From mech@eff.org Tue Sep 13 15:30:33 1994 Received: (from mech@localhost) by eff.org (8.6.9/8.6.6) id PAA10434 for mech; Tue, 13 Sep 1994 15:30:33 -0400 Date: Tue, 13 Sep 1994 15:30:33 -0400 From: Stanton McCandlish Message-Id: <199409131930.PAA10434@eff.org> To: mech@eff.org Status: RO Subject: IITF August Report (08/10/94) NEW 08/12/94 FOR PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION IITF COMMITTEE REPORT August 10, 1994 IITF: The Information Infrastructure Task Force (IITF), chaired by Secretary of Commerce Ronald Brown, was held on July 26, in the Indian Treaty Room of the Old Executive Office Building. The IITF Committee Chairs provided an overview of their ongoing activities as well as recent accomplishments of their respective Committees. The Task Force voted to approve two draft reports for public comment: (1) the Committee on Applications and Technology's Second Series of "NII Application Papers" and (2) the Government Information Technology Services Working Group's draft strategic report on "A Vision for Government Information Technology Services and the NII." The Task Force also approved the Telecommunications Policy Committee's summary report on "The NII Field Hearings on Universal Service and Open Access" to be released for public comment in early September. Secretary Brown discussed the Global Information Infrastructure initiatives and the NII first anniversary activities. NII Advisory Council: On September 13, the NII Advisory Council (NIIAC) will hold its fifth meeting at the New York Public Library in New York City, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The NIIAC will be addressed by Secretary Brown and the meeting will focus on the status of the individual Mega-Project work plans. The three Mega-Projects (Vision and Goals; Access; and Privacy, Security, and Intellectual Property) will meet on September 12 at Columbia University, New York, New York. Applications Conference: On September 7 and 8, the Council on Competitiveness and the IITF will co-sponsor an applications conference entitled "Breaking the Barriers to the National Information Infrastructure." The conference will be held at the ANA Hotel in Washington, D.C. and will explore the range of applications being developed for the NII, with a special focus on obstacles faced by both developers and end users of such products. National Information Infrastructure Symposium: On October 17-19, the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy will hold a symposium at the U.S. Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island. The purpose of the symposium is to provide an opportunity for senior members of the Administration to meet with industry leaders to discuss key national security issues related to the NII. Information Policy Committee The Information Policy Committee (IPC) last met on June 15th to hear the progress reports from its Working Groups, to review the intellectual property rights report, and to be briefed on the NII Security Issues Forum. The Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Working Group released its preliminary report on July 7, 1994, on the extent to which legislative changes, technical controls, and educational initiatives may be needed to assure the protection of intellectual property rights in the National Information Infrastructure. The report, which proposes minor legislative changes to the copyright act, was issued in preliminary draft form to solicit additional public comment. Written comments on the report may be submitted on or before September 7. Additionally, the IPR Working Group will hold three public hearings this fall in Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Los Angeles. The dates and locations of the hearings have not been finalized. After the comment period closes and the hearings are over, the IPR Working Group will finalize the report. The release date of the final report will depend in large part on the number of comments, the amount of testimony the group receives, as well as the incorporation of technology concerns. The Government Information Working Group (GIWG) has formed a subgroup called the Electronic Record FOIA Legislative Group. It is chaired by Dan Metcalfe of the Department of Justice. GIWG is considering possible legislative proposals to amend the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with respect to the subject of electronic records. The Working Group is meeting weekly as it develops general principles for the treatment of records in an electronic age. GIWG's work on the Government Information Locator Service (GILS) is progressing well. NIST published a draft Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) incorporating the GILS Application Profile in the Federal Register on July 5, 1994 (59 FR 34412). Comments are due October 3, 1994. Publication of an OMB Bulletin to prescribe the implementation timetable for GILS and to articulate agency responsibilities will be timed to coincide with publication of the final FIPS, possibly as early as November. The draft Bulletin has already been circulated to the agencies for comment. Public comment will be solicited from the participants in the OMB-sponsored public meeting on GILS which was held in December. The draft bulletin will also be on the FedWorld and IITF bulletin board systems for comment. Some preliminary implementation steps are already under way. The Commerce Department has its prototype Commerce Information Locator System (CILS) up and running on FedWorld. Also, the Internet-based agency "Home Page" initiative utilizing the Mosaic application is being designed to have a specific GILS link so that users will ultimately be able to go directly from the "Home Page" to the agency's GILS Core Locator. The "Home Page" has been demonstrated to agencies and will be unveiled publicly in the fall. The Privacy Working Group extended the public comment period for its Principles for Providing and Using Information to July 1, 1994. By that date, 22 commentors had provided comments. Most of the comments came from the private sector although some public interest groups and government organizations also submitted comments. All of the comments have been placed in the OIRA Public Docket Room at the New Executive Office Building for public inspection. The Working Group is currently analyzing the comments and intends to meet in two weeks to discuss them and begin to amend the Principles as appropriate. NII Security Issues Forum On July 15, the Security Issues Forum and the Mega-Project on Privacy, Security and Intellectual Property of the NII Advisory Council jointly sponsored a public meeting concerning security on the NII. The intent was to begin a dialogue with the public regarding security issues. The presenters were asked to discuss their use of the NII, the security exposures or risks that are of concern to them, and possible approaches needed to address those risks. The meeting generated considerable public interest -- 30 people representing diverse groups presented position papers, several hundred members of the public attended, and several people from the audience commented on the presentations. Participants continually underscored that (1) the public and industry were greatly concerned about security issues and (2) there was a tremendous need for a dialogue on this issue. Although the private sector is already developing security solutions in some areas of use, the Federal government will have a role. For example, there is an important government role in assuring availability and recoverability of the NII in the case of a natural disaster, in establishing a public key infrastructure, or working on participant liability issues. The Forum will soon announce the availability of both an electronic mailbox and a regular mailbox where the public can send statements and comments regarding security issues. In addition, the Forum is considering a second meeting for this fall or early winter, outside of the D.C. area. The National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) is planning a joint industry-government Symposium in October to discuss a number of NII security-related issues. Next month's meeting of the Forum will be used to assess areas where Federal action is already apparently needed. A summary of the proceedings will be made available through the IITF bulletin boards, as well as in hard copy. A copy of the proceedings will also be sent to all IITF members. Committee on Applications and Technology The Committee on Applications and Technology has focused on several activities during the month of July: the second set of application papers and the working group meetings. CAT met on July 27 at the Department of State. The next CAT meeting will be held at NIST in Lecture Room B on September 9 from 2:45-4:00 p.m. The meeting will be open to the public for a presentation by the Mayo Clinic on its activities with respect to health care and the NII. During the public portion of the July CAT meeting, Frank Brake, Managing Director, International Operations, Newport News Shipbuilding, provided an interesting presentation on the use of information technology and the information infrastructure in the manufacturing application area. The IITF approved distribution of the second set of application papers during its July meeting. The set of eight papers will be published under the title "The Information Infrastructure: Realizing Society's Goals," and released for public comment in early September. The eight application topics are: transportation; telecommuting; local, state, and federal emergency management; supply and demand of electrical power; public empowerment with environmental information; people with disabilities; arts, humanities, and culture; and public safety and law enforcement. These papers are designed to spur public discussion of how people and organizations use the information infrastructure to improve the quality of life. Paper copies of the document will be distributed through GPO and NTIS. Electronic copies will be available through the IITF information server. The Government Information Technology Services Working Group, chaired by Jim Flyzik, met on July 7, 1994. Key issues discussed included: improved information technology training for federal managers and employees, initiatives for improving customer service, implementation of government-wide electronic mail, consolidation of federal data centers, pilot project for demonstration of the innovation fund concept, and progress in developing an international trade data system, and organizing a national environmental data index. The GITS Working Group "Vision" document and "Action Plan" were presented to, and approved for public distribution by, the IITF at its July meeting. On October 11-13, the Federation of Government Information Processing Councils, Public Technology, Inc., and the State Information Policy Consortium, in collaboration with the GITS Working Group, will sponsor Interchange '94 at the Renaissance Hotel and Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC. Interchange '94 will bring 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. The Technology Policy Working Group (TPWG), chaired by Duane Adams, met on July 7 and July 28. The following provides updates on the activities of the four subgroups of the TPWG. NII Roadmap: The Working Subgroup asked the National Research Council to undertake the Roadmap project. The Council will assemble a panel from industry and academia to develop the roadmap via an open process with the greatest possible participation of industry. NII Services Architecture: A document highlighting the TPWG's recommendations regarding the services project, was issued in draft form for internal review in July. Advanced Digital Video: The Report of the Workshop on Advanced Digital Video in the National Information Infrastructure was issued in electronic form in July. The report is available on the World Wide Web using the Mosaic user interface. The document is available through the IITF information server. Standards Process: The first formal meeting of the project team was held on July 14. The first public activity of TPWG for the standards project was the co-sponsorship of a Workshop on Standards and the NII in June. In July, the team participated in the first meeting of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Information Infrastructure Standards Panel (IISP). After conversations with TPWG, IISP was established by ANSI to facilitate and expedite the development of NII standards. In addition, TPWG co-sponsored the Workshop on Economics of Information Infrastructure on July 21 with the National Science Foundation and the Harvard Kennedy School. Leading economists and policy specialists in academia and the federal government were invited to discuss long-term research issues in an informal, off-the-record session. The workshop will help lay groundwork for a larger Forum on the economics of information infrastructure to be held in early 1995. The July workshop examined the extent that economic analysis is able to aid policy development for an expanded information infrastructure and to consider what new resources and tools are needed. A workshop report will be published in Fall 1994. The Health Information and Applications Working Group (HIA WG) met July 18, 1994 at ARPA. New agency representation was recognized by the chair: Department of Defense Health Affairs; Department of Education. The telemedicine subgroup reported on their July 15 meeting in which it began to design an operational definition of telemedicine and a roadmap for its activities. The consumer health informatics sub-group reported on the coordination between the National Health Information Center and HCFA in disseminating health information to the public. They are also planning to conduct an inventory and taxonomy of HIA WG agency initiatives in this area. The issues sub-group held its first meeting to generate issues for the HIA WG to consider over the next 6 months and a roadmap which will prioritize these issues. The set of issues was distributed to the HIA WG participants for their review. The standards sub-committee co- chairs announced that they will submit a finalized standards outline for HIA WG review by September 1. The HIA WG will develop several high impact inter-departmental projects for FY97. A subgroup was formed to assist on this issue. John Silva, HIA WG chair, testified on behalf of the HIA WG before the VA Oversight and Investigations Sub-Committee. Linda Harris testified before a Joint Economic Committee Regional Hearing in New Mexico on HIA activities on July 30. An invitational workshop on telemedicine, sponsored by the HIA WG and the telemedicine subgroup, was held August 8-9. This workshop was the first public-private effort of the HIA WG. Telecommunications Policy Committee The Telecommunications Policy Committee (TPC) met on July 14 at the Department of Commerce. TPC heard progress reports from each of its working groups. Carol Darr discussed the International Telecommunications Working Group's GII hearing held on July 27-28. Robert Portman from the Department of Labor gave a short preview of the presentation on labor issues, which was the focus of the public portion of the TPC meeting. That presentation by representatives from the Communications Workers of America and the labor community, emphasized the impact of telecommunications and information technology growth on employment. The next public meeting will take place in September and address the issues and concerns of the cable industry. In October, the TPC will host the broadcasting community. The Legislative Drafting Task Force continues to hold daily conference calls and meets frequently to discuss legislative policy issues and strategy. By a vote of 423-4, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3636, the bill addressing local competition issues. The House also passed H.R. 3626, modifying restrictions on the Bell Operating Companies, by a vote of 423-5. On the Senate side, the Commerce Committee has concluded hearings and a mark-up of the legislation is still anticipated. The Universal Service Working Group last met on Monday, July 25, at the Department of Commerce. The Working Group provided comments on a draft "Universal Service and Open Access Overall Hearing Summary" that was distributed to the IITF at the July 26 meeting. The final document will be released in early September. Summaries of all of the hearings are available through the IITF Bulletin Board System (BBS). The Network Reliability and Vulnerability Working Group (NRVWG) has established a working relationship with the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) through its NII Task Force. As a result, the NRVWG subgroup leaders met with the NII Task Force chairs and it's three subgroup chairs to discuss issues of mutual interest and to determine how to make their efforts complimentary. Members of the NRVWG also provided briefings to NSTAC and are participating in issue development for the NII Symposium, co-sponsored by the NSTAC and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, to be held October 17-19, 1994 at the Naval War College in Newport, RI. The three NRVWG subgroups continue to address issues related to: (1) overall NII reliability for government, industry, and general users in the context of both day-to-day and emergency operations; (2) the NS/EP attributes the NII should support; and (3) protecting key network elements from unauthorized intrusion or manipulation and seeking to ensure that network management information is protected. The NRVWG also has established a new subgroup, "Integrating Group," which will take inputs from each of the other three subgroups and meld them into an action plan that addresses all of the reliability and vulnerability concerns identified. This plan will provide a description of the problem, key issues, and necessary actions, in the areas of policy, legislation, management mechanisms, and technology. The Integrating Group will accomplish its objective by using an integrating framework that is currently in draft and being addressed by the NRVWG. The integrating framework will identify general concepts of reliability in the NII and will provide guiding principles for government participation in the evolution of a reliable, robust, and secure infrastructure. The action plan will identify top level actions that will be pursued by the NRVWG, in partnership with industry and government user groups. The objective will be to ensure the continuous availability of telecommunications and information services from the NII under normal and emergency circumstances. The International Telecommunications Working Group, chaired by Carol Darr, held a public hearing entitled "The Emerging Global Information Infrastructure" on July 27 and 28. Approximately 350 people attended to listen to 29 witnesses, representing service providers, users, industry associations, and equipment and software manufacturers, testify on the component technologies of the GII, the status of the world's information infrastructure, the five principles of the GII (private investment, competition, open access, universal service, regulatory flexibility), and how best to develop a GII. A transcript of the hearing will be made available on the NTIA electronic bulletin board and in hard copy in the Department of Commerce Law Library (15th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW). Members of the public who wish to submit written comments on the GII in response to the Federal Register notice announcing the hearing and soliciting public comments (59 Fed. Reg. 31979, June 21, 1994) may continue to do so until August 12, 1994. All written comments should be submitted to Randall Cook, Room 5870, Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C. 20230. Schedule of Upcoming Public Events August 10-11: Customer Services Enterprise Model for the Government Work Session USPS William F. Bolger Management Academy 9600 Newbridge Road, Academic Bldg. Room 100 Potomac, Maryland 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Co-sponsored by the Customer Services Improvement Team (CSIT) of the Government Information Technology Services (GITS) Working Group and the U.S. Postal Service) September 7-8: "Breaking the Barriers to the NII" Applications Conference ANA Hotel 2401 M Street, NW Washington, D.C. (Co-sponsored by Council on Competitiveness and the IITF) September 8: Telecommunications Policy Committee Department of Commerce Room 4830 1:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. September 9: Committee on Applications and Technology National Institute of Standards and Technology Lecture Room B Gaithersburg, Maryland 2:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. October 11-13: Interchange '94 Renaissance Hotel and Washington Convention Center Washington, D.C. (Co-sponsored by the GITS Working Group, the Federation of Government Information Processing Councils, Public Technology Inc., and the State Information Policy Consortium) October 17-19: National Information Infrastructure Symposium U.S. Naval War College Newport, Rhode Island (Co-sponsored by the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy)