From: Harvey Newstrom (mail@HarveyNewstrom.com)
Date: Mon Dec 18 2000 - 12:43:00 MST
Brian D. Williams wrote,
>From: Harvey Newstrom <mail@HarveyNewstrom.com>
>>I don't want to get drawn into politics, because both major
>>parties are flawed. However, I will comment on the creation of
> >the Internet.
>I have had no luck finding any reference to the bill you speak of,
>please provide a reference.
Look for:
- National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1986
- Computer Network Study Amendment of 1986
- National High-Performance Computer Technology Act of 1988
______________________________________________________________________
New York Times, John Markoff, December 29, 1988:
______________________________________________________________________
Computer scientists and Government officials are urging the creation
of a nationwide "data superhighway" that they believe would have a
dramatic economic impact, rivaling that of the nation's interstate
highway system.
This highway would consist of a high-speed fiber-optic data network
joining dozens of supercomputers at national laboratories and making
them available to thousands of academic and industry researchers
around the country ...
Legislation introduced in October by Senator Albert Gore, Democrat of
Tennessee, included initial financing for development and
construction of a National Research Network. Backers of the measure
say that Federal financing for the project is necessary to develop
the technology and convince industry that vastly speedier computer
networks are commercially viable.
______________________________________________________________________
The Houston Chronicle, "Data superhighway' for nation's computers
approved by Congress", November 30, 1991:
______________________________________________________________________
A plan to create a high-tech "data superhighway" likened in
importance to the creation of the nation's highway system has been
approved by Congress and sent to President Bush for his signature.
The plan would create a high-speed national computer networking
infrastructure that would link computers in the nation's research,
education and military establishments.
Proponents say that this network eventually will evolve into a
universally available National Public Telecomputing Network that may
be the successor to the telephone system, marrying the entertainment,
communications and computer industries.
The High-Performance Computing Act of 1991, which contains the plan,
was approved by a House-Senate conference committee over the weekend
after being stalled for several weeks because of disagreement over a
"buy American first" provision.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Albert Gore, D-Tenn., does not provide
funding for the effort. Budget allocations and appropriations must be
made individually during each year of the program.
______________________________________________________________________
Time Magazine interview with Vint Cerf, inventor of the Internet
Protocol, June 14, 2000:
______________________________________________________________________
Timehost: Welcome to the TIME auditorium. We're thrilled to have as
our guest Vinton Cerf, one of the inventors of the Internet. Mr. Cerf
has just written an article for TIME magazine, in which he says that
the Internet will be everywhere. Even, literally, in our bodies! So
send in your questions about the past, present and future of the
Internet. Who better to answer those questions than the man who
invented the Internet? (Sorry, Al Gore)
Timehost: Mr. Cerf is now with us. Welcome!
Vinton Cerf: Good evening, or whatever time zone you are in, hi!!
While we're waiting for questions, I'd like to clear up one little
item - about the Vice President ... He really does deserve some
credit for his early recognition of the importance of the Internet
and the technology that makes it work. He was certainly among the
first if not the first in Congress to realize how powerful the
information revolution would be and both as Senator and Vice
President he has been enormously helpful in supporting legislation
and programs to help further develop the Internet - for example the
Next Generation Internet program. I get to see a lot of this stuff
because I am a member of the President's Information Technology
Advisory Committee and we regularly review the R&D programs of the US
Government and many have relevance to the evolving Internet.
______________________________________________________________________
National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1986
Computer Network Study Amendment
(Al Gore speaking)
______________________________________________________________________
MR. PRESIDENT, IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO SUPPORT THE PROPOSED
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION AUTHORIZATION ACT.
WITHIN THIS BILL I HAVE TWO AMENDMENTS, THE COMPUTER NETWORK STUDY
AND THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT REPORT. THE FIRST AMENDMENT WAS ORIGINALLY
INTRODUCED WITH SENATOR GORTON AS S. 2594. IT CALLS FOR A 2-YEAR
STUDY OF THE CRITICAL PROBLEMS AND CURRENT AND FUTURE OPTIONS
REGARDING COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS FOR RESEARCH COMPUTERS. THE SECOND
AMENDMENT REQUIRES THE PRESIDENT TO SUBMIT A REPORT TO CONGRESS ON
THE ACTIONS TAKEN TO ESTABLISH AN INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE
GREENHOUSE EFFECT.
BOTH OF THESE AMENDMENTS SEEK NEW INFORMATION ON CRITICAL PROBLEMS OF
TODAY. THE COMPUTER NETWORK STUDY ACT IS DESIGNED TO ANSWER CRITICAL
QUESTIONS ON THE NEEDS OF COMPUTER TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS OVER
THE NEXT 15 YEARS. FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT ARE THE FUTURE REQUIREMENTS FOR
COMPUTERS IN TERMS OF QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF DATA TRANSMISSION, DATA
SECURITY, AND SOFTWEAR [sic] COMPATIBILITY? WHAT EQUIPMENT MUST BE
DEVELOPED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE HIGH TRANSMISSION RATES OFFERED BY
FIBER OPTIC SYSTEMS?
BOTH SYSTEMS DESIGNED TO HANDLE THE SPECIAL NEEDS OF SUPERCOMPUTERS
AND SYSTEMS DESIGNED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF SMALLER RESEARCH COMPUTERS
WILL BE EVALUATED. THE EMPHASIS IS ON RESEARCH COMPUTERS, BUT THE
USERS OF ALL COMPUTERS WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS STUDY. TODAY, WE CAN
BANK BY COMPUTER, SHOP BY COMPUTER, AND SEND LETTERS BY COMPUTER.
ONLY A FEW COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUALS USE THESE SERVICES, BUT THE
NUMBER IS GROWING AND EXISTING CAPABILITIES ARE LIMITED.
IN ORDER TO COPE WITH THE EXPLOSION OF COMPUTER USE IN THE COUNTRY,
WE MUST LOOK TO NEW WAYS TO ADVANCE THE STATE-OF-THE-ART IN
TELECOMMUNICATIONS -- NEW WAYS TO INCREASE THE SPEED AND QUALITY OF
THE DATA TRANSMISSION. WITHOUT THESE IMPROVEMENTS, THE
TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORKS FACE DATA BOTTLENECKS LIKE THOSE WE FACE
EVERY DAY ON OUR CROWDED HIGHWAYS.
THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS ALREADY AWARE OF THE NEED TO EVALUATE AND ADOPT
NEW TECHNOLOGIES. ONE PROMISING TECHNOLOGY IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF
FIBER OPTIC SYSTEMS FOR VOICE AND DATA TRANSMISSION. EVENTUALLY WE
WILL SEE A SYSTEM OF FIBER OPTIC SYSTEMS BEING INSTALLED NATIONWIDE.
AMERICA'S HIGHWAYS TRANSPORT PEOPLE AND MATERIALS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
FEDERAL FREEWAYS CONNECT WITH STATE HIGHWAYS WHICH CONNECT IN TURN
WITH COUNTY ROADS AND CITY STREETS. TO TRANSPORT DATA AND IDEAS, WE
WILL NEED A TELECOMMUNICATIONS HIGHWAY CONNECTING USERS COAST TO
COAST, STATE TO STATE, CITY TO CITY. THE STUDY REQUIRED IN THIS
AMENDMENT WILL IDENTIFY THE PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES THE NATION
WILL FACE IN ESTABLISHING THAT HIGHWAY.
[Upper case shown, indicating a contemporaneous insertion into the
Congressional Record at the time of corresponding floor debate.]
______________________________________________________________________
National High-Performance Computer Technology Act of 1988
(Al Gore speaking)
______________________________________________________________________
THIS LEGISLATION TAKES THE FIRST CRITICAL STEPS TO ADDRESS THOROUGHLY
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN PROMOTING HIGH-PERFORMANCE
COMPUTING. OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS, WE CAN REFINE THIS
LEGISLATION. BUT WE MUST ACT. THE UNITED STATES HAS MAYBE A 1-YEAR
LEAD OVER OUR CLOSEST COMPETITORS IN THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING
FIELD. WE CANNOT AFFORD TO HESITATE IN CRAFTING A BLUEPRINT TO ENSURE
THAT LEAD FOR THE [*S16898] NEXT DOZEN YEARS OF THIS CENTURY AND TO
POSITION OURSELVES FOR THE NEXT CENTURY. REPRESENTATIVES FROM
INDUSTRY, ACADEMIA, AND FEDERAL AGENCIES SHOULD DISCUSS WHAT NEEDS TO
BE DONE, USING THIS BILL AS A FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION.
THE NATIONAL HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY ACT OF 1988 WOULD
EXPAND AND IMPROVE FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND THE
APPLICATION OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY. SPECIFICALLY,
THIS ACT WOULD ESTABLISH A HIGH-CAPACITY NATIONAL RESEARCH COMPUTER
NETWORK, DEVELOP AND DISTRIBUTE SOFTWARE, DEVELOP ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE PROGRAMS, STIMULATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF HARDWARE, AND
INVEST IN BASIC RESEARCH AND EDUCATION.
THE ACT WOULD DEFINE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN
HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING. THE ACT WOULD PROVIDE FOR A
3-GIGABIT-PER-SECOND NATIONAL NETWORK, DEVELOP FEDERAL STANDARDS,
TAKE INTO ACCOUNT USER VIEWS, EXAMINE TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY,
BUILD AN INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE COMPOSED OF DATA BASES AND
KNOWLEDGE BANKS, CREATE A NATIONAL SOFTWARE CORPORATION TO DEVELOP
IMPORTANT SOFTWARE PROGRAMS, ESTABLISH A CLEARINGHOUSE TO VALIDATE
AND DISTRIBUTE SOFTWARE, PROMOTE ARTICIFIAL INTELLIGENCE DATA BASES,
INCREASE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, STUDY EXPORT CONTROLS
AFFECTING COMPUTERS, REVIEW PROCUREMENT POLICIES TO STIMULATE THE
COMPUTER INDUSTRY, AND ENHANCE COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS.
IT ALSO CLEARLY DEFINES AGENCY MISSIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES WITH
RESPECT TO HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING.
-- Harvey Newstrom <HarveyNewstrom.com>
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