NETWORKS AND COMMUNITY Date : December 12, 1993 compiler : Sam Sternberg samsam@vm1.yorku.ca The second report of this weekly survey will cover : LEGISLATION - FUNDING - DISCUSSIONS - NEW SERVICES - TRENDS and EVENTS Much of this material was provided by the heroic forwarding services of Gleason Sackman. Who forwards material from many sources including NEW-LIST . This list is an excellent source for tracking new services on the net. =============================== LEGISLATION Not everyone feels the marketplace has all the answers in the search for the public interest. The new U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman, Reed E. Hundt, says: "There are thousands of buildings in this country, with millions of people in them who have no telephones, no cable television and no reasonable prospect of broadband services. They're called schools." Saying that market mechanisms won't lead to networks being built to the optimal social point, he feels that government must step in to promote broader social goals. (New York Times 12/6/93 C6) Also this past week in an New York Times Op Ed piece; the president of EFF is quoted as saying " Properly constructed and regulated, it [ THE INTERNET ] could be open to all who wish to speak, publish and communicate. None of the interactive services will be possible, however, if we have an eight-lane data superhighway rushing into every home and only a narrow footpath coming back out. .... Every person would have access to the entire superhighway, so programmers could distribute information directly to consumers. ......... Consumers would become producers: individuals and small organizations could create and distribute programs to anyone on the highway who wants them. ......... To prevent abuses by media giants that, because of recent Federal court decisions, will control the pipeline into the home and much of the content delivered over it, we need new laws. Like today's phone companies, the companies controlling the superhighway must be required to carry other programmers' content, just as phone companies must provide service to anyone who is willing to pay for it. We must guarantee that anyone who, say, wants to start an alternative news network or a forum for political discussion is given an outlet to do so." Americans will come to depend on the superhighway even more than they need the telephone. The guarantee of universal telephone service must be expanded to include universal access to the superhighway. Although market forces will help keep the new technology affordable, we need laws to protect consumers when competition fails." --------------------------------- EFF, the Electronic Frontier foundation ( the major watchdog of U.S. gov policy on privacy and access to the Internet ) reported that " the Government Accounting Office (GAO) -- an important internal government investigative organization that's about a lot more than accounting -- issued a report on communications privacy. The report makes four very important findings: 1. Privacy-protecting technology (crytopgraphy) is increasingly important for protecting the security of business communications and personal information. But federal policy is getting in the way of this technology. "Increased use of computer and communications networks, computer literacy, and dependence on information technology heighten US industries risk of losing proprietary information to economic espionage. In part to reduce the risk, industry is more frequently using hardware and software with encryption capabilities. However, federal policies and actions stemming from national security and law enforcement concerns hinder the use and the export of U.S. commercial encryption technology and may hinder its development." 2. The NSA's role in this area is has been extensive, and possibly beyond the spirit of the Computer Security Act. "Although the Computer Security Act of 1987 reaffirmed NIST's responsibility for developing federal information-processing standards for security of sensitive, unclassified information, NIST follows NSA's lead in developing certain cryptographic standards" 3. Opportunity for public input in the standards process has been insufficient, leading to proposals like Clipper which lack public support. "These policy issues are formulated and announced to the public, however, with very little input from directly affected business interests, academia, and others." Full text of the report (GAO/OSI-94-2 Communications Privacy: Federal Policy and Actions) has been made available by ftp from GAO. The document can be obtained from EFF's FTP site; FTP EFF.ORG -> ~pub/eff/papers/osi-94-2.txt " EFFector Online is published biweekly by: Electronic Frontier Foundation 1001 G Street, N.W., Suite 950 East Washington, DC 20001, USA Phone: +1 202 347 5400, FAX: +1 202 393 5509 ============================== FUNDING Educators from eight Great Lakes states who have creatively used teamwork and technology in the classroom can now begin applying for more than $400,000 in regional grants and scholarships, through Pioneering PartnersTM for Educational Technology. Created by the Council of Great Lakes Governors in 1991, the program identifies educators who have worked with each other and the community to use technology, changing the way students learn and teachers teach. Winning teams receive a $3,000 base grant and another $2,000 in matching funds when a comparable amount is raised by the team. The funds are used to help them tell their success stories to others, so that the innovations expand to new classrooms and schools. According to Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, lead governor of the project "Pioneering Partners has helped "speed up adoption of educational technology in the states, offers important policy insights to administrators and elected officials, and provides yet another tool in our arsenal to improve the economic competitiveness of the Great Lakes Region." Applications and more information about the program can be obtained by writing to: Pioneering Partners, Mail Code INAAAJZ, 19845 U.S. 31 North, Westfield, IN 46074. The application deadline is April 12. The program was developed through a partnership with GTE East, a regional telecommunications company headquartered in Westfield, IN. -------------------------------- Another municipally sponsored and partly funded net is on the way and it is aiming at universal access. Steven Hodas writes, "Of course, to be really helpful, you have to make certain that homeless people and the poor have access to terminals and assistance in using them. That's one reason why the municipally-sponsored, real-soon-now Seattle Public Access Network will be putting kiosks and workstations in shelters, hospital waiting rooms, and public-assistance facilities." ================================ DISCUSSIONS The following announcement lead to one of the most significant analytic postings of the week. I hope that everyone involved with debating pubic policy towards the Internet will read and head these well though out criticisms. NTIA ANNOUNCES UNIVERSAL SERVICE HEARING > > WASHINGTON D.C -- Assistant Secretary for Communications and > Information Larry Irving announced today that the National > Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the New Mexico State Corporation Commission (NMSCC) will hold a > public hearing on "Communications and Information for All > Americans: Universal Service for the 21st Century" on December > 16, 1993. The hearing will take place from 8:00a.m. to 5:30p.m. > at the Technical Vocational Institute's Smith Brasher Hall, 717 > University, S.E. (Room SB-100), Albuquerque, New Mexico. ...... [ some further detail deleted ]. Putnam Barber [ an active participant on several listservs ] immediately responded with the following critique: This announcement illustrates several of the issues that will need to be thought about as things proceed. Issue I: Without answers to questions like the ones raised below (and extensions), it's hard to know what to make of the announcement itself. (In other words, announcements posted on the net need to be constructed differently and to contain different information from the traditional press release. Traditional press releases assume an audience of knowledgeable intermediaries -- reporters -- who can be relied upon to provide background and context if the announcement is used as the basis for a story. Simply posting a press release on the net, unfortunately, does +not+ provide better public notice. Instead it creates a long list of new questions -- see below :-) . 1. It's odd to have two such diverse 'sponsors' for a public hearing. What use is going to be made of 'testimony' delivered on this occasion? Is there a specific policy initiative -- in either jurisdiction -- on which comment is sought? How will these two different agencies use the testimony received? 2. Although the 'technology' of public hearings is well known, it's still ambiguous. A lot is missing from this press release: Are the 'witnesses' for this hearing already selected? If so, who are they and how were they chosen? If not, how will time during the day be allocated and who is expected to attend? 3. Saying that there will be 'a series' of these hearings places this one in a very ambiguous status. Are people who are not in NM expected to ignore this one and wait for 'theirs'? 4. Will the results of this hearing be reported? Of the complete series? If so, by whom, when and how? 5. The questions listed (see below) are so huge that it's impossible to imagine well framed answers from anyone except researchers and advocacy organizations. 6. Hence what sort of notice should be expected? This press release was issued on 12/2, and posted on 12/10 (probably not by NTIA itself). Perhaps active participants in the policy discussions had advance notice that enabled them to plan travel, prepare statements, etc. It doesn't feel like a serious attempt to solicit testimony from the 'general public' though, when the event is announced with so short a lead time so little information is given about the procedures that will be followed. Issue II: Without new ways of understanding and conducting a 'public hearing,' placing an announcement like this on the net cannot contribute very much to the process of creating 'good' policy and strong consensus on a subject. 1. Will 'testimony' be accepted through the net and be made part of the record at this or future hearings? 2. If there is a specific policy initiative of NTIA's at stake here (which is clearly implied by the notion of a series of public hearings in various locations) will there be a specific process whereby NTIA solicits 'testimony' from the net in a virtual hearing? +Should+ there be such an occasion? If so, how will it be managed? => The questions NTIA raises seem promising as a test-bed for policy formation using electronic tools, but there is no sign in this announcement that any effort or thought is being given to that possibility. => With better software and new attitudes, NTIA should be able to solicit public comment on parallel questions directly from the public using the net. If participants in COMMUNET have ideas about how to urge them to do so, now seems like the time to do it! (In +this+ case -- which is not true in others -- the net-aware part of the public is arguably acceptable as a stand in for 'everyone' because (a.) the issues are of most direct concern to that portion of the population, (b.) that portion can easily be seen as an appropriate surrogate for a larger group who are unaware of their potential stake in the matter, and (c.) including the net-aware portion increases dramatically the level of participation in comparison with the numbers that can be expected to attend even a very extensive series of public hearings in various locations.) --------------------------------------- Communet also confines to discuss the "price" of public information. Glenn Tenney, tenney@netcom.com, clearly states the public interest perspective " This type of pricing is one of the most offensive things I've heard of. Sure, large lobbying groups can afford to pay for it, but what about US? Can YOU afford those prices? What about access to that information by people (voters I might add) who are on food stamps and assistance? No, it does not matter that some groups can afford to pay that price, it is too high a price for our society to pay. Tenney goes on to make several comments which apply with special force to the situation in Canada where the Crown copyright prevents public distribution of government documents; and where some major power groups are advocating using public information as a "profit center" for government. "What is immoral are contracts by government agencies which enforce the inequity of information haves vs. information have-nots -- by charging "what the market will bear". Sure, a large group can afford these rates, but *I* as an individual can not! For example, if I want to keep track of how my Congressperson voted on bills, the information is available on-line for "only" $6,000 a year! Every lobbying group in DC subscribes to these services, but I still can't find out the answer -- I can ask each lobbying group and they will tell me the voting summary for THEIR issues, but not ALL issues. WE are the ones who elect these people and who vote on issues, yet *WE* can't get the information. .......What we'd need to do is to find funding to make sure that Internet nodes get into every library!" --------------------------------- The NPTN listserv continues to debate the relationship of freenets to the commercial service providers. So are urging a united freenet approach to selling services created on the freenets; while others are asking the community to take the high road and remember that "free" service is what the movement is supposed to be about. ------------------------------------- A list of recommended books or articles on technology and social change appeared on the Cypherwonks list, which is continuing its detailed discussions on the mechanisms for electronic democracy. Reachable at cypherwonks@lists.eunet.fi : subscribe at Listserv@lists.eunet.fi "Defending Secrets, Sharing Data: New Locks and Keys for Electronic Information" U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, OTA-CIT-310, Washington, DC; US GPO, 1987. The End of History and the Last Man_ by Francis Fukuyama, The Free Press, 1992. "The Perils of Secrecy", Steven Aftergood, *Issues in Science and Technology*, Summer, 1992, pp. 81-88. Twilight of Sovereignty: How the Information Revolution is Transforming Our World_, Walter B. Wriston, Scribner's Sons, 1992. Ithiel de Sola Pool (1983). Inventing the telephone: A retrospective technology assessment of the telephone. Norwood, N.J.: Ablex. Melvin Kranzberg & Carroll W. Purcell, Jr. (1967). Technology in western civilization. NY: Oxford University Press. George Gilder, (1988). Microcosm -------------------------------- An interesting discussion and list of services about Applying community networks to issues like disabilities, is appearing on the Communet listserv. It includes fascinating comments like this, from a "FreeNet conference here in Vancouver ....the panel with a visually impaired woman. She said that they'd like to see flyers online -- the junk mail stuff you get in your newspaper, from dept stores, drugstores, Safeway, etc. They may annoy most people as a waste of paper ... but they do advertise some great bargains that the visually impaired can't find out about without having a sighted person read it for them. -------------------------------------- An effort to create a service for non-profits and NGOs has begun. It has generated a great deal of interest. The Well gopher manager has offered facilities but it still needs a home for a listserv. If you can help, post a message to communet -------------------------------------- The concept of the public interest and the uses of public interest funds is taking several very different directions. Both of these are genuinely in public interest, and I will let the reader guess which project has received the largest amount of public funding. On the one hand, the Dorsai Embassy, Inc., a not-for-profit, 501(c)3 cooperation, provides computer hardware, software, consulting, training and communications capabilities to other 501(c)3 groups, not-for-profits, community service groups, the disabled, the disadvantaged and the general public. THE DORSAI EMBASSY, THE BBS: Provides both fido-net and live internet services to local groups and individuals. Contact is via e-mail to system@dorsai.dorsai.org, or info@dorsai.dorsai.org. Registration is via system@dorsai.dorsai.org, or info@dorsai.dorsai.org. login as new and press return at the password prompt. User accounts are usually set up within 48 hours. Or direct dial at (718)-729-5339, or (718)-729-6120. ----------------------------------- On the other hand - The Texas Innovation Network (TINS) will receive federal funding for a new project designed to help market the vast array of technologies and inventions held by [ TEXAS ] defense-dependent firms, federal laboratories and universities. TINS will compile data from the partners on their R&D efforts, then provide the commercial sector with Internet access to profiles of the available technologies. TINS Executive Director Dan Morrison said, "This project will create a more efficient technology marketing channel that can easily be extended to include labs and companies nationwide." TINS will use the Internet as the marketing channel because of the network's worldwide accessibility and emergence as the preferred communications medium linking companies, labs, universities, and government. The Texas Innovation Network (TINS) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization chartered by the Texas legislature to help establish Texas as a world leader in scientific research and technology business development. TINS has developed databases and implemented an affordable, easy to use online service that is the nation's most comprehensive state-funded technology information service. As an information gateway, TINS provides the high technology marketplace and the research community with unique information products and services designed to encourage technology transfer, stimulate research collaboration, and promote economic development. =========================== NEW SERVICES While the Canadian legal situation regarding government data is intolerable; some very heartening activities are underway. Stephen Andrews reports " The CBC Radio Trial. Under this you can find information on how to get transcripts, etc. Point your gopher to gopher server at debra.dgbt.doc.ca and you will note and Quirks and Quarks audio files! We will shortly be adding features from Sunday Morning, Basic Black, Ideas, Air Farce and so on." Also " Government Services" -- still in the works "is a Mosaic server to deliver the Open Government Pilot. This will show the virtual house of commons on the opening screen with all the seats as hypertext buttons. Click a button and an MPs face pops up with info such as: contact by e-mail, committees, recent speeches, etc. Each of these will be hypertext linked into other files detailing eg committee mandates, chairpersons, committee minutes and so on. You can see the potential. It will open up government for users to be able to get swiftly info that they want on any given subject, or, just check up on their MP. We would eventually like to back-link it into a variety of government databases" ----------------------------------------- Also announced - MathMagic on the Internet MathMagic, is a K-12 telecommunications project developed in El Paso, TX that provides a strong motivator for students to use computer technology while increasing problem-solving strategies and communications skills. In a nutshell, MathMagic posts challenges into each of four categories (k-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12) to trigger each registered team to pair up with another team and engage in an exchange of problem-solving dialog. When an agreement is reached, one solution is posted for every pair. Has it been done before? ======================== MathMagic has received wide ideological acceptance by hundreds of present FidoNet users, because it addresses most of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards. It is now expanding into the Internet. for further information contact Alan A. Hodson alanh@laguna.epcc.edu ----------------------------------------- An opportunity to participate in the further development of one of the most popular services for students on the internet arrived from: NASA Spacelink II Project WANTED: Suggestions for designing a new NASA Spacelink system that will better meet the needs of K-12 educators and students. Deadline: 12/31/93 IMPORTANT, PLEASE e-mail replies to: suggestions@xsl2.msfc.nasa.gov (Please note that the address element following the "@" is lower-case XSL-two, not XS-twelve. Current users of Spacelink likely will understand our interest in upgrading. Anyone unfamiliar with Spacelink can Telnet to spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov or 192.149.89.61 to learn more about the system. (Or call via modem at 205-895-0028.) ========================= TRENDS It always a pleasure to see a major improvement in the quality of the Internet emerge. Along those lines is an increasing trend toward annotating all of the data found there. A new gopher site is the first to provide a complete annotated catalog of all of its items including those it simply points to. The Address for the server is: libfind.unl.edu 2000 They are very interested in users reactions to the catalog so please send comments to DeeAnn Allison, Automated Systems Coordinator University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68588-0410 deeanna@unllib.unl.edu I found the service excellent and I can't wait till they find out about hypertext. ----------------------------------------- Cable based internet and telecom services are becoming more important. They offer some hope of competition in the market. That hope is lessened by the mounting instances of cross ownership through new acquisitions by telcos and others. Canada's BCE ( ma bell ) got into the game this past week. " Cablevision of Boston, Continental Cablevision and Time Warner Cable today demonstrated a breakthrough wireless telephone call using interconnected cable television systems bypassing the local telephone company. The demonstration, which occurred at Faneuil Hall, illustrated how cable technology can be utilized to create what developers call a Personal Communication Network (PCN). PCN will give consumers a competitive choice in the wireless communication market as the cable industry moves towards seamless service areas on the electronic superhighway." The PCN makes use of existing cable systems to transmit voice, data and video communications with increased clarity. Cable transmissions are carried over fiber and coaxial broad band networks, offering improved sound quality and capacity. The Faneuil Hall test used existing Boston-area cable lines to deliver a wireless phone conversation from Boston to Newton, demonstrating how cable television infrastructure can be a regional provider of wireless communications services. The quality of voice transmission surpasses that of cellular services. Because the cable television systems are already in place, obviating the need for large capital investments in infrastructure, the cable industry can offer a cost-effective alternative to cellular telephone service. ----------------------------- (PSI), the leading Internet access service provider (and the company which temporarily cut of access to the Buffalo Freenet in a dispute over the right of their University site to allow them on the net - ed. ) and Ziff Desktop Information, (ZDI) a leading provider of computer-related information, today outlined their plans to distribute magazine multimedia content electronically over the PSICable Internet system via ZDI's ZiffWire electronic news service. The PSICable service is a multi-megabit Broadband Internet access service for organizations and individuals through cable television systems. It will be first available to subscribers in the Boston, MA area in February, 1994, followed by US wide availability. --------------------------------- Also noteworth is the growing discussion about advertising appearing on several listservs simultaneously. It has generated so much interest that M. Strangelove has started a new "free" news column on the subject. This is not mere generosity, since the subscription list will give him a wonderful database of parties interested in Internet advertising - a subject dear to his heart in the role of publisher of the subscription funded, "paper only", Internet Business Journal - { on paper its harder to avoid or resent the ads} For further information about the INTERNET ADVERTISING REVIEW, a freely distributed Internet column by Michael Strangelove; contact Mstrange@Fonorola.Net THIS NOTICE ACCOMPANIED THE FIRST ISSUE. Copyright (C) 1993 by Strangelove Internet Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. This document may be archived for public use in electronic or other media, so long as it is maintained its entirety and no fee is charged to the user; any exception requires written consent from Strangelove Internet Enterprises. ( It is touching to see that his promotional materials are available without charge - ed. ) ===================================== EVENTS INAUGURAL MEETING: Council for Public Information. Wednesday, January 19, 1994, 2:00pm. Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto. FOR INFORMATION: Please contact Stan Skrzeszewski at 519-473-7651, or Internet:sskrzesz@julian.uwo.ca, .