roundtable: fyi -- S. 710

roundtable: fyi -- S. 710

fyi -- S. 710

Christine Owens - Sun Washington D.C. (cowens@lobby-3.East.Sun.COM)
Mon, 8 May 1995 11:02:42 -0400 

Date: Mon, 8 May 1995 11:02:42 -0400
From: cowens@lobby-3.East.Sun.COM (Christine Owens - Sun Washington D.C.)
Message-Id: <9505081502.AA15599@lobby-4.East.Sun.COM>
To: roundtable@cni.org
Subject: fyi -- S. 710


This may be of interest to Roundtable members.

Christine Owens
<cowens@lobby-3.east.sun.com>

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STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS 
(Senate - April 06, 1995) 

By Mr. KERREY:

S. 710. A bill to promote interoperability in the evolving information
 infrastructure maximum competition, innovation, and consumer choice,
and for other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation. 

Mr. President, earlier this week I came to the floor of the Senate to
discuss my concerns relating to the pending Telecommunications
Competition and Deregulation Act of 1995, S.652. I have been concerned
that this bill does not do enough to promote competition and consumer
choice. As we on Capitol Hill work to revamp the regulatory regimes
governing the telephone and cable television companies of today, a much
larger dynamic is taking hold in our country.

The digital age is upon us, and we must try to take this larger picture
into view if we are to be truly effective in our efforts to pass
telecommunications reform that will serve our country, not only today,
but tomorrow, and for the years to come. We need to take this
opportunity, not only to address the regulatory issues currently being
discussed, but to think about what kind of world we want this digital
age to create.

Today, I am introducing legislation, the Communications
Interoperability Act of 1995, that I hope will stimulate a vigorous
public debate on how we can best achieve a truly ubiquitous National
Information Superhighway. I am introducing this bill as a discussion
vehicle, and welcome reactions or comments on this legislation from
interested parties.

The National Information Superhighway, or National Information
Infrastructure (NII) as it is called, is evolving as we speak. This new
digital age brings with a convergence of technology and vast new
opportunities for Americans to gather and disseminate information. This
NII pays no mind to the lines between industry sectors that have
existed in the past. The NII is a conglomeration of pieces, including,
various high-speed, interactive, narrow and broadband networks that
exist today and will emerge tomorrow. It is the satellite, terrestrial,
and wireless technologies that deliver content to homes, businesses,
and other public and private institutions.  The NII is a term that
encompasses all the pieces and conveys a vision for a nationwide,
invisible, seamless, dynamic web of transmission mechanisms,
information appliances, content and people.  This ubiquitous network of
networks has the potential to improve the quality of life for all
Americans--regardless of location, age, economic status, or physical
handicap. However, this potential will only be realized if we have
interoperability in our information infrastructure.

Interoperability is the ability of two or more systems to interact with
one another.  Interoperability allows diverse systems made by different
vendors to communicate with each other so users do not have to make
major adjustments to account for differences in products and services.
Open interfaces at critical points of connection will allow
interoperability to occur.

Interoperability will allow components of the NII to work together
easily and transparently. A high school student in Nebraska will be
able to use research resources located anywhere in the country, and
discuss that research with students at distant schools. It will allow
teachers in Nebraska to share information about experiences with other
teachers around the country. If, while on vacation, a person becomes
ill, a doctor in another State will be able to easily reach the family
physician in Nebraska to consult and access complete medical records
online.

Interoperability will make the NII accessible to the broadest number of
people--both users and vendors. Users will not be limited to a
particular vendor's products. Vendors will be able to make their
services available to anyone who wants to use them. A small business or
entrepreneur in Nebraska will be able to fully realize their potential
because from their home office they will have the ability to easily
reach customers across the Nation and around the world.

Interoperability allows all Americans to be both information consumers
and information providers. This means that a citizen in Lincoln, NE,
will not only be able to access the vast amount of information using an
information appliance of her choice, at the same time, she will also be
able to publish her newsletter on fishing in Nebraska to interested
readers wherever they reside.

Interoperability promotes competition among technologies, providers,
and media, leading to the greatest number of choices, the lowest
prices, and maximum innovation. Interoperability based on open
interfaces, will help promote a level playing field for the future of
communications.  Rather than attempting to create or adapt regulations
to ever changing technologies, open interfaces, and interoperability
will help ensure access and competition by allowing new entrants into
the marketplace.

Interoperability must be led by industry, but Congress can help by
promoting the vision of an interoperable information infrastructure. I
am not suggesting that Government get involved setting standards or
dictating what technologies the private sector should use. What I am
suggesting is that we all have an interest in monitoring the private
sector process and facilitating the development of a system that will
best serve American business, and American citizens.

Without interoperability, we will simply have pockets of information
and services that will not be nearly as valuable because they will not
be easily linked to other parts of the infrastructure.
Interoperability will allow information to be transmitted between
different technologies, allowing for the most efficient distribution of
services. In some areas, wire lines or fiber optic cable may be
dominant, while in other more rural areas we may need to rely on
satellite and wireless technologies. Unless all these divergent parts
of the system are interoperable, the digital age will divide us into
information haves and have nots. I am concerned about the potential for
rural States like mine to be left behind as the digital age charges
forward.

The distinguished Senator from Maine introduced legislation earlier
this week to promote competition and consumer choice in consumer
electronics used in conjunction with the current cable system.
Certainly an important piece of the overall infrastructure, but as the
distinguished Senator pointed out in his introductory statement, this
bill is only focused on one particular area of telecommunications. The
legislation I am introducing today focuses on the bigger picture,
providing a broader, over-arching vision for our digital information
age.

By looking ahead, and providing some policy objectives we can use this
opportunity to address not only past and current regulatory issues, but
to project some expectations for the future of communications.
Expectations which include an information infrastructure that
strengthens our educational system, expands commerce, improves the
delivery of health care, and enhances participatory democracy.

I hope we will embrace this opportunity to herald the future.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be
printed in the Record.

There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the
Record, as follows:

[Page: S5451]

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Communications Interoperability Act of
1995'.

SECTION 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds that--

(1) the rapid convergence of communications, computing and video
technologies holds the promise of bringing revolutionary improvements
in the delivery of a variety of information and other communications
services to the American public;

(2) interoperability will promote competition among technologies,
providers, and media, leading to the greatest choices, lowest prices,
highest value, and maximum innovation;

(3) interoperability at key interfaces of the developing information
infrastructure of the United States will ensure that existing and new
components work together easily, quickly, and transparently as the
components of today's telephone system;

(4) interoperability will help ensure that the information and
communications infrastructure of the future will be accessible to the
broadest number of people, both users and vendors of products and
services;

(5) open interfaces at critical connection points are essential to
achieving interoperability and the smooth transfer of information
throughout the system; and

(6) the development of an interoperable information infrastructure
based on open interfaces is in the interest of all Americans, and the
Federal Government should act as a facilitator to achieve this goal.

SECTION 3. DEFINITIONS.

As used in this Act:

`(1) Interoperability .--The term `interoperability ' means--

`(A) the ability of two or more systems (such as devices, databases,
networks, or technologies) to interact in concert with one another, in
accordance with a prescribed method, to achieve a predictable result;

`(B) the ability of diverse systems made by different vendors to
communicate with each other so that users do not have to make major
adjustments to account for differences in products or services; and

`(C) compatibility among systems at specified levels of interaction,
including physical compatibility.

The compatibility described in subparagraph (C) should be achieved
through open interface specifications.

`(2) Interface specifications.--The term `interface specifications'
means the technical parameters for the manner in which systems,
products, and services communicate with each other and may be limited
to the information necessary to achieve interoperability , leaving the
implementation and remaining product design to the creative abilities
of competitive suppliers.

SECTION 4. PROMOTING INTEROPERABILITY.

The Federal Communications Commission, and other appropriate Federal
Government agencies (such as the National Institute of Standards and
Technology), shall monitor the voluntary industry standards processes,
and assist private sector standards bodies in the identification and
promotion of open and interoperable interface specifications as
needed.

[Page: S5452]


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