[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 118 (Tuesday, June 21, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-15172]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: June 21, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

 

Public Hearing and Request for Comments on the International 
Aspects of the National Information Infrastructure

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of hearing and request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The International Telecommunications Working Group of the 
Information Infrastructure Task Force's (IITF) Telecommunications 
Policy Committee is developing recommendations for consideration by the 
IITF on international telecommunications policy issues related to the 
development of a National Information Infrastructure (NII) within the 
context of an emerging Global Information Infrastructure (GII). To 
ensure that the International Telecommunications Working Group's 
recommendations regarding these issues take into consideration all 
views, we invite testimony and written comments from interested parties 
on any of the topics outlined in the supplementary information section 
of this notice.

DATES:

    1. July 27 and 28, 1994, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.--public hearing.
    2. July 22, 1994--registration to attend the hearing is requested 
on or before this date. (The hearing is open to the public but 
preregistration is strongly preferred to ensure adequate seating.)
    3. July 15, 1994--requests to present oral testimony and a written 
copy of the testimony must be received on or before this date.
    4. August 12, 1994--all other written comments must be received on 
or before this date.
    5. August 18, 1994--Written comments will be available for public 
inspection on and after this date.

ADDRESSES:

    1.The hearing will be held at Georgetown University Conference 
Center (Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center), Grand Ballroom, 3800 
Reservoir Road, N.W., Washington D.C.
    2. Those wishing to attend the hearing should contact Nicole Brown 
or Angie Mitchell by telephone at (202) 482- 4772.
    3. Requests to testify and 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.
    4. Written comments will be available for public inspection at the 
Department of Commerce Law Library, Room 1894, 15th and Pennsylvania 
Ave., N.W.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Randall Cook by telephone at (202) 
482-0490, facsimile at (202) 501-4695, electronic mail via the Internet 
at [email protected] or by mail at the address listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background and Topics for Discussion

    The White House formed the IITF to articulate and implement its 
vision for the NII. The Task Force is chaired by Ronald H. Brown, the 
Secretary of Commerce, and consists of three committees--the 
Telecommunications Policy Committee, the Information Policy Committee, 
and the Committee on Applications and Technology. Working with the 
private sector, the IITF committees are seeking to develop 
telecommunications, information and technology policies to promote 
applications that best suit the needs of the United States. Within the 
Telecommunications Policy Committee, chaired by Larry Irving, Assistant 
Secretary of Commerce for the National Telecommunications and 
Information Administration, is the International Telecommunications 
Working Group, chaired by Carol C. Darr, Deputy General Counsel of the 
U.S. Department of Commerce.
    In recognizing that the NII will be a part of a much larger Global 
Information Infrastructure, the Administration believes that the 
principles that inform our view of the NII also must guide the 
development of a GII. To that end, the Administration has identified 
five principles essential for the creation of a global information 
infrastructure:
     Encourage private investment;
     Promote competition;
     Create a flexible regulatory framework;
     Provide open access; and
     Ensure universal service.
    The International Telecommunications Working Group recognizes that 
any re-examination of U.S. international telecommunications policy must 
take into account the international dimension of technological 
convergence. Measures adopted by other governments in response to this 
convergence are likely to affect a broad range of issues related to the 
interconnection of the U.S. NII with foreign networks, such as access 
to, and interoperability of networks, investment, foreign aid and 
assistance, technology transfer, and evolving international 
regulations.
    In response to these issues, the International Working Group, 
through six informal subgroups, has identified six areas that should be 
addressed:
     U.S. participation in international and regional 
organizations and standard-setting bodies;
     Foreign trade barriers affecting the U.S. industry and the 
development of the NII and, as a related question, the role of foreign 
entities in the implementation of infrastructure;
     International aspects of pending telecommunications reform 
legislation;
     Impact of U.S. export controls;
     Electronic information exchanges between U.S. and foreign 
research organizations; and
     U.S. aid and assistance for funding telecommunications 
projects and delivering technical assistance to developing countries 
and countries with emerging economies.
    These informal subgroups have addressed each of these issues, 
looking first to the need to document existing circumstances (e.g., to 
clarify the respective roles of international, regional and national 
organizations and standard-setting bodies) and thereafter to address 
whether the Administration's NII objectives would be served better by 
changing U.S. policy and/or efforts relating to each area.
    In the course of its deliberations, the Working Group has concluded 
that traditional U.S. policy approaches toward international 
telecommunications have been both appropriate and constructive in 
achieving their objectives of obtaining greater access by U.S. firms to 
foreign markets, eliminating barriers caused by incompatible standards, 
and promoting the competitiveness of U.S. firms in providing 
international services. These policies should be continued. However, it 
also seems clear that the stimulus for changes in U.S. domestic 
policy--the convergence of technologies and blurring of boundaries 
between industries and markets--has significant bearing on the 
international environment, with corresponding implications for U.S. 
international telecommunications policy.
    In March, 1994, Vice President Gore discussed the creation of a GII 
and emphasized that it will require the participation of all countries. 
Many countries have already embarked on national initiatives similar to 
the NII, reflecting the increasingly common objective of governments to 
facilitate broader access by consumers to an expanded array of 
information technologies and services. The European Union, Japan, 
Canada, and several countries in developing regions of the world, such 
as Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe, have identified 
telecommunications and information technologies as essential to further 
economic growth and development.
    We recognize that the creation of a GII will have policy and 
operational issues that affect the United States and other countries. 
The Working Group is seeking a broader understanding of the emerging 
policy issues associated with the international dimension of 
technological convergence, and requests comments on the following 
issues/questions that have arisen as a result of the work of the 
subgroups, and certain general questions with regard to the GII:

Subgroup Questions

    1. Are there issues raised by technological convergence on a global 
scale that have not been addressed in U.S. policy? What mechanisms 
(governmental or private sector, bilateral or multilateral) are best 
suited to addressing these issues?
    2. Given the manner in which the telecommunications market is 
emerging, are the issues in the 1993 NTIA Notice of Inquiry (58 Fed. 
Reg. 4846 (January 15, 1993)), which addressed the regulation of 
international telecommunications services provided between the United 
states and other countries, still primary areas of concern?
    3. Given the convergence of technologies and the increase in the 
number of organizations developing standards, are the U.S. government/
private sector preparatory processes adequate to promote U.S. interests 
in international standards activities? How should the U.S. government 
and the private sector facilitate the coordination of standards-setting 
bodies?
    4. How should the U.S. government address compulsory licensing of 
intellectual property rights by international standards-setting bodies?
    5. How can the process of developing international standards be 
enhanced to ensure the interconnectivity and interoperability of an 
NII, and ultimately a GII?
    6. In light of the recent and significant liberalization of U.S. 
export controls, are further export control reforms appropriate to 
ensure that the United States is able to participate fully in the 
international marketplace?

General Questions About the GII

    7. What is your vision of the GII?
    8. What should be the U.S. role in developing the GII?
    9. What should be the private sector's role in developing the GII?
    10. Given the significant amount of financial resources that will 
be necessary to create a GII and the fact that the United States has 
limited financial ability to provide aid and assistance, what should 
the United States do to stimulate private investment?
    11. With regard to the NII, the Administration clearly has 
indicated that government policies should remain technologically 
neutral. Should this approach also be adopted for the GII?
    12. Pursuant to the NII, the Administration is pursuing a domestic 
review of current telecommunications laws and regulations. Should this 
same type of exercise be pursued with regard to U.S. laws and 
regulations addressing international telecommunications?
    13. What technical, financial and other issues need to be addressed 
in achieving the goal of a global digital library defined by Vice 
President Gore in his speech before the International Telecommunication 
Union's World Telecommunication Development Conference?

II. Guidelines for Written Comments and Oral Testimony

    Written comments must be provided in triplicate and include the 
following information:
    1. Name and affiliation of the individual responding;
    2. Whether the comments offered represent the views of the 
individual's organization or are the respondent's personal views;
    3. If applicable, a description of the respondent's organization, 
including the size, type of organization (e.g. business, trade group, 
university, non-profit organization) and principal types of business.
    4. A brief, one-page summary of the comments submitted is required.
    Those wishing to present oral testimony must adhere to the 
following guidelines:
    1. No one will be permitted to testify without prior approval.
    2. Requests for presenting oral testimony and a written copy of the 
speaker's testimony must be submitted by the deadline set forth above.
    3. In addition to the guidelines for written comments above, 
requests to testify also should include the speaker's mailing address 
and phone and facsimile numbers.
    4. The exact time allocated per speaker will be determined after 
the final number of parties testifying has been determined.
    5. Speakers must adhere to guidelines established for testimony, 
which will be provided to all speakers no later than July 25, 1994.
    A schedule of approximate times for each speaker's testimony will 
be provided to all speakers no later than July 25, 1994. Speakers are 
advised that the testimony schedule is subject to change during the 
course of the hearing.

    Dated: June 16, 1994.
Carol C. Darr,
Deputy General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 94-15172 Filed 6-20-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P