Information is a critical resource, for service industries as well as manufacturing, for economic as well as national security. By one estimate, two- thirds of U.S. workers are in information-related jobs, and the rest are in industries that rely heavily on information.
The Clinton Administration has taken a leadership role in putting information technology and resources to better use in promoting U.S. economic growth. The Administration recognizes clearly that Americans have a stake in the construction of an advanced National Information Infrastructure (NII), a web of communications networks, computers, databases, and consumer elec- tronics that will put vast amounts of information at users' fingertips. The information infrastructure can be used by all Americans, not just by scientists and engineers. As entrepreneurs, factory workers, doctors, teachers, school children, users of public libraries, Federal employees, and citizens, Americans can harness this technology to:
Promoting rapid, equitable, and smooth development and use of the NII is one of the Administration's highest priorities. In September, Vice President Gore and Commerce Secretary Brown released a policy statement and action agenda for speeding up full development and utilization of the NII. The policy state- ment clearly recognizes that private-sector firms are already developing and de- ploying that infrastructure today. It is the private sector that will build and own the NII of tomorrow. Nevertheless, there remain essential roles for govern- ment in complementing the efforts of the private sector and assuring the growth of an information infrastructure available to all Americans at reasonable cost.
In developing our initiatives in this area, the Administration is work- ing in close partnerships with business, labor, academia, the public, Congress, and State and local government.
To ensure effective coordination of government activities and full involvement of the private sector, the President:
The Information Infrastructure Task Force is undertaking work in nine major areas where government action is warranted.
Those standards also must be compatible with the large installed base of communications technologies and be flexible and adaptable enough to meet user needs at affordable costs.
Defense Technology: The
Payoffs for Economic and Military Security