Florida's Department of Elder Affairs: A Case Study
[ Table of Contents ] [ Case ] [ Bibliography ] [ Telecommunications Management ] [ Karen ] [ Gwyneth ]
[ Table of Contents ] [ Case ] [ Bibliography ] [ Telecommunications Management ] [ Karen ] [ Gwyneth ]
Electronic service delivery is closely linked to the "reinventing government" and "service to the citizen" movements that started at the State and local levels and now have spread to the Federal Government . . . . Delivering services electronically, once viewed as unrelated, uncoordinated agency activities, is now seen as directly linked to one of the key themes and drivers in improving the Federal Government's service to the citizen of America.
The recent developments in telecommunications technology enable all levels of government to improve the delivery of public services while bringing goverment closer to the people. The adoption of technology within the public sector offers great potential for the restructing of work processes, but it does not guarantee that positive changes will result from this restructuring.
We explore these issues within the context of an agency struggling to meet a huge demand for services while trying to adopt a strategic plan for telecommunications management. We developed a case study on the State of Florida's Department of Elder Affairs based on information gained during telephone interviews, various memoranda and its strategic plan. Other resources are incorporated into our analysis of the social and political issues involved in the development and implementation of this policy.
The key areas of concern incorporated into the framework for analysis of this case study: identifying application opportunities; technology adoption under externalities; security; and defining computing and communications architecture.
Before proceeding with the case study, we have included some background information to explain our motivation for choosing this topic. First, the federal mandate for providing services to the elderly is described. Then a brief overview of Florida's telecommunications environment follows. Our motivation stems from the timeliness of the topic of implementing federal mandates using state and local resources along with the cooperative nature of telecommunications environment found in the State of Florida.
Source: Levitan
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In 1965 the passage of the Older Americans Act (OAA) provided funds for a variety of in-home and community-based services. In every county around the country, one or more local agencies (primarily private, non-profit agencies, but some county governments) provide information and referral, outreach, transportation, congregate and home-delivered meals, and nutrition education. Other services may include homemaker, chore, home health aide, adult day care, escort, telephone reassurance, counseling, companionship, education, employment, legal assistance, recreation, housing improvement, shopping assistance, and case management. While all people 60 years of age and older are eligible, services are targeted to individuals with the greatest economic and social need.
OAA also mandated the creation of the Administration on Aging within the Department of Health and Human Services. This agency not only has clear-cut federal mandates to give full-time attention to aging (unlike other agencies, which have only a limited responsibility in this area), but it also has the support of a nationwide "network" pooling federal, state, and private responsibility, funding, and information.
Source: Schiller
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The state of Florida is a major user and operator of telecommunications systems. The state owns its own voice network, SUNCOM, with about 135,000 telephones. An additional 115,000 miles of data circuits are currently leased, but plans exist to shift data transmission to a T-1 capacity digital network backbone that will carry both voice and data. This backbone will be a leased virtual network composed of leased equipment. The state government's traffic is estimated to be between 75% voice and 25% data; with voice increasing at a rate of 6% annually and data increasing 27% annually.
In addition to its telecommunications network, the State of Florida operates over 30,000 workstations, almost 18,000 microcomputers, 25 mainframes, and over 300 local area networks.
The total budget for state telecommunications, estimated at $168,00 million annually is composed of expenditures for equipment and billing ($90 million) and expenditures for salaries and operations ($78 million). This represents less than one percent of the state budget.
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The political culture concerns the interaction between agencies, individuals, and societal sectors as it influences government policy. In Florida, a high level of consumer activism, a visible Office of Public Counsel and a well-respected Public Service Council, determine the political culture. This activism is a result of the large number of retirees living in the state with ample time to attend hearings and follow issues. This consumer activism played a key role in the defeat of Southern Bell's effort to implement local measured service in 1979. Policy in the regulatory arena is also influence by the Office of Public Counsel, which is chosen by the legislature biannually and maintains a high profile.
Florida is greatly influenced by unprecedented population growth during the last decade, estimated around 1,000 people per day. By deciding to build new infrastructure in the early 1970s, local exchange centers (LEC) positioned themselves to take advantage of the present boom. The companies are reaping the benefits from previous investment. Consequently there has been little need for capital investment, telephone rates have remained low and the regulatory environment for LECs have been relaxed. Another aspect of the regulatory environment is the strong pro-consumer and pro-LEC orientation of the Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC), the utility regulating organization in Florida.
The other key aspect of Florida's political culture is the absence of telecommunications regulatory legislation. The prevailing view is that the FPSC is competent and that it is composed of professionals who make the best possible decisions. In general, involvement in telecommunications regulation is Florida is limited to the regulated telephone companies, the FPSC, and the Public Counsel. Florida's commission is one of the largest public utility commissions in the country. As a result, it can closely monitor all aspects of the telecommunications industry.
Although heavily regulated, the LECs are allowed a considerable amount of flexibility. Through limited service offerings LECs have the ability to introduce new services on a trial basis. Special assemblies, which have been allowed for many years, allow LECs to offer customer-specific contracts for services which have not yet been tariffed as long as the LEC can substantiate that the price will exceed cost. Contract service arrangements allow LECs to provide existing tariffed services on a similar basis. For example, a LEC can provide a service, such as Centrex, on a customer-specific basis at a price below the tariffed rate, providing that costs are recovered.
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In 1983, the state created an organizational structure to manage its telecommunications and information needs. This structure consists of the Information Resource Commission (IRC) and the Joint Committee on Information Technology Resources.
A distinctive aspect of this arrangement is the separation of the technical data processing and telecommunications functions from the management of these. Unlike California, Florida was successful in developing a separate organization responsible for managing information and telecommunications resources.
This was achieved by the Joint Select Committee on Electronic Data Processing, created in 1981, in a political climate in which many legislators felt that spending on computer equipment was out of control. This committee was established to develop recommendations for the legislature on means to improve state development, acquisition, operation, and control of electronic data processing systems.
The IRC oversees all aspects of information resource management including hardware and software purchasing, telecommunications, and information planning. Their primary responsibility is the development of the State Strategic Plan for Information Resources Management. The plan would provide a strategic direction for information resource management; establish state goals; provide long-range policy guideline; and identify the priorities for new SUNCOM Network service to be implemented. Other responsibilities include providing technical consultation; reviewing and assessing technical feasibility, cost estimates, and the statewide impact of agency electronic data processing (EDP) and telecommunications plans; certifying that all agency EDP and telecommunications acquisitions are part of the plan; recommending statewide policies and standards; coordinating EDP and telecommunications training; and reviewing and making recommendations on agency budget requests that deal with information resources management.
The second part of the information resources management structure is the Joint Committee on Information Technology Resource. This committee is responsible for recommending to the legislature needed legislation in the area of information technology resource use and management; maintaining a continuous review of the use and management of information technology resources by various agencies; and evaluating the overall influence of resource acquisition on the productivity and services of state agencies. This committee removed much of the politics from the policymaking process.
Sources: Schmandt, Chackerian
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