to make this information more available to the taxpayers who paid for it. This will require consistent 

 Federal information policies designed to ensure that Federal information is made available at a fair 

 price to as many users as possible while encouraging the growth of the infomiation industry. 



5. Reform telecommunications policies. 



Government telecommunications policy has not kept pace with new developments in telecommunica- 

 tions and computer technology. As a result, government regulations have tended to inhibit competi- 

 tion and delay deployment of new technology and services. Without a consistent, stable regulatory 

 environment, the private sector will hesitate to make the investments necessary to build the high speed 

 national telecommunications network that this country needs to compete successfully in the 21st cen- 

 tury. To address this and other problems, the Administration has created a White House-level intera- 

 gency Information Infrastructure Task Force that will work with Congress, the private sector, and state 

 and local governments to reach consensus on and implement policy changes needed to accelerate 

 deployment of the Nil. 



Although the HPCC Program began as a research and development program, its impact is already 

 being felt far beyond the research and education communities. The high performance computing tech- 

 nology developed under this Program has allowed users to improve understanding of global warming. 

 discover more effective and safer drugs, design safer and more fuel-efficient cars and aircraft, and 

 access huge "digital libraries" of information. The high speed networking technology developed and 

 demonstrated by the HPCC Program has accelerated the growth of the Internet computer network and 

 enabled millions of users not just to exchange electronic mail, but to access computers, digital 

 libraries, and research equipment around the world. This technology, which allows Internet users to 

 hold a video conference from their desks, is enabling researchers across the country to collaborate as 

 effectively as if they were in the same room. The new IITA component of the HPCC Program will 

 accelerate the deployment of HPCC technology into the marketplace and ensure that all Americans 

 can enjoy its benefits. 



Federal investment in new technologies is one of the best investments the government can make, one 

 that will provide huge, long-term benefits in terms of new jobs, better health care, better education, 

 and a higher standard of living. This is particularly true in the case of the National Information 

 Infrastructure, which will provide benefits to all sectors of our economy. Few initiatives offer as 

 many potential benefits to all Americans. 



Several strategic and programmatic modifications have been made to the HPCC Program in order to 

 enable the Nil Initiative to build on the Program's original four components. The most significant of 

 these is the addition of the new IITA program component. IITA consists of research and development 

 to enable the integration of critical information systems and the application of these systems to 

 "National Challenges," problems where the application of HPCC technology can provide huge bene- 

 fits to all Americans. 



These efforts will develop and apply high performance computing and communications technologies 

 to improve information systems for National Challenges such as the civil infrastructure, digital 

 libraries, education and lifelong learning, energy management, the environment, health care, inanufac- 

 turing processes and products, national security, and public access to government information. 

 Working with industry. IITA will support the development of the Nil and the development of the 

 computer, network, and database technology needed to provide appropriate privacy and security pro- 

 tection for users. 



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