Maryland eyes being 'e-commerce state'
The recommendations were made at last week's Maryland Internet Summit as part of a report presented to Gov. Parris Glendening by board chairman Major F. Riddick Jr. The policies are tied to a set of high-tech bills that will be introduced in the next legislative session.
"We want to brand Maryland as the e-commerce state," Riddick told The Washington Post.
Other initiatives include the following:
Moving 80 percent of state agencies online by 2004.
Giving everyone born in the state e-mail addresses at birth.
Increasing economic development funding for Internet start-up companies.
Providing matching grants for university programs that teach electronic commerce.
"Maryland is poised to join the front ranks of leading Internet-savvy states," said Jeff Richards, executive director of the Internet Alliance, a consumer industry association.
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