Progress Report on National Information Infrastructure

Setting milestones and measuring achievement are Clinton Administration watchwords for science and technology policy. A recent example is a September 1994 progress report on the National Information Infrastructure (NII), issued by Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, who chairs the interagency Information Infrastructure Task Force (IITF). The NII is a favorite project of Vice President Gore, who says in the report’s preface, “This seamless web of communications networks including computers, televisions, telephones and satellites will forever change the way we live, learn, work and communicate.” One year ago, the Administration released “National Information Infrastructure: Agenda for Action,” which set forth the operating principles and goals for the federal government’s role in developing the NII.

The new, approximately 60-page report summarizes the government’s actions over the past year in fulfilling those principles. A sampling of the actions taken is provided below:

To promote private sector investment, the Administration has worked with Congress on reforming telecommunications laws to remove impediments to competition (although the legislation never made it out of Congress). New tax incentives for R&D and new business formation have been put into effect.

To assure that information resources are affordable and available to all, the Department of Agriculture awarded grants to rural schools and healthcare providers for NII access and NSF connected numerous universities, schools, libraries, and public health facilities to the Internet. The Department of Commerce and the Federal Communications Commission held nationwide public hearings from which they will develop further recommendations related to access.

To promote technical innovation and applications, the multi-agency Technology Reinvestment Program (TRP) provided grants for dual-use technologies to advance the NII. The Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration will provide grants to promote local access. The Task Force assembled an inventory of projects, contacts and resources within the federal government to eliminate duplication and encourage cooperation.

To promote interactive, user-driven operation, both public- and private-sector roles were clarified through a series of workshops, and guidelines have been established for state-wide telecommunications modernization efforts.

To ensure information security and reliability, the IITF proposed revisions to the fair information practice code, and issued voluntary standards to verify data integrity, signer identity, and to address security and law enforcement needs.

To improve management of the radio frequency spectrum, the Administration freed up part of the federal portion of the spectrum for private users, and supported competitive bidding for its distribution.

To protect intellectual property rights, an IITF working group is studying guidelines for fair use of copyrighted works, and made recommendations to amend laws on copyrights, patents, trademarks and trade secrets.

To coordinate with other levels of government and other nations, conferences on the NII were held for federal, state, and local telecommunications policymakers, as well as for teachers and administrators. The Department of Health and Human Services is sponsoring a project for states to use the NII to compare hospital care use and cost, and HUD has developed a Bulletin Board System for public housing authorities. President Clinton proposed the first ministerial meeting of G-7 nations on information infrastructure, to be held next year, and progress has been made in opening overseas markets for products and services.

To improve government procurement and access to government information, information on the federal agencies has been made available to public access through agency initiatives using FedWorld, Mosaic and the World Wide Web, CD-ROMs, and toll-free phone numbers.

“National Information Infrastructure: Progress Report, September 1993-1994" is available from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, at 202-482-3999.