Eyes of Texas Are Upon a Technology Commissioner

By William Welsh, Staff Writer


OCT. 11 ? An advisory council led by Texas Lt. Gov. Rick Perry has recommended appointing a technology commissioner who would serve as a contact between state government and the tech community.


The recommendation was one of more than a dozen made in the report, "Bringing Digital Opportunity to All Texans," released this week by the lieutenant governor's office.


To support the commissioner, the report said a state council should be formed to prioritize technology issues and recommend actions necessary to implement recommendations regarding regional clustering, education technology and e-government.


Regional clustering refers to cooperation between the private sector and universities on research and development in different areas throughout the state.


The appointments are a "critical first step" toward maintaining leadership by Texas in the Internet-based economy, the council said.


"These appointments will help bring decision-making on state technology matters to the highest levels of state leadership," the report said. "As technology becomes an increasingly important part of governmental service delivery, education and economic growth, decisions should be made at the strategic and enterprise level, bringing together the best minds from across disciplines, sectors and regions."


A number of large, Texas-based technology companies were represented on the 25-member advisory council, including Compaq Corp. of Houston, Dell Computer Corp. of Round Rock, Instruments Inc. of Dallas, and Electronic Data Systems Corp. of Plano.