if the discussion comes with a nice online presentation of how this could all look. Between the State and Microsoft, there should be enough technical expertise to provide a presentation that will have the maximum bells and whistles to impress anyone beyond their senses. And they are probably hoping that's going to be the case.

But please, don't forget to ask questions about who these services are supposed to help - and how.

Bcentral.com was explained as a sort of beginner e-commerce site that Microsoft would make available to businesses for less than $600 per year. In theory, businesses would grow online, and then migrate to more robust services, hopefully offered by Pennsylvania businesses.

Of course, it would seem silly that Microsoft would let existing clients with higher revenue goals and greater service needs slip away from their grasp. They aren't particularly known for missing their upgrade opportunities. Microsoft could use their position as the state-delivered low budget internet developer to migrate these clients to higher level services of their own. And they'd be nuts not to if there were profit in it.

Of course, Microsoft is well known as a Pennsylvania-based Internet development company, and so that really shouldn't harm our fledgling internet development industry in the state.

Of course, maybe we're just nuts, but the whole idea seems beyond the reasonable expectations of government activity.

The news and weather would only be Pennsylvania information, so don't worry, we won't be getting any of that New York or California information on the state government web site. It will come from MSNBC feeds. It's just easier that way, since Microsoft is doing all this other stuff. It's convenient to have it on the state site, so web browsers don't have to bother finding a Pennsylvania television station or newspaper or ISP site that offers similar services for content. Of course, maybe all those media outlets might not appreciate the boost for MSNBC's content. But maybe it is better to just provide one source of unbiased news from a well respected Pennsylvania-based news provider such as MSNBC on the official tax-funded site for state government.

Maybe we're just nuts thinking it's well beyond the realm of responsibility of government.

One of the justifications of the yellow pages concept is that it would allow Pennsylvania businesses to find Pennsylvania Internet and technology services. Apparently Pennsylvania technology companies are calling the state and asking for help in marketing their services to Pennsylvania businesses.

(I have to stop now and say something: If this is truly the case, if state technology businesses are asking state government for help in marketing their services to Pennsylvania businesses, then we're in a world of hurt. We'll never be able to compete with other states' Internet industries by begging the state for help with marketing.)

Of course, how these yellow pages could work - whether it be geographical searching or industry searching or alphabetical outputting, whether they include businesses beyond the Internet industry, what defines a business as being either Pennsylvanian or technology - all these issues are open for discussion at the stakeholders meetings.

If you go, please ask about how much market research by the state was involved in the process of developing these concepts. And ask what the exit strategy would be if this idea fails - would the state sell the content, or just shut it down. And what are the parameters for determining success and failure?

The worst part of the answer is the likelihood that part of it will be "according to the plan developed by Microsoft."

By the way, all this stuff is apparently available to the state at close to ZERO COST. Now, as a business, I know I wouldn't do a project like this for the State of Pennsylvania for free. But apparently Microsoft isn't bothered by that. They either don't mind doing free work for state government, or perhaps this fits into some greater (and as of yet undiscussed publicly) strategic plan for Microsoft.

This seems like such a slippery slope for the government, and it seems unreasonable to expect an informed consult from business in the short period of three meetings and 45 days. And what about the General Assembly's responsibility in all this? Shouldn't they be given some time to figure out what's really at stake here?

If the 90% which is truly government online is the main thing, why can't this 10% just be dropped for now, and then the General Assembly could have hearings on the issues involved, bringing in experts and businesses and a diversity of minds in the Internet industry in Pennsylvania to consider and open source review this 10% plan? What is our hurry to judgment here? What is SO MAGICAL about 45 days?

It would be nice to be able to see the Microsoft proposal/agreement, but apparently that also won't be available to the public until around 45 days from now... after it's signed.

If you're lucky enough to be invited to a Stakeholder Meeting on PA PowerPort, and you want to share your experiences of the meeting, please let me know.

If you belong to an organization that *ought* to be invited to a Stakeholder Meeting, you may want to contact the Department of Community and Economic Development. Please let me know as well, I'll be happy to pass along your organization names to the Administration folks I met.

If you're not lucky enough to be invited, please feel free to make your comments, suggestions, and recommendations known on the PowerPort Bulletin Board, now at

http://www.aboutpennsylvania.com/messageboard.html

We really would like to see active discussion on the message board on the issues relating to PowerPort. If there are going to be good ideas on how to improve the Internet Industry in Pennsylvania that make more sense that what Microsoft has proposed, the industry is going to be responsible for determining them. This is a starting point, and hopefully a publicly visible place where government can see that the Industry wants more self-determination and less government intervention.