ALAWON v6, n29 - NEXT GENERATION INTERNET

[wake@wln.com]

     PNW librarians may be interested in this. There is an Adobe PDF 
     version (warning 48 pages, 1.2 MB), as well as a HTML table of 
     contents which allows you to read and respond to various sections.
     
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To: ALA Washington Office Newsline
From: ALAWASH E-MAIL on Tue, Apr 29, 1997 12:14 PM
Subject: ALAWON v6, n29 - NEXT GENERATION INTERNET: COMMENTS INVITED
     
     
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ALAWON                                        Volume 6, Number 29 
ISSN 1069-7799                                     April 29, 1997
     
     American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
     
In this issue: (137 lines)
     
     NEXT GENERATION INTERNET DRAFT CONCEPT PAPER ISSUED BY THE      
CLINTON ADMINISTRATION; COMMENTS INVITED 
_________________________________________________________________
     
   NEXT GENERATION INTERNET DRAFT CONCEPT PAPER ISSUED BY THE
            CLINTON ADMINISTRATION; COMMENTS INVITED
     
The Clinton Administration has proposed a Next Generation 
Initiative (NGI) involving research and development programs 
across federal agencies, with $100 million requested for FY98.  A 
draft paper outlining the concepts and goals of the NGI 
initiative has been posted for public comment by May 15. The 
draft was prepared by the Large Scale Networking Working Group of 
the Computing, Information, and Communications R&D Subcommittee.
     
The draft concept paper notes that the Internet technology -- 
designed for a network of thousands -- is laboring to serve a 
network of millions, but new technology, protocols, and standards 
can be developed to lead to an NGI at rates thousands of times 
faster than today.  Several years of generic, pre-competitive 
research and testing will be required.  The federal government 
proposes to participate because critical federal missions require 
a NGI, and because much of the needed research is too long-term 
or high-risk for the private sector to fund.
     
The draft states the NGI vision as follows:
     
     "In the 21st Century, the Internet will provide a 
     powerful and versatile environment for business, 
     education, culture, and entertainment.  Sight, sound, 
     and even touch will be integrated through powerful 
     computers, displays, and networks.  People will use 
     this environment to shop, bank, study, entertain, work, 
     and visit with each other.  Whether at home, at the 
     office, or on travel, the environment will be the same. 
     Privacy, security, and reliability will be built in. 
     The customer will be able to choose among different 
     levels of service with varying prices.  Benefits of 
     this environment will include a more agile economy, a 
     greater choice of places to live or work, easy access 
     to life-long learning, and better opportunity to 
     participate in the community, the nation, and the 
     world."
     
The three goals for this 5-year initiative are: (1) 
high-performance network fabric, (2) advanced network service 
technologies, and (3) revolutionary applications.  
     
Goal 1 involves connecting at least 100 universities at speeds 
100 times faster than today's Internet, and 10 federal research 
institutions at speeds 1000 times faster.  
     
Goal 2 involves experimentation with the next generation of 
networking technologies that "push the envelope."  
     
Goal 3 involves the demonstration of new applications that meet 
important national goals and missions.  Examples used include 
national security, disaster response, scientific research, 
distance education, environmental monitoring, prediction and 
warnings, and health care.  The draft notes that "this program 
will not provide substantial direct funding for applications."
     
The Advisory Committee on High-Performance Computing and 
Communications, Information Technology and the Next Generation 
Internet had input into the draft and will be commenting further 
on it.  Two members of the Advisory Committee, Ching Chih Chen, 
professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, 
Simmons College; and Sherrilynne Fuller, director of the Health 
Sciences Libraries and Information Center, University of 
Washington, bring library experience to this committee.
     
ALA will send comments on the draft, and expects to focus on the 
following:
     
1.  A recommendation that a strong and specific plan be developed 
for diffusion of the NGI research and development results not 
just to industry but to government, education, and libraries; and 
that progress toward the NGI be balanced with interoperability 
with the first generation Internet.
     
2.  A recommendation to adjust the NGI budget to reflect a 
civilian as well as a military focus, and specifically to 
increase the National Science Foundation share(proposed at only 
$10 million of the $100 million) as the agency with the broadest 
charter in support of a wide range of education and research 
efforts, and to specifically add the National Library of Medicine 
as a partner in the NGI Initiative.
     
3.  A recommendation that the NGI program needs an explicit 
applications component and budget because high-end applications 
and fundamental network architecture are closely interdependent. 
Since technology developed and tested in the NGI program is 
intended to be eventually adopted by a larger user community, more 
thought is needed towards areas such as libraries, education and 
health. There should be an explicit role for the National Library 
of Medicine. Digital library programs such as those at the 
National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration should be linked to the NGI effort.
     
     
The draft concept paper on the Next Generation Internet 
Initiative is available at:
     
     http://www.hpcc.gov/ngi-concept-08Apr97/
     
Comments may be sent to ngi@hpcc.gov or faxed to 703/306-4727. 
Comments received by May 15 will be used in preparing a final 
version. ALA members who wish to contribute to the ALA comments 
should send feedback by May 13 to alawash@alawash.org. 
_________________________________________________________________
     
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                                                Rick Weingarten
     
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