Half way through a flight from Mumbai to London, a male passenger complained of a swollen right hand and an inability to bend his fingers. The flight attendants were uncertain about what to do and hooked the passenger up to a small device which took and transmitted vital signs, including his pulse, blood pressure and a picture of his hand, to a ground-based medical team.

“We are living in an increasingly digital world, where being connected to the Internet is essential to enhancing our quality of life. This newly completed map paves the way for technology which will create new jobs, increase Alaska’s economic competitiveness, and deliver services that have been previously unavailable to rural areas of the state,” said Commissioner Bell. “No matter where you live in Alaska, high-speed Internet enables access to quality employment, information, and vital services ranging from interactive telemedicine to distance education opportunities. Broadband gives you the opportunity to work from home, take classes online, and market products to the world - all of which have a positive impact on the local economy and quality of life.”

The ruling means the country’s largest telephone companies must allocate $733 million out of special ‘deferral accounts’ towards customer rebates and rural broadband. This includes $310 million rebated to urban home telephone customers, and $422 million to deploy broadband Internet service to 287 rural and remote communities.

Punjab state government and HCL Infosystems Ltd. entered into an agreement today to deliver e-District Services to the citizen. As a part of the project, prime bidder HCL Infosystems shall deliver a state of the art platform to deliver electronic services to the common citizen. HCL shall deliver these services using Humanitics Dimension's e-District Platform.

Changzhou established its "Internet Spokesman" system in since June this year. The main duties of each "Internet Spokesman" include releasing government information of the region and the institution on the Internet in the real name of the institution, notifying relevant emergency events and handling outcomes, collecting suggestions and opinions of netizens, answering questions and clarifying facts.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has released broadband statistics showing that the UK is keeping up with global competitors on price and market penetration.

Monthly fixed-line broadband subscriptions in the UK cost just 0.63 per cent of the average monthly income, compared with 0.5, 1.0 and 1.2 per cent in the US, France and Germany respectively.

Many councils have faced criticism over their websites. Some organisations have criticised councils for spending large amounts of taxpayers money on websites at a time when public funds are stretched.

But others have said that investing in more customer focussed websites can reduce the need for far more costly face-to-face or telephone interaction.

The International Telecommunication Union has released figues showing some countries are forced to pay over the odds for a broadband connection, affecting the number of subscriptions.

Jadu have developed CMS's for over 30 local authorities including East Lothian, Manchester, and Derby.

Best of the Web highlights the top 10 state, county and city portals in the nation that show the highest levels of innovation, functionality and efficiency.

The top state honor went to California's government portal, CA.gov. Among the site's numerous new features was mobile.ca.gov, specifically designed for mobile devices.