[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 160 (Thursday, November 13, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12648-S12649]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE NEXT GENERATION INTERNET

 Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, the Internet is transforming every 
aspect of how a university performs research, teaches its students and 
reaches out to the public. In Hawaii and Alaska, the importance of the 
Internet is multiplied even more by the vast distances that separates 
us from the other 48 states, as well as the unique internal geography 
of our states which separate our citizens from each other by water, 
mountains or long distances.
  In October 1996, the Clinton Administration unveiled its Next 
Generation Internet (NGI) initiative, emphasizing that the Internet is 
the biggest change in human communication since the printing press. The 
initiative proposed a $100 million per year federal program to create 
the foundation for the networks of the 21st century. Approximately $95 
million is being appropriated this year for the NGI.
  One of the initial NGI project goals is to connect at least 100 
universities and national labs at speeds 100 to 1,000 times faster than 
today's Internet. The University of Hawaii and University of Alaska, 
along with many other institutions, have joined the Internet2 
initiative which shares this objective.
  Unfortunately, high-speed connectiv- ity comparable to what the NGI 
project is bringing to research universities throughout the country is 
not even available, much less affordable, for the universities of our 
most remote states of Alaska and Hawaii. These are the states where 
telecommunications is most needed to counteract the isolation that is 
imposed by our remoteness.
  It must be noted first and foremost that our public universities in 
Alaska and Hawaii have already dug deep to pay their own fair share to 
obtain Internet connectivity. These two institutions already allocate 
more internal funding for Internet connections than any other 
university, yet they receive far less capacity for their dollars 
importance on the Internet, these universities are faced with urgent 
needs that cannot be reasonably accommodated through the commercial 
marketplace or federal grant mechanisms currently in place.
  For example, as part of the Internet2 project, major research 
universities are now planning increases in speed from 45 Mbps (million 
bits per second) to 150 Mbps and even 600 Mbps. According to the 
founding project director for Internet2, the expected cost for a 150 
Mbps connection will average about $300,000 per year for mainland 
research universities.
  The University of Hawaii already pays much more than this--$448,000 
per year--and this buys only a 6 Mbps connection from Hawaii to the 
mainland. The University of Alaska now pays $324,000 per year for a 4.5 
Mbps connection. In other words, compared to the average that other 
universities are expected to pay for their NGI-capable connections, 
Hawaii is already paying 50 percent more for \1/25\ of the capacity, 
and Alaska is paying nearly 10 percent more for \1/33\ of the capacity.
  The rural states on the mainland found that their connection costs 
were higher than in urban areas and appealed for assistance. The 
National Science Foundation (NSF) recognized that the maximum $350,000 
3-year grant to assist in establishing connections to its Very High 
Speed Backbone Network Service was not adequate to meet the costs in 
these rural states. In response, the NSF agreed to make 18 rural 
states, not including Alaska and Hawaii, eligible for special 
supplements of up to $200,000 over and above the $350,000 maximum 
grant.
  These rural mainland universities can obtain 45 Mbps connections for 
prices in the range of $150,000 to $360,000 per year. In comparison, 
the quoted prices for these connections to Alaska and Hawaii are $2.8 
million and $2.5 million respectively, escalating to $6 million or more 
a year to meet future requirements. Further, even if funds were 
available within the states to pay these costs on an ongoing basis, the 
capacity is not readily available or even in place on an ongoing basis, 
the capacity is not readily available or even in place on the existing 
saturated fiber optic systems that connect Hawaii and Alaska to the 
rest of the country.
  Our research universities in Alaska and Hawaii need the same level of 
connectivity as their counterparts in California, Massachusetts, North 
Dakota and Colorado. Our remote universities are already paying much 
more and getting much less for their limited internal funding.
  This is not just a problem for our universities, but is fundamental 
to the overall economic development of our states. Ensuring high-speed 
Internet access to the only public institutions of higher education in 
Hawaii and Alaska also supports K-12 education, state government, and 
many other education, research and public sector organizations to which 
our universities provide technological leadership, support and services 
as the intellectual cornerstones of our communities.
  It is imperative that the federal government ensure fair access 
across the nation to the Internet and to our own federal initiatives 
such as the NGI. Just as a 32-cent stamp provides the same service 
anywhere in the country, so too must we consider ways to equalize 
access to the information superhighway. Further, we must solve this 
structural problem not just for the short term, but on a permanent 
basis.
  We urge the federal agencies which are receiving $95 million for the 
NGI this year, and which are planning on additional funding in the 
years to come, to take upon themselves the responsibility to ensure 
that the NGI reaches not just to those places that can be reached 
cheaply and easily, but to all fifty states. Technical staff at each 
university have been working long and hard to identify any possible 
means of achieving affordable high speed connectivity for their state. 
We ask that, as a nation, we reach out to find a stable and lasting 
solution to this urgent problem.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I concur with Senator Inouye that this is 
a critical problem for Alaska and Hawaii. I would suggest that it is in 
the interest of all States to ensure that no State is left behind as we 
enter the digital age.
  Researchers in Alaska and Hawaii must have the same access to 
resources that their colleagues in other areas of the country have--
without compatible access our universities will be left behind in the 
race to secure research funding and they will not be able to compete 
when it comes to attracting top researchers and professors.
  There is another side to the problem. Just as our universities will 
be cut off from their colleagues--universities in the continental 
United States will be cut off from the expertise and resources that are 
housed in the universities of Alaska and Hawaii.
  Senator Inouye laid out our concerns with respect to participation in 
the next generation Internet project, I would like to take what he said 
one step further.
  The technology--the high speed access to the Internet that is the 
goal of the next generation Internet project--is currently being slated 
to be developed on top of the existing Internet infrastructure.
  The existing Internet infrastructure can be visualized as a series of 
pipes, of varying capacity. The main conduit of the pipe system 
connects the West Coast to the East Coast--essentially through the 
middle of the United States.
  Those States that host the main conduit are fortunate--they have low 
cost access to relatively high capacity. Those States that are not 
close to the main conduit face increasing costs the further they are 
from the main conduits.

[[Page S12649]]

  The NGI project has agreed to include some States--like Montana that 
face challenges connecting to the main conduits. However, our States--
Alaska and Hawaii--have been essentially written off.
  This isn't just a question of our universities being left behind. It 
is a question of our entire states being left behind as we enter the 
new millennium when high speed connectivity will be essential to every 
aspect of life.
  We are already witnessing mass scale technological convergence. From 
my computer here in the Senate I can make telephone calls, I can listen 
to the radio, I can watch television--all over the Internet. This is 
not possible from most of Alaska and Hawaii--the connections are simply 
too poor.
  Currently data traffic is growing at a much faster pace than 
telephone traffic--if this continues, early in the next century data 
traffic will surpass telephone traffic. Where will that leave Alaska 
and Hawaii if we don't have the infrastructure in place to send data?
  Right now many villages in rural Alaska can only access the Internet 
by dialing a 1-800 number which connects them to an Internet service 
provider in Anchorage. They are connected to the Internet at speeds of 
around 1200 BAUD. Not only is this access slow--considering that most 
Americans now normally connect at at least 28,800 BAUD--but it is also 
costly.
  I join Senator Inouye in asking that those universities and agencies 
who receive part of the $95 million that we have provided for the next 
generation Internet project use the funds in a manner that will advance 
the interests of our country as a whole.
  I also ask for the assistance of private industry in helping us to 
solve the technical problems that our States face in obtaining 
connectivity levels that are comparable to the rest of the country. As 
one of the witnesses said earlier this week at the NGI hearing before 
the Science, Technology, and Transportation Subcommittee, it will take 
an innovative solution to provide Alaska with good connectivity.
  Conventional solutions, such as laying high capacity fiber to every 
village are simply not feasible economically at this time.
  I am committed to finding a solution to these problems--I know that 
Senator Inouye is too--I hope that our colleagues will join us and that 
this will be viewed as a national problem and not just as a competition 
for Federal research funds.

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