The session will be dominated by the budget this year, but there is other proposed legislation that also will be debated.

One of the bills that has been introduced in the Public Safety Committee deals with cell phone cameras.  More and more people are getting cell phones with the ability to take a picture, than e-mail that picture to whomever they want.  It is a great tool for taking pictures without having to carry a camera.

But what if the person in your gym class or locker room was taking a picture of you, instead of talking on the phone?  Should people have to wonder if their picture is being taken by a camera hidden inside a cell phone, when they are in a place where they would normally expect to have privacy?  Not having to wonder seems reasonable to me, but there are two sides to every issue and the sub-committee process starts on this bill Monday morning.

Technology is changing very fast in today’s world.  The telecommunication world is being driven by technological advancements.  The House Commerce, Regulation and Labor Committee will continue to address more and more the changes that occur in the telecommunication field.  There is a public hearing on Telecommunications on Monday morning which I will attend. 

Rural Independent Telephone Companies have and continue to play a very important role in the success and development of their communities.  The Rural Independent Telephone Companies in our area have done a very good job in keeping up with the technological demands that have been placed on them.  But as technology grows at a faster and faster rate, so do the demands that we as consumers place on these phone companies. 

The success of economic development in the rural areas will most likely parallel the rate of development of technology in the telecommunications business in the same areas.

Successful growth of our counties, cities and school districts depends on economic development.  Technology has a direct and an indirect impact on the development of our state and our area.  Development means more dollars at the state level, as well as for local counties, cities and schools districts.  This is why we will spend time debating issues which at first glance don’t seem as important, but have an impact on our growth as a state and community.

From a camera hidden inside a cell phone, to the telecommunication field, to economic development, to the government budget--- they are all intertwined.  But then, so are we.

Until next week,

Tom Sands