Update October 1999: Israel

The following developments occured during the past months:

• Parliamentary Committee on Sciences: under the chairmanship of M.P. Anat Maor the Parliamentary Committee on Sciences has assumed responsibility for matters related to the development of Information Technology infrastructures in Israel that were formerly discussed in a subcommittee of the Economics Committee. Several debates already have taken place in the framework of the committee: one dealing with content filtering in the Internet (with a tendency for self regulation and avoidance of state interference) and a discussion on the tariffs for telecommunications as barriers for widening the public use of the Internet. The latest debate has taken place in view of the planned Internet users strike set up for September, 13 and then posponed for two weeks.

• Parliamentary Lobby for Internet: M.P. Michael Eitan is establishing and heading an Internet Parliamentary Lobby composed by M.P.s from all parties interested in promoting the use of Internet in Israel (September, 1999).

• HILA: Preparing Israel for the Information Age: the coordination for this project was established at the PM office following the Eitan Report. Following the change of the cabinet it has been transferred to the Ministry of Science. (September, 1999).

• The Ministry of Science is to be enlarged and receive functions formerly attached to the Ministry of Education related to Culture and Sports.

• New General Director for the Bezeq - The Israeli Telecommunications Corporation:
  The Board of Directors of Bezeq approved the nomination of Ilan Biran as the general director of the corporation. Biran, 53 years old, served in senior positions at the Israel Defense Forces - hed of the Division of Technology and Logistics; head of the Operational Division at the IDF at the General HQ and other functions. Lately he served as the general director of the Ministry of Defense. He substitutes as CEO of the Bezeq Ami Arel who is going to direct the Elron corporation.

  The main challenges Biran is expected to met at the Bezeq is the adaptation to the competitive environment created with the opening of the telecommunications market since July and the preparing the company for the privatization process. (October, 1999)