From the Director...

According to Chinese astrology, 2003 is the year of the Goat. Although I am not a superstitious person, it appears that this designation may be very appropriate over the next twelve months as you look at the characteristics of the astrological goat. Despite the goat’s seemingly relaxed approach to life, they are something of a perfectionist. When they start work on a project, they are certain to give their best. The goat usually prefers to work in a team rather than on their own. The goat will act with great fortitude and precision. The goat is regarded as artistic, intelligent and creative. As we enter these fiscally challenged times, these are characteristics that we all may need to adopt over the next year. The Division of Communications continues to view itself as a partner with your agency to “work in a team”, “give our best”, and become “creative” as we explore opportunities to cut costs and deliver more efficient services. In 2002 the Division of Communications, in cooperation with many agencies, has worked on several projects to cut costs and deliver more efficient services. These projects include the following:

The Division of Communications has been working with the NIS team to assure that the transition for billing of communications services to agencies is somewhat transparent and does not disrupt the mechanisms that agencies have used to identify telecommunications charges by function. Also related to NIS, the Division of Communications can assist your agency in obtaining web access for employees across the State as NIS approaches “go-live”.

Events over the past 18 months have required us to focus on the need to improve public safety communications and interoperability between federal, state and local agencies. The Division of Communications facilitated a collaborative planning process over the past two years with state and local officials. In the 2002 regular legislative session, LB 1211 was passed to create a Statewide Communications Alliance of Nebraska (SCAN) to allow for the formation of inter-local agencies to undertake joint purchase, operation and maintenance of a statewide, seamless, emergency radio system. The SCAN Board is under the leadership of Lt. Governor Heineman.

The State directory is updated on a monthly basis and available on-line. However, many people prefer to have a printed copy of the book. In 2002 the Division of Communications made the purchase of a hard copy of the Nebraska State Government Directory available on-line at our web site.

In cooperation with the State Building Division, we have been working to design a new cabling system for the State Capitol that will allow us to install giga-speed cable for use by agencies in the building. This will allow agencies to make the conversion to fast Ethernet.

During the past year the Division of Communications and the University, along with the Network Architecture Work Group of the Nebraska Information Technology Commission, have worked together to aggregate data communications demand in the Scottsbluff area. This new service will be installed in January 2003 and will provide agencies with increased bandwidth capabilities and better reliability of service for the same or less than the cost of their existing service.

In 2003 we anticipate additional work on all of these projects, and many others. If there is anything that we can do to assist you in meeting your agency goals, please let us know.

How and where you use your state-provided cellular phone for conducting state business has everything to do with selecting the right rate plan. The Division of Communications “optimizes” all state cellular rate plans quarterly to adjust to changes in user activity. Each agency uses cellular services differently, which causes seasonal variations. Three months of usage history is reviewed to screen for activity and to see who is exceeding or under-using their current plan. Plans are adjusted to fit the current usage patterns. So, how do you know which rate plan is the most economical for your needs? Two basic questions can help determine the right cellular plan: Where and how often do you need cellular service? Coverage, minutes, roaming, long distance and other considerations go into selecting a plan.

For example, if your monthly calls average around 300 minutes or less, you should probably be on the state flat rate. This is a “pay as you use it” plan. It’s a good fit for most state employees who conduct their duties primarily within the state and don’t use a lot of minutes per month. If your activity level is high, it might make sense to move to a rate plan with a specific amount of minutes included. Roaming is another important consideration. Frequent roaming near the State’s borders can drive up monthly costs, unless you are on a rate plan that includes coverage outside Nebraska. If your roaming is minimal this may not add significantly to your cost.

There are in state, and nationwide cellular rate plans available to suit nearly every user’s needs. The Division of Communications regularly helps agencies navigate the complex choices of rate plan options and features. We are in the business of helping your agency get the most from its communications services. Please contact your agency communication coordinator or our office for assistance: Erin Schmit, eschmit@doc.state.ne.us, 402/471-6391 or Mike Jeffres, mjeffres@doc.state.ne.us, 402/471-3719.

With the upcoming implementation of the financial phase of NIS quickly approaching, our office has been reviewing our outstanding ITD’s. If your agency has any outstanding ITD’s, you will find attached to this month’s DOC bill a list showing what your Agency/Board/Commission still owes the Division of Communications for monthly telecommunications services.

We are requesting your assistance in getting these ITD’s processed. Anything outstanding after NIS goes live will need to be recreated manually in NIS. Please watch the NIS web site for the posting of their new go-live date.

If you are unable to locate any of these ITD’s or need questions answered, please contact Zale at 471-4703 or LaDonna at 471-4701. Thank you for your cooperation in getting these documents processed.

The 2003 Nebraska State Government Directory has gone to print. Thank you to everyone for the directory updates and clarifications. Each agency will be receiving their new directories in late February. Included in this year’s Directory are recycling instructions for your 2002 copy. Current information that will be printed in the 2003 State Government Directory is available on the Internet at http://www.state.ne.us then select, Your Government.

• There are more telephones than people in Washington D.C.
• The average person spends two years of their lifetime on the phone.
• In 1992, while 34 million Americans did not have health insurance, only 5 million did not have a telephone.

The State of Nebraska will be closed in observance of the holidays listed below. The State operators would appreciate it if everyone updated their voice mail to reflect the fact that these are State holidays. The operators frequently receive calls asking why a State office is not answering their telephone calls. This simple act would assist in providing better service to the citizens of the State of Nebraska. Thank you.

Jennifer Mai has joined the staff of the Division of Communications as the Accountant in the Administrative Accounts Payable Section. Jennifer can be reached at (402) 471-3850 or by email jmai@doc.state.ne.us.

Language Line provides access to over-the-phone interpretation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For assistance with face-to-face situations, you can obtain a Language Identification Card to help you identify what language a person speaks.

If you receive a call from or place a call to a non-English speaker, an 800 number is dialed and the language is identified. You will then be asked to provide a six-digit client identification number, the organization name is the State of Nebraska and the personal code is the phone number you are calling from. At this time, it is helpful to the interpreter if a summary of what you wish to accomplish is given and include any special instructions. Finally, you add the non-English speaker to the call.

Effective February 1, 2003, the Language Line rate will be reduced to $1.80 per minute regardless of language or time of day the service is used. This charge will appear on your monthly Division of Communications telephone bill. During this past calendar year, the State of Nebraska averaged approximately 8,375 minutes of use each month. The most requested language for interpretation continues to be Spanish.

If this sounds like a service that you can use, please contact Vicki at 402/471-2761. We have a video that can be checked out as well as various informational brochures.

Effective January 1, 2003, additional conference calling options have become available for the State of Nebraska to use. Two of the options now include secure features where either a conference code is assigned to the participants before the call or an operator will completely handle the conference call.

The various options for conference calling are illustrated in the table below.

NOTE: ALL CALLS MUST BE SCHEDULED THROUGH A CONFERENCE OPERATOR. CALLS NOT CANCELLED WITHIN 24 HOURS OF START TIME WILL BE CHARGED THE SET UP FEE. CALLS SCHEDULED WITHIN 2 HOURS OF THE START TIME WILL CARRY AN ADDED $2.50 CHARGE.

If you have any questions regarding conference calling, please call the DOC at 402/471-2761.