CivSource spoke with Kim Nelson, executive director for e-government at Microsoft, about LiveBallot an application that is part of the company’s DemocracyLive product which will provide online ballot access for residents of Florida and Virginia. The solution is already in place and since voting began for the Republican primary in December, over 1,200 Florida voters from 40 countries have accessed their ballot using LiveBallot, through an online web portal.

“Florida and Virginia submitted their applications on the basis of using LiveBallot,” Nelson explains. California was also awarded funds from DoD to use LiveBallot and will be opening their portal up for voting ahead of their primary in June.

The MOVE Act requires states to transmit validly-requested absentee ballots to overseas voters no later than 45 days before a federal election, when the request has been received by that date, except where the state has been granted an undue hardship waiver approved by the Department of Defense for that election.

LiveBallot gives states the ability to meet the requirements of the MOVE Act, by allowing citizens to access the portal, view and print their ballots. In the past, many overseas voters have not received an absentee ballot in time for it to be voted, returned, and counted. With LiveBallot, voters use unique identifying information to access their voter-specific ballot. Upon return, the signature on the ballot is matched with voter registration records to verify the voter’s identity.

“It’s important to note that LiveBallot only allows voters to view and print their ballots. This is not online voting,” Nelson explains. “Each state has their own requirements for how ballots may be returned and residents are made aware of that but it is important not to confuse this as an online voting mechanism.”

California, Florida and Virginia election officials received Federal Voter Assistance Program (FVAP) funding guaranteed by the MOVE Act to purchase the LiveBallot technology.

Under the terms of the bill, municipalities would be prevented from paying for communication networks with tax or government revenue or from subsidizing subscription prices. The bill also requires that local governments hold public hearings and a special election before becoming a broadband provider.

The special election requirement goes a step further than the North Carolina legislation of the same flavor. Three cities in Georgia, Tifton, Marietta, and Acworth currently provide publically funded broadband networks but, Rogers calls them unsuccessful and the government an unfair competitor to private business. He claims that the bill would “level the playing field.”

“The private sector is handling this exceptionally well,” Rogers said in an Associated Press account. “What they don’t need is for a governmental entity to come in and compete with them where these types of services already exist. We’re not outlawing a local government entity from doing this, but if they’re going to compete, they can play by the same rules and ask the voters if it’s okay before they go out and spend all these dollars.”

Rogers claims are dubious at best. According to the National Broadband Map, Georgia ranks 20th in the nation for broadband access. According to the forward of a report by Rich Calhoun, Program Director of the Georgia Technology Initiative, “As I traveled through the state to talk with leaders in municipalities, counties and community anchor institutions, I found that many places throughout Georgia indicated that they did not have access to affordable or sufficient broadband services. Telecommunications firms who have made significant investments in Georgia indicated that in some areas of the state the return on investment would not qualify for further investment at the present time.”

According to data in a previous CivSource piece on the state of municipal broadband, “just over 50 cities in the US have their own fiber networks and fewer than 100 have cable networks.”

However, incumbent broadband providers have a significant interest in ensuring that they are the only players in the broadband market, despite open unwillingness to build the infrastructure needed to foster a broadband economy in the United States. The requirements of the bill most notably – special elections – will erect high cost barriers to creating municipal broadband networks even for more affluent cities in the state. Ensuring that a market with little to no activity will go uninterrupted by communities attempting to provide needed infrastructure for themselves.

Rogers claims that these requirements only make governments “play by the same rules,” as the private sector. Although we are left to question when was the last time a private sector provider held a special election before it began an initiative or was barred from using or raising capital to start a project.

In Rochester, the Rochester Police department will use advanced analytics software from IBM to mine, share and extract intelligence from critical data in order to improve police investigative and prevention programs. Law enforcement will then be able to identify local “hot spots,” and allocate resources in advance.

The application, IBM InfoSphere Identity Insight, provides users with specific data from existing law enforcement and public safety databases to aid in investigations and prevention. “The technology will allow law enforcement officials to see broad patterns about activity in their city and focus on prevention,” Cleverley explains.

In Las Vegas, police there will use IBM’s COPLINK crime analytics software, a product already in place in more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide. COPLINK allows officers to accelerate their investigations by enabling them to make non-obvious connections based on information that was previously spread across the department. COPLINK will also allow the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to forge information sharing agreements with other law enforcement agencies that already use COPLINK inside and outside Nevada.

Las Vegas police were already using parts of the i2 crime analytics software from IBM – the broader suite which includes COPLINK, giving the department a more comprehensive crime analytics platform.

IBM is working to provide a broad spectrum of analytics solutions for cities Cleverley said. Last year, CivSource reported on another predictive analytics solution used by the Memphis police department. “All of these tools fit along the spectrum of analytics capabilities,” Cleverley said. “You can leverage analytics in a variety of different ways depending on the desired data and outcomes. Each city is using the tools in slightly different ways based on what makes sense for them.”

Cleverley noted that these types of applications can also help make the case for projects like the Public Safety Broadband Network. By giving law enforcement the infrastructure to handle data transfer, and communications at higher speeds throughout more locations officials will also see an improved user experience with applications like COPLINK.

“These tools can really help with the investigation process. For example, witnesses often recant in the hours after reporting a crime. What if law enforcement officials could replay a 911 call for the witness at the first visit, or show them some of the information they already have? It could save time, and strengthen the overall investigation process,” Cleverley said.

IBM has put together a YouTube video that demonstrates COPLINK’s capabilities here.

Public safety and law enforcement officials have been calling for a public safety broadband network for years. Now, they may be closer than ever to having it created. The network has support from the Obama administration and Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), are sponsoring a bill that would get the project off the ground after several roadblocks.

However, Governor’s O’Malley and Mead are raising concerns about the level of involvement from state level officials in the network. State level first responders would be the primary users of the network. In a letter to the Senators sponsoring the bill, the Governors note that the governing body for the network should have the majority of seats filled by state level officials for this reason. That would mean a change to the current language of the bill.

The letter cautions against too much federal power in the bill which would be “a federal intrusion into state and local zoning authority.”

The Governors also want to ensure that any spectrum reallocation or project work is signed off on by state officials so that any existing projects and investments will not be impacted. Reallocating that spectrum to other uses would waste “billions of dollars of taxpayer investments,” the letter said.

Maryland’s business development office has come under criticism recently for its lack of transparency. In response to that, they have released Maryland Finance Tracker which will let business owners see what financial incentives are available to them when they add new jobs or open new facilities.

There is also an interactive map – MDbizMap which shows visitors market data for their area of the state including employers, schools, local tax credits, and other incentives. Additional resources are expected to come online over the next several months.

The tools follow the release of the state’s first sustainable growth plan and several other interactive online tools designed to help residents and increase transparency. Governor O’Malley has made these types of initiatives central to his administration in effort to upgrade state government’s overall service delivery.

The opportunity in this challenge is time-limited 90 percent federal matching funds for eligibility system upgrades or replacement and 100 percent funding to create HIX IT systems. This is a one-time chance for states to fundamentally transform their health and human services (HHS) enterprises.

Doing so requires a strategic vision and the will to make business process and governance changes to lay the foundation for more client centered service delivery. The pressure of the impending deadline might result in short term planning to meet minimum ACA requirements at the expense of longer term enterprise benefits. However, states can maximize available federal funding without becoming overwhelmed. The key is recognition that transformation does not all have to happen at once as long as there is long-term vision and planning. States can start now to:

Begin with the end in mind.
“What do you really think a 21st century experience could be for your clients in terms of high performing services? ACA is a catalyst to help us achieve that vision.” Rick Friedman, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

ACA stipulations for interoperability among Medicaid, HIXs and human services invite coordinated thinking about population health. The data clearly supports the inter-relatedness of human services and improved health outcomes and is a necessary component of bending the ever-rising healthcare cost curve. ACA or not, this total person understanding is the essence of truly integrated human services delivery. States should approach ACA as a tool to advance the vision to build a human services system that is an engine of human well-being. Getting there means defining aspirations—from seamless integration across agencies to family-centered customer experiences and data-driven decisions.

Think beyond the deadline.
“Focus on the goals of achieving your agency’s long-term vision. Your clients need your help today, in 2014, and afterward. Start now.” Rick Friedman, CMS

January 2014 is looming large for states. A singular focus on the deadline could mean agencies lose sight of actions they can take today and beyond the deadline. Taking full advantage of the funding window demands a broader, pragmatic view. A flexible architecture can be purchased now and configured over time so that states can achieve ACA compliance in the near team while supporting a fully integrated service delivery system. If states do nothing, or focus only on the near term, they will pay a high price, missing the chance to purchase the technical infrastructure of an integrated HHS vision for 10 cents on the dollar versus five times that after 2015.

Elbow your way to the table.
“It’s not about ACA, it’s about the people who get benefits from all of us, and how do we build systems in a networked world to try to communicate with each other?” Rick Friedman, CMS

Human services leaders must get involved in ACA discussions in their states now to maximize their ability to piggyback on funding opportunities. This demands determination and the ability to break down organizational silos and traditional ways of working. While it is easier said than done, Accenture’s survey of 2011 Human Services Summit attendees demonstrates that collaboration can happen—one third of those polled said they are highly involved in planning or developing their state’s HIX.

Find the common ground.
“The A-87 exception presents an opportunity for states to utilize these dollars in ways that promote flexibility and that ultimately will provide long term administrative and outcome-based efficiencies for them.” American Public Human Services Association

Once at the table together, Medicaid and health and human services agencies can identify shared services that are eligible for 90/10 federal funding participation. Examples of technology that can be purchased using this funding participation and leveraged for human services programs include any Medicaid-related eligibility functionality such as enterprise architecture, rules engine, security, master person/client index, data warehouse, and business and analytics infrastructure among others.

Never go it alone.
“How do we make sure that people are actually in the conversation and really connecting with their health folks to recognize that now is the opportunity?” Daniel Stein, Stewards of Change

Federal agencies have come together to express their willingness to dialogue with states to help them make the most of this unique opportunity. By acting with intentionality to maximize federal support, states can play a role in shaping a compliance effort that holds much promise for the future of human services.

The ideas in this article reflect perspectives from the 2011 Human Services Summit: The Pursuit of Outcomes, a gathering of human services leaders, industry experts and academics at Harvard University in October 2011. Special acknowledgement goes to Rick Friedman, Director, Division of State Systems, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Julie Booth, Accenture managing director for state and local government human services

The Gallery is a forum for ideas and examination of matters facing state and local government. Readers, members of the media, academics or the business community are invited to submit guest columns to bailey{at}civsourceonline{dot}com. Member of the public sector? We’re interested in hearing from you too. CivSource does not endorse the views presented in The Gallery, but offers them in an effort to present more diverse coverage. CivSource will review all submissions but does not guarantee publication of all works submitted.

South Dakota’s Broadband Initiative, led by the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications (BIT), recently partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mailed out 6,500 surveys to agricultural producers throughout the state to ask them when and how they use the internet. Agriculture is a core driver of South Dakota’s economy and many organizations are doing millions of dollars of business over dial-up connections, according to a piece in the Tri-State Neighbor.

South Dakota officials hope to provide broadband access points throughout the state in an affordable way for subscribers.

In Alaska, General Communications Inc. is migrating anchor institutions to one of the area’s first terrestrial broadband networks. Previously, access was largely provided through satellites. However, last October the state undertook a massive broadband expansion that laid fiber throughout Alaska’s daunting geographic landscape providing citizens with the first reliable, affordable internet access they’ve had.

By the end of 2012 some 9,000 households in 65 communities will be online throughout Southwest Alaska. More immediately hospitals will reap significant cost savings benefits by being able to send and receive health data online rather than through regular mail.

So far, the project has cost over $60 million with final costs stretching into over a billion over the next 12 years. Supporters of the system say that the state needs to spend this money in order to upgrade legacy systems and modernize processes.

However, long term cost-estimates of the project are still up in the air. As are claims that systems will be modernized if the proposed build out lasts over a decade. Future funding is also uncertain as the state faces unprecedented rolling budget crises.

Project officials are already funding the project through a mess of loans and special funding schemes. A potential bond sale for the project was tabled indefinitely as state law prohibits bond spending on a budget deficit.

California has a history of launching projects late and over budget and while that may have worked in more flexible budget cycles it is unlikely to work now. As the circumstances surrounding the project become less and less stable project managers have been leaving at a high rate and now the project is understaffed with over 30% of positions vacant. The project was exempted from the state’s hiring freeze but still couldn’t manage to fill those spots.

Last year, Vermont lawmakers passed a $10 million appropriation to facilitate advances in wireless technology that will expand both mobile and broadband access points. The state also received $150 million in stimulus funds for its broadband project. So far over 1,500 miles of fiber has been installed through the project.

Private investors are also contributing to the build-out providing a total capital investment of over $400 million. Additional projects include work on the state’s smart grid system. According to a story in the VTDigger, FairPoint Communication, one of the lead contractors on the expansion has spent $61 million to lay 1,100 miles of fiber and provide 24,000 new DSL broadband connections in the state.

88% of Vermont has reliable mobile services. Service providers have noted that the state’s hilly geography can create challenges for providing a reliable signal. The state is working with providers to overcome this by expanding traditional forms of coverage as well as new forms of signal expansion by utilizing utility poles and other public structures to house signal boosters.

Minnesota Public Radio highlighted this map from the broadband task force report which shows that some areas in the state have already met 2015 goals for broadband access. Still others are using a co-op model to expand access. 57% percent of Minnesota households are meeting the state’s goal for sufficient access to high-speed broadband.

Minnesota received $200 million in federal stimulus money to expand broadband throughout the state, focusing on providing access to anchor institutions in rural areas. Companies involved in the expansion include Paul Bunyan Communications which received a $17 million loan from the US Department of Agriculture to work on the project. Enventis, a subsidiary of HickoryTech, is also working through the Greater Minnesota Broadband Collaborative Project to support statewide access.

Massachusetts is working toward a similar goal and just today chose Lightower Fiber Networks which provides network and bandwith services throughout the northeast. Lightower will connect the MassBroadband 123 network to the major Internet connection point in Boston. The company will also work on providing redundant network capabilities throughout Boston.