[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 57 (Wednesday, May 8, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E753-E754]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS WEEK

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                          HON. LAMAR S. SMITH

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 8, 2002

  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this week is National Small Business 
Week.
  It is a time to celebrate the contributions that America's small 
businesses make to our economy.

[[Page E754]]

  Small business is the engine that drives this Nation, producing 75 
percent of new jobs, accounting for almost 98 percent of all employers 
and 53 percent of the private work force.
  It is our small businesses that will continue to lead us to economic 
recovery.
  In particular, small tech businesses are on the front lines of the 
digital revolution. They have led the way in advances from broadband 
deployment to software development.
  My state of Texas ranks second nationally in high tech workers, 
employing more than 411,000 with an annual payroll of about $25 
billion. Many of those employees are working for small businesses.
  And my new congressional district contains thou-sands of small, 
innovative high tech centered businesses.
  One such company is Security Broadband in Austin. Security Broadband 
was founded in 1999 and already has over 100 employees.
  Security Broadband uses real-time audio and video via highspeed cable 
Internet to provide security for homes.
  If there's an emergency, the Security Broadband system sends audio 
and video signals to a central monitoring station. Personnel use this 
information to help verify whether an actual emergency exists. With 95 
percent of home alarm incidents not genuine, law enforcement officials 
spend a large amount of time responding to false alarms. In case of an 
actual emergency, audio and video capability provides information that 
can help make the scene safer for responding officers.
  Customers also can view their homes and see and talk with family via 
the Internet when away from home.
  Security Broadband is just one of the thousands of small technology 
businesses around the country connecting rural America, developing next 
generation hardware and software, and keeping America on the forefront 
of technological advances.

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