the national information infrastructure-agenda for action.txt

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         o       The network standards and transmission codes that
                 facilitate interconnection and interoperation between
                 networks, and ensure the privacy of persons and the
                 security of the information carried, as well as the
                 security and reliability of the networks .

         o       The people -- largely in the private sector -- who
                 create the information, develop applications and
                 services, construct the facilities, and train others to
                 tap its potential.  Many of these people will be
                 vendors, operators, and service providers working for
                 private industry.

         Every component of the information infrastructure must be
developed and integrated if America is to capture the promise of
the Information Age.  

         The Administration's NII initiative will promote and support
full development of each component.  Regulatory and economic
policies will be adopted that encourage private firms to create
jobs and invest in the applications and physical facilities that
comprise the infrastructure.  The Federal government will assist
industry, labor, academia, and state and local governments in
developing the information resources and applications needed to
maximize the potential of those underlying facilities.  Moreover,
and perhaps most importantly, the NII initiative will help
educate and train our people so that they are prepared not only
to contribute to the further growth of the NII, but also to
understand and enjoy fully the services and capabilities that it
will make available.

III.   Need for Government Action To Complement Private Sector
       Leadership

         The foregoing discussion of the transforming potential of
the NII should not obscure a fundamental fact -- the private
sector is already developing and deploying such an infrastructure
today.  The United States communications system -- the conduit
through which most information is accessed or distributed -- is
second to none in speed, capacity, and reliability.  Each year
the information resources, both hardware and software, available
to most Americans are substantially more extensive and more
powerful than the previous year.  

         The private sector will lead the deployment of the NII.  In
recent years, U.S. companies have invested more than $50 billion
annually in telecommunications infrastructure -- and that figure
does not account for the vast investments made by firms in
related industries, such as computers.  In contrast, the
Administration's ambitious agenda for investment in critical NII
projects (including computing) amounts to $1-2 billion annually. 
Nonetheless, while the private sector role in NII development
will predominate, the government has an essential role to play. 
In particular, carefully crafted government action can complement
and enhance the benefits of these private sector initiatives. 
Accordingly, the Administration's NII initiative will be guided
by the following nine principles and goals, which are discussed
in more detail below: 

         1)  Promote private sector investment, through tax and
regulatory policies that encourage innovation and promote long-
term investment, as well as wise procurement of services.  

         2)  Extend the "universal service" concept to ensure that
information resources are available to all at affordable prices. 
Because information means empowerment, the government has a duty
to ensure that all Americans have access to the resources of the
Information Age.  

         3)  Act as catalyst to promote technological innovation and
new applications.  Commit important government research programs
and grants to help the private sector develop and demonstrate
technologies needed for the NII. 

         4)  Promote seamless, interactive, user-driven operation of
the NII.  As the NII evolves into a "network of networks,"
government will ensure that users can transfer information across
networks easily and efficiently.

         5)  Ensure information security and network reliability. 
The NII must be trustworthy and secure, protecting the privacy of
its users.  Government action will also aim to ensure that the
overall system remains reliable, quickly repairable in the event
of a failure and, perhaps most importantly, easy to use.

         6)  Improve management of the radio frequency spectrum, an
increasingly critical resource. 

         7)  Protect intellectual property rights.  The
Administration will investigate how to strengthen domestic
copyright laws and international intellectual property treaties
to prevent piracy and to protect the integrity of intellectual
property.

         8)  Coordinate with other levels of government and with
other nations.  Because information crosses state, regional, and
national boundaries, coordination is important to avoid
unnecessary obstacles and to prevent unfair policies that
handicap U.S. industry.

         9)  Provide access to government information and improve
government procurement.  As described in the National Performance
Review, the Administration will seek to ensure that Federal
agencies, in concert with state and local governments, use the
NII to expand the information available to the public, so that
the immense reservoir of government information is available to
the public easily and equitably.  Additionally, Federal
procurement policies for telecommunications and information
services and equipment will be designed to promote important
technical developments for the NII and to provide attractive
incentives for the private sector to contribute to NII
development.

         The time for action is now.  Every day brings news of
change:  new technologies, like hand-held computerized
assistants; new ventures and mergers combining businesses that
not long ago seemed discrete and insular; new legal decisions
that challenge the separation of computer, cable and telephones. 
These changes promise substantial benefits for the American
people, but only if government understands fully the implications
of these changes and to work with the private sector and other
interested parties to shape the evolution of the communications
infrastructure.

IV.  Managing Change/ Forging Partnerships

         We will help to build a partnership of business, labor,
academia, the public, and government that is committed to
deployment of an advanced, rapid, powerful infrastructure
accessible and accountable to all Americans.  

         Forging this partnership will require extensive inter-
governmental coordination to ensure that Administration,
Congressional, state and local government policy regarding the
NII is consistent, coherent, and timely.  It also requires the
development of strong working alliances among industry groups and
between government and the businesses responsible for creating
and operating the NII.  Finally, close cooperation will be needed
between government, users, service providers, and public interest
groups to ensure that the NII develops in a way that benefits the
American people.  

         Specifically, the Administration will:   

         (1)  Establish an interagency Information Infrastructure
Task Force 

         The President has convened a Federal inter-agency
"Information Infrastructure Task Force" (IITF) that will work
with Congress and the private sector to propose the policies and
initiatives needed to accelerate deployment of a National
Information Infrastructure.  Activities of the IITF include
coordinating government efforts in NII applications, linking
government applications to the private sector, resolving
outstanding disputes, and implementing Administration policies. 
Chaired by Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and composed of high-
level Federal agency representatives, the IITF's three committees
focus on telecommunications policy, information policy, and
applications.  

         (2)  Establish a private sector Advisory Council on the
         National Information Infrastructure

         To facilitate meaningful private sector participation in the
IITF's deliberations, the President will sign an Executive Order
creating the "United States Advisory Council on the National
Information Infrastructure" to advise the IITF on matters
relating to the development of the NII.  The Council will consist
of 25 members, who will be named by the Secretary of Commerce by
December 1993.  Nominations will be solicited from a variety of
NII constituencies and interested parties.  The IITF and its
committees also will use other mechanisms to solicit public
comment to ensure that it hears the views of all interested
parties.

         (3)  Strengthen and streamline Federal communications and
         information policy-making agencies 

         In order to implement the ambitious agenda outlined in this
document, the federal agencies most directly responsible for the
evolution of the NII (such as NTIA, the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs at OMB, and the FCC) must be properly
structured and adequately staffed to address many new and
difficult policy issues.  The Administration intends to ensure
that these agencies have the intellectual and material resources
they need.  In addition, in accord with the Vice President's
National Performance Review, these agencies will make the
organizational and procedural changes needed to most effectively
contribute to the NII initiative.
  
V.  Principles and Goals for Government Action 

         The Task Force currently is undertaking a wide-ranging
examination of all issues relevant to the timely development and
growth of the National Information Infrastructure.  Specific
principles and goals in areas where government action is
warranted have already been identified and work has begun on the
following matters:

1.       Promote Private Sector Investment

         One of the most effective ways to promote investments in our
nation's information infrastructure is to introduce or further
expand competition in communications and information markets. 
Vibrant competition in these markets will spur economic growth,
create new businesses and benefit U.S. consumers. 

         To realize this vision, however, policy changes will be
necessary:  

         Action:  Passage of communications reform legislation.  The
         Administration will work with Congress to pass legislation
         by the end of 1994 that will increase competition and ensure
         universal access in communications markets -- particularly
         those, such as the cable television and local telephone
         markets, that have been dominated by monopolies.  Such
         legislation will explicitly promote private sector
         infrastructure investment -- both by companies already in
         the market and those seeking entry.

         Action:  Revision of tax policies.  Tax policies are
         important determinants of the amount of private sector
         investment in the NII.  The President has signed into law
         tax incentives for private sector investment in R&D and new
         business formation, including a three-year extension of the
         R&D credit and a targeted capital gains reduction for
         investments in small businesses.  Both of these tax
         incentives will help spur the private sector investment
         needed to develop the NII.

2.       Extend the "Universal Service" Concept to Ensure that
         Information Resources Are Available to All at Affordable
         Prices

         The Communications Act of 1934 articulated in general terms
a national goal of "Universal Service" for telephones --
widespread availability of a basic communications service at
affordable rates.  A major objective in developing the NII will
be to extend the Universal Service concept to the information
needs of the American people in the 21st Century.  As a matter of
fundamental fairness, this nation cannot accept a division of our
people among telecommunications or information "haves" and "have-
nots."  The Administration is committed to developing a broad,
modern concept of Universal Service -- one that would emphasize
giving all Americans who desire it easy, affordable access to
advanced communications and information services, regardless of
income, disability, or location. 

         Devising and attaining a new goal for expanded Universal
Service is consistent with efforts to spur infrastructure
development by increasing competition in communications and
information markets.  As noted above, competition can make low