[689] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Information Infrastructure & Technology Act, Pt. 1 of 4
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Public-Access Computer Systems For)
Wed Jul 8 09:23:46 1992
Date: Wed, 8 Jul 1992 08:19:40 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu>
From: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <LIBPACS%UHUPVM1.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu>
From: Steve Cisler <sac@apple.com>
Subject: Information Infrastructure & Technology Act (Gore), Pt. 1 of 4
NEWS FROM
U.S. Senator Al Gore
(D - Tennessee) SR 393 Russell Building, Washington, D.. 20510 (202)
224-4944
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Marla Romash
WEDNESDAY, July 1, 1992 (202) 224-7155
(301) 585-9408 (H)
Heidi Kukis
(202) 224-7170
GORE BILL APPLIES HIGH-TECH TO SCHOOLS. HEALTH CARE, BUSINESS
Key Part of Senate's Economic Leadership Strategy Unveiled Today
WASHINGTON -- Legislation that would create jobs,
strengthen educational opportunities and improve health care by
bringing high-performance computer technology into factories,
schools and hospitals will be introduced today (7/1) by Sen. Al
Gore, D-TN, as part of a comprehensive U.S. Economic Leadership
Strategy unveiled today by Senate Democrats.
"If we're going to strengthen our economy and create jobs,
we must move these advanced technologies from the laboratories
into the marketplace -- into the factories where cars are
manufactured, into the hospitals where surgery is performed and
into the schools where children are being educated," said Gore,
chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science,
Technology and Space.
"So that students from kindergarten through college, factory
workers and managers, doctors and health care providers can
benefit from the technologies available now only in research
laboratories and the data they can make accessible, we must expand
our efforts to bring advanced technologies to the people who can
benefit from their use," Gore said.
The Information Infrastructure and Technology Act of 1992 is
part of a broader proposal, the Democratic Economic Leadership
Strategy, introduced today (7/1) by Senate Democrats. The package
of legislation is designed to ensure long-term economic growth by
investing in development and commercialization of new
technologies, enhancing U.S. manufacturing, improving education
and training, and opening foreign markets to American goods.
Specifically, Gore's bill would ensure that the technology
developed by the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 is applied
widely in K-12 education, libraries, health care and industry,
particularly manufacturing. It would authorize a total of $1.15
billion over the next five years.
The High Performance Computing Act, introduced by Gore,
creates a national, high-speed computer network and doubles
federal funding for high-performance computing research and
development. It was signed into law in December.
"To help increase U.S. competitiveness and create jobs for
Americans, the technology developed by the High-Performance
Computing Act must be moved from the laboratories into the
marketplace where it can be used. This new bill will make sure
this happens by developing practical applications for advanced
technologies and high-performance computing," Gore said.
"We are close to the day when a doctor in Los Angeles can
send the Images from a CAT scan, via a high-speed computer
network, across country to specialists at the National Institutes
of Health for expert analysis," Gore said. "We are close to a day
when a child can retrieve books on-line from the Library of
Congress."
"Through the legislation I introduced today, hospitals,
universities, research centers, factories, schools and libraries
will be connected to advanced computer networks, sharing data,
increasing U.S. competitiveness and improving the quality of life
for all," Gore said.
The Information Infrastructure and Technology Act
charges the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) with
coordinating efforts to develop applications for high-performance
computing networking and assigns specific responsibilities to the
National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space
Agency, the National Institute of of Standards and Technology, and
the National Institutes of Health. It would expand the role of
OSTP in overseeing federal efforts to disseminate scientific and
technical information.
SUMMARY OF THE INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND TECHNOLOGY ACT
The Information Infrastructure and Technology Act of
1992 builds on the High-Performance Computing Act introduced
by Senator Gore in 1988 and signed into law last year. The
new bill would ensure that the technology developed by the
High-Performance Computing Program is applied widely in K-12
education, in libraries, in health care, and in industry,
particularly manufacturing. It would authorize a total of
$1.15 billion over the next five years.
The bill would establish a multi-agency Information
Infrastructure Development Program to be coordinated by the
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
This program would ensure the widest possible application of
high-performance computing and high-speed networking
technology. The Program would assign different agencies
responsibility for developing applications of this technology
in various areas, develop plans and budgets for developing
such applications, and ensure interagency cooperation and
coordination. In addition, the bill would assign a new
Associate Director at OSTP responsibility for oversee-ng
Federal efforts to disseminate Federal scientific and
technical information.
The bill calls upon the National Science Foundation
(NSF) to fund projects to connect primary and secondary
schools to the NSFNET, a national computer network connecting
hundreds of colleges and universities around the country. In
addition, NSF is to develop educational software and provide
teacher training.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) at the Commerce Department is given responsibility for
developing networking technology for manufacturing.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), in conjunction
with NSF and other agencies, is to develop applications of
advanced computer and networking technology for health care.
This includes networks to link hospitals, doctor's offices,
and universities so health care providers and researchers can
share medical data and imagery, like CAT scans and X-rays.
NIH would also develop new software for manipulating medical
imagery and data.
The bill provides funding to both NSF and NASA to
develop technology for digital libraries", huge data bases
that store text, imagery, video, and sound and are accessible
over computer networks like NSFNET. The bill also funds
development of prototype "digital libraries" around the
country.
Authorizations by area and agency (in millions of dollar)
Agency FY93 FY94 FY95 FY96 FY97 Total
NSF
education 20 40 60 80 100 300
libraries 10 20 30 40 50 150
NIST 30 40 50 60 70 250
manufacturing
NIH 20 40 60 80 100 300
health care
NASA 10 20 30 40 50 150
libraries
TOTALS 90 160 230 300 370 1150
End of Part 1 of 4
