Politech mailing list archives
FC: Pennsylvania Gov. Ridge competes with Net startups in his own state
From: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2000 11:16:46 -0500
[The buzz has Ridge on the very short list for the GOP vice presidential nomination. This article below shows what a Bush-Ridge administration might view technology. --Declan]
http://www.phillynews.com/daily_news/2000/Mar/13/business/PORT13.htm Guv riles cybernauts Netizens see state's portal as competition by Michael Hinkelman Daily News Staff Writer Outside the state, Gov. Tom Ridge is often portrayed as one of the most tech-friendly governors in the nation. Closer to home, however, some members of the state's cyber community think the techno-gov may be dabbling a bit too much into commercial Internet territory. They claim the Republican governor is actively promoting "socialized e-commerce" of all things. And what has raised their ire? A joint venture between the state and software giant Microsoft Corp. to create "PA PowerPort," the country's first statewide Internet portal. ... The governor called the new initiative a "one-stop shop for the information we all need" in his budget address last month. According to one critic, the project puts the state in a position of competing with tax dollars against "every Web and Internet Service Provider and entrepreneur currently existing in the state that are out there actually trying to build this industry in Pennsylvania." That's the view of Kessler Freedman Inc., a Web site design company in Mechanicsburg, just outside Harrisburg. The company, which has been the most vocal critic of "PA PowerPort," has developed more than 40 commercial Web sites since its inception in 1996. In an essay posted on their Web site, Kessler Freedman contends Ridge wants to build what amounts to a "mini-Yahoo," albeit with services like hometown news that are geared toward the state. Several Pennsylvania-based privately-owned dot-coms already are building similar Web sites and offering some of the same services that the state plans to make available. ... "It bothers me," said Allen Deckert, a co-owner of PAdotNET. "Maybe they don't think there's enough talent here and they didn't need to get anybody's opinion or do a survey of people who are trying to do the exact same thing the state wants to do." Wayne Kessler, a co-owner of Kessler Freedman, summed up his feelings this way: "If the state suddenly decided they were going to give away free food, I would imagine there would be a lot of restaurants and supermarkets that would be pretty ticked." ... -------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- the moderated mailing list of politics and technology To subscribe, visit http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current thread:
- FC: Pennsylvania Gov. Ridge competes with Net startups in his own state Declan McCullagh (Mar 17)