[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 212 (Thursday, November 3, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-27309]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: November 3, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and Information Administration

 

Universal Service and Open Access to Telecommunications and 
Information Networks; Electronic Virtual Public Conference; Meetings

AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Virtual Public Conference on ``Universal Service and 
Open Access to Telecommunications and Information Networks.''

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SUMMARY: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA) and the Universal Service Working Group of the Information 
Infrastructure Task Force (IITF) will host an electronic Virtual 
Conference during the week of November 14-18, 1994. The Virtual 
Conference will culminate a year-long effort by the Clinton 
Administration to gather information and opinions about the issues of 
universal service and open access with respect to telecommunications 
and information networks.
    The Conference is part of the Administration's initiative to 
promote the development of a National Information Infrastructure (NII) 
and Global Information Infrastructure (GII). The Administration's 
report entitled the National Information Infrastructure: Agenda for 
Action, released on September 15, 1993, describes the benefits of 
networking technology and the potential for using the NII to create an 
electronic commons. The report includes the Administration's goals of 
extending universal service to the information infrastructure and using 
the NII to conduct government business. In addition, the Administration 
will be issuing in December, the Global Information Infrastructure 
Agenda for Cooperation, which will address universal service issues in 
the global arena, among other issues.
    The Virtual Conference will be conducted entirely through 
electronic networks--using the Internet, dial-up bulletin board access, 
public information service providers, and commercial service providers. 
Although participants may use their own computers, NTIA and the 
Universal Service Working Group seek to facilitate nationwide access by 
encouraging public institutions to make their computer facilities 
available to the public during the week of the conference.
    Information collected during this conference and previously through 
field hearings will assist the Administration's ongoing policy 
deliberations and may be used in future reports on universal service 
and open access.

How the Conference Will Be Conducted

    During the week of November 14-18, 1994, NTIA will create a series 
of electronic discussion groups on specific topics. Each topic will 
have an Internet mailing list and USENET newsgroup devoted to 
discussion of the specific topics and hosted by an expert in the field. 
Any comments submitted as part of this electronic discussion will 
become part of a publicly available electronic archive. Topics to be 
discussed at the Virtual Conference are:

--Redefining Universal Service and Open Access: What is the minimum 
``basket'' of telecommunications or information services or 
capabilities that all Americans should be able to obtain today? Which 
services or capabilities, if any, should be available to all Americans 
on an optional basis? What is the relationship between universal 
service and open access?
--Affordability and Availability: Who lacks telecommunications services 
and why? Should training in the use of more advanced network services 
be available to all who wish it? Who should pay for such training? How 
can rural concerns and inner city concerns best be accommodated under a 
new universal service concept? How can government balance the need for 
universal service with the benefits of a competitive environment for 
the telecommunications industry?
--Intellectual Property: Does the traditional legal framework for 
intellectual property work with digital technology? What are the 
respective roles of the government and the private sector in 
determining how authors and others who hold intellectual property 
rights are reimbursed? Does the current legal framework for 
intellectual property rights help or hinder accessibility to 
telecommunications and information networks?
--Privacy: What potential is there for telecommunications and 
information networks to compromise personal privacy? To what extent 
will perceptions of reduced privacy hinder widespread, seamless access 
to telecommunications and information networks?
--Interoperability: What is the relationship between interoperability 
and the concepts of universal service and open access? What are the 
respective roles of the marketplace and the government in determining 
standards and protocols for interoperability? What lessons can be 
learned from past efforts in standards setting, both domestically and 
internationally?
--Universal Service and Open Access for Individuals with Disabilities: 
What is the current state of access to telecommunications and 
information services for the disabled? How can such services help the 
disabled participate more fully in society? What design concepts for 
the disabled are transferable to all users to improve overall network 
functionality?

    Participants in the Virtual Conference are encouraged to review the 
following two documents recently issued by NTIA and to comment on these 
documents electronically during the conference: (1) NII Field Hearings 
on Universal Service and Open Access: America Speaks Out, and (2) 
Notice of Inquiry (NOI) on Universal Service and Open Access Issues. 
Comments written on paper in response to this NOI are being received by 
NTIA and should be filed on or before December 14, 1994, to receive 
full consideration. Both documents already are available through NTIA's 
IITF Gopher Server at iitf.doc.gov, dial in to (202) 501-1920, and 
NTIA's Bulletin Board Service at (202) 482-1199, ntiabbs.ntia.doc.gov 
(telnet, gopher or world-wide web).

Call for ``Public Access Points''

    Libraries and universities, as well as state and local governments, 
are encouraged to make their facilities available to the public during 
the week of the Conference. Providing these public gateways will 
demonstrate the power of networking and facilitate access for those who 
might not otherwise be able to participate. In order to register as a 
site, please see the contact information below.

DATES: The Conference will start at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time 
(EST) on November 14 and conclude at 11:59 p.m. EST on November 18, 
1994. During this time period, the conference will be open for comments 
24 hours a day.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical assistance, please 
contact Charles Franz at (202) 482-1835 ([email protected]). For 
general information, or to receive a ``Public Access Point'' 
registration form, please contact Roanne Robinson at (202) 482-1551 
([email protected]). Fax inquiries should be directed to (202) 
482-1635.
    Additional information about the Virtual Conference, including 
instructions on how to join a topic, may be found on the Conference 
Gopher: gopher-virtconf.ntia.doc.gov. This information can also be e-
mailed directly to you; send a message to [email protected] 
and you will receive an automatic reply.

    Dated: October 31, 1994.
Larry Irving,
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information.
[FR Doc. 94-27309 Filed 11-2-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P