FOR PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION IITF COMMITTEE REPORT November 10, 1994 NII Advisory Council: The next meeting of the NII Advisory Council will be held in the Department of Commerce Auditorium on Tuesday, December 6 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The tentative agenda includes a discussion of intellectual property, education, electronic commerce, and universal access principles, and a discussion of Global Information Infrastructure (GII) issues. The Mega-Projects (Vision and Applications, Universal Access, and Privacy, Security and Intellectual Property) will meet in non- public session on Monday, December 5. Virtual Public Conference on Universal Service and Open Access: The Universal Service Working Group and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will co- sponsor a Virtual Public Conference, "Universal Service and Open Access to the Telecommunications Network." The Conference will be held the week of November 14-18, 1994. It is the last in a series of public field hearings held across the United States by the Universal Service Working Group addressing universal service and open access issues. For additional information, please contact Tatia Williams at 202/482-1551 or twilliams@ntia.doc.gov. Your participation is encouraged. Telecommunications Policy Committee The Telecommunications Policy Committee (TPC) met on October 24 at the Department of Commerce. The Committee heard a status report from each Working Group, as well as the NII Advisory Council. Assistant Secretary Larry Irving asked TPC Committee members to submit recommendations for the 1995 IITF Work Plan. Members were also reminded to submit their agencies' information on technology-related grants to the IITF Secretariat by December 2, 1994. During the second half of the meeting, Edward O. Fritts, President and CEO, and John Abel, Executive V.P.-Operations, of the National Association of Broadcasters, addressed the Committee and members of the public. The multi-image presentation focused on the myriad of uses of digital communication. Digital communication encompasses digital pipelines, such as direct broadcast satellite services, wireless communications, cable, and telephone companies. Mr. Abel discussed digital communication's many benefits such as the broadcasting capacity of the pipelines utilizing digitized data. He stated that technology is paving the road for better equipment and services, but the cost and inconvenience of replacing old equipment directly affects the operability of a system of digital data. He added that technology is ahead of policy, but it is the technologies that mandate the policies. On Thursday, November 17, from 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., in Room 4830 of the Department of Commerce, the TPC will hold its November meeting and host members of the computer industry to address their industry's role in the Global Information Infrastructure (GII). In order to register, please contact Tatia Williams at 202-482-1551 or twilliams@ntia.doc.gov. The Legislative Drafting Task Force meets frequently to discuses strategies for the next Congressional session. The Legislative Drafting Task Force will continue to work with members of both the House and Senate in the next Congress in an effort to bring more competition to the telecommunications market. The week of November 14-18 the Universal Service Working Group along with NTIA will hold a first of its kind "virtual conference" on universal service and open access issues. The conference is being conducted entirely through electronic networks--using the Internet, dial-up bulletin board access, public information service providers, and commercial service providers. Government and general public participation is strongly encouraged. For more information, please contact Tatia Williams at 202-482-1551 or twilliams@ntia.doc.gov. The Reliability and Vulnerability Working (RVWG) is primarily focusing on finalizing a Plan of Action (POA) for accomplishing the tasks set forth in its Terms of Reference. Nine specific actions have been identified in the POA. Each of the four RVWG subgroups have been assigned two to three specific actions to address. The subgroups are in the process of defining key steps or milestones and are identifying key organizations to lead or play supporting roles in accomplishing the actions. The RVWG informs other organizations, such as the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee's NII Task Force, of its activities. Members of the RVWG also participated in issue development for the NII Symposium, co- sponsored by the NSTAC and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, that was held October 17-19, 1994 at the Naval War College in Newport, RI. The International Telecommunications Policy Working Group has contributed to the preparation of the Global Information Infrastructure Agenda for Cooperation, which is expected to be released in early 1995. The Working Group is also participating in the IITF review of a draft text of the Agenda. The Agenda for Cooperation expands on the five GII principles of private investment, competition, open access, flexible regulatory environment and universal service, as the essential foundation for the GII. It also addresses the critical policy issues related to information content and the benefits of new technologies and applications that will be possible over the GII. The Agenda will serve as the Administration's platform to engage other governments in a constructive process to ensure the development of the GII to the mutual benefit of all countries. Information Policy Committee The Information Policy Committee (IPC) last met on November 7, 1994, to hear progress reports from its Working Groups and to be briefed on the activities of the NII Security Issues Forum. The IPC includes the Government Information Working Group, the Intellectual Property Rights Working Group, and the Privacy Working Group. The Privacy Working Group has proposed revisions to the 1973 Code of Fair Information Practices in order to update it for the electronic era. The revisions will form the basis for actions, policies, and legislation to protect the privacy of individuals while allowing for the reasonable flow of information. These proposed revisions, in the form of a Statement of Principles for Providing and Using Personal Information, have been approved by the IITF. They were submitted to the NIIAC and released for public comment. The IPC discussed a revised version of the Principles at its November 7 meeting. The Intellectual Property Rights Working Group released a draft report regarding the effect of the National Information Infrastructure on intellectual property rights on July 7, 1994. Public hearings on the draft report were held September 14, 1994, in Chicago, September 16, 1994, in Los Angeles, and September 22 and 23, 1994, in Washington, D.C. in order to solicit public comment on the report and to initiate a dialogue on the importance of intellectual property rights in the context of the NII. The comment period closed on October 26, 1994, and over 150 written comments were received. The Working Group is also sponsoring a Conference on Fair Use. This Conference will bring together copyright owner and user groups to develop voluntary guidelines for fair use of copyrighted works by educators and libraries in the NII environment. Such guidelines were developed in the 1970s for a copyright world dominated by paper and should be updated for use in the electronic information age. The Conference has divided into three subcommittees on Library Uses, K-12 Uses, and University Uses. The next full meeting of the Conference will be held December 2, 1994 in Washington, D.C. NII Security Issues Forum The NII Security Issues Forum coordinates security efforts -- defined as confidentiality, integrity, and availability -- across the IITF. Sally Katzen, chair, held the seventh meeting of the Forum on Thursday, October 27, 1994. The agenda included: (1) overview of strategy for additional public meetings, (2) report on the public meeting on information security in the computer, software, and entertainment industries, and (3) progress reports from participants on various information security projects. In coordination with the NII Advisory Council Mega-Project III on Security, Intellectual Property, and Privacy, a series of meetings between government officials and representatives from the private sector has been proposed. The second meeting, scheduled for the morning of Wednesday, December 7, 1994, will address information security in the finance and insurance sectors. The third meeting, scheduled for the morning of Thursday, December 8, 1994, will address information security for health and education. Both meetings will be held in Washington, D.C. The NII Security Issues Forum is also developing "NII Security Principles," a training proposal for government information systems security managers, and is evaluating the adequacy of existing criminal and civil statutes for use in the NII. Security of Federal Automated Information Systems: Appendix III of OMB Circular A-130, "Security of Federal Automated Information Systems," was issued in 1985. It requires Federal agencies to establish computer security programs and defines a minimum set of controls to be incorporated into those programs. Since then, newer technology requires that security controls be updated. Based on an NPR recommendation, OMB plans to issue for agency comment a revised Appendix this fall. Committee on Applications and Technology The Committee on Applications and Technology met at the National Institute of Standards and Technology on October 27, 1994. At the meeting, Ms. Bonnie Bracey, Arlington County Public Schools, gave a talk on NII education applications entitled "Breaking the Barriers in Education." NII Awards: In collaboration with over 50 private and public sector organizations including the IITF, the National Infostructure Campaign is recognizing applications that powerfully demonstrate capabilities of the information infrastructure. The awards are intended to encourage broader use of the NII. At the meeting, CAT participants were invited to contribute to the judging process. The Technology Policy Working Group (TPWG), chaired by Duane Adams, held a meeting on November 1. NII Services Architecture: The TPWG's Report "Services and the National Information Infrastructure," was approved by the IITF. Advanced Digital Video: The draft report "Advanced Digital Video and the National Information Infrastructure" was reviewed and approved by CAT. Standards Process: The TPWG participated in working meetings of the American National Standards Institute Information Infrastructure Standards Panel. Roadmap Project: The National Research Council initiated activities on its TPWG contract to map NII deployment. The Health Information and Applications Working Group (HIAWG) met with the national Security Telecommunications Advisory Council to discuss emergency services and how the NII might be used to support emergency communications. A subgroup has been established to investigate NII applications for emergency services and disasters. The group will look into using Health and Human Services networks, as well as Department of Defense networks. Roadmap Project: The roadmap project for health care has three focuses: telemedicine; consumer information; and standards, including medical records. A plan is expected to be completed in November, and will be presented to the CAT in December. Roadmap creation is being coordinated with the Koop Institute for a public-private sector meeting to be held early next year. At the meeting, the Working Group will develop a vision of the NII and health, plus the technical and policy roadmap to achieve this vision. The Government Information Technology Services (GITS) Working Group, chaired by Jim Flyzik, met on October 4 and November 2, 1994. Key issues discussed include priorities for funding under the innovation fund pilot, E-Mail and Internet security issues, the government services information infrastructure architecture/plan and the process for identifying and coordinating affinity groups. GITS also participated in the NII Symposium sponsored by the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC). The results were briefed to the NII Security Issues Forum on October 27, 1994, and a security infrastructure will be established under the auspices of the GITS Working Group. GITS established a Federal, state, and local panel and participated in Interchange '94, a forum which brought together information technology policy makers from federal, state, and local governments and IT industry executives to collaborate on initiatives that further the goals of the NII. Finally, GITS participated in the Industry Advisory Council (IAC) fourth annual Executive Leadership Conference "The Government Industry Reinvention Partnership: Information Technology, the Critical Foundation." Three GITS Working Group members received "Dare to Excel" and "Reengineering Government" awards. Schedule of Upcoming Public Events November 17: Telecommunications Policy Committee Department of Commerce Room 4830 10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. December 6: NISI Advisory Council Public Meeting Department of Commerce Auditorium 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. December 14: Committee on Applications and Technology Department of State Laurie Henderson Auditorium 10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. This is the twelfth monthly Information Infrastructure Task Force (IITF) Committee Report produced by the NII Secretariat at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) at the Department of Commerce. The IITF Gopher Server can be accessed through the Internet by pointing your Gopher Client to iitf.doc.gov or by telnet to iitf.doc.gov and login as gopher. Access is also available at the same address for World-Wide Web (WWW) clients. Dial-up access by modem is available at 202/501-1920.