Subject: OTA Study Request on info-access

From: Jeff Johnson <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 16:52:08 -0800

Don't know if this already appeared on these lists.  It was posted to
systers and someone on that list forwarded it to me.

JJ

------- Forwarded Message
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 08:26:38 -0600
From: "(Frank Odasz)" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Congressional OTA Study Request

To: Consortium for School Networking members

>From: Frank Odasz, Director of Big Sky Telegraph
      [email-masked]

RE: I'd like to invite everyone interested to respond directly to my
Internet ID (above) regarding the following congressional request for
input! CoSN members can be particularly helpful with the POLICY
questions toward the end of the list! Please feel free to disseminate
the following.

Congressional input for this study can also be forwarded to Tom Grundner
at Cleveland Freenet - telnet 129.22.8.76 or telnet 129.22.8.75. Tom's
voice number is 216-368-2733. Tom is focusing on gathering urban input
while Big Sky Telegraph is gathering rural input. EVERYONE is invited to
contribute to this study.  Feel free to add your own questions and
answers and/or to answer the listed questions in whatever manner suits
you.

     CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT STUDY AND
                 WESTERN'S BIG SKY TELEGRAPH
          CONNECT ELECTRONICALLY TO CITIZENS FOR INPUT.

The US Congressional Office of Technology Assessment is conducting a
major study and has contracted with BIG SKY TELEGRAPH of Western Montana
College to solicate from citizens suggestions regarding the potential of
information technology to allow the Federal government to be more
responsive to rural and small town America in the dissemination of
Federal services and information. BILLIONS of your tax dollars are spent
each year disseminating Federal services and information!

THE CHALLENGE:
"Electronic technologies might reduce the need for some layers of
bureaucracy, help bring government services more directly to the
citizens, and, by so doing, provide better services more cheaply."

One goal of this study is to determine if citizens CARE enough to
respond to the opportunity to advise congress DIRECTLY, if given the
opportunity. This IS YOUR opportunity! The hope is that grassroots input
will provide innovative ideas and approaches.

EVERYONE interested is invited to respond to ANY or ALL of the following
questions and engage in online discussions with any of the other
participants. Access to Big Sky Telegraph is available at no charge
using a modem at 406-683-7680. Select M)essages from the Main Menu, then
select the USCONGRESS conference. Big Sky Telegraph's voice number is
406-683-7870.

The conference will be held from September 1 - December 1, 1992,
solicating online written comments and opinions from teacher,
student, and citizen users of Big Sky Telegraph. All messages
will be printed and included as appendices to the study. A
summary 30-40 page double-spaced report from Big Sky Telegraph is
due in draft form Nov. 9, the final report is due Dec. 18, 1992.

PLEASE share your views on the following questions, and feel free to ask
your OWN!

1. What are citizen needs and desires for the electronic services?

2. If the appropriate technology were in place, what would citizens like
   to be able to DO and how would their lives improve?

3. What are the opportunities for improvement in the productivity and
   efficiency of service and information delivery?

4. What problems might arise with both service provider and citizen
   acceptance of electronic delivery?

5. What might be the requirements for education, training, and equipping
   of recipients?

6. How would electronic access impact users who are senior citizens, or
   disabled, or who live in rural settings?

7. What might be the requirements for training of service providers?

8. What services that are reasonably representative of the types of
   Federal services provided to small towns might be best suited to
   electronic delivery?

9. What services and technical applications might highlight
   opportunities for innovation in service delivery?

10. What are the prerequisites of successful implementations with
    attention to facilitators and inhibitors of innovations?

11. How might the services, delivery mechanisms, and related
    policy/management frameworks be redesigned?

EDUCATIONAL APPLICATIONS:  
What should the federal policy be with regard to supporting K-12 and
other educational applications using computer networks?

1. What computer network or information services could the federal
   government provide access to which would make our K-12 schools
   better?

2. Does the federal government have an obligation to provide more than
   access to services, must it also insure equitable access to these
   services for all schools and provide the necessary training to use
   these services effectively?

3. Should the federal government have a responsibility to assist in
   corporate and business training programs, or should it stop at the
   K-12 or college levels?

POLICY QUESTIONS: (These questions may be too technical for some
people.)

1. What might be the requirements for the government telecommunication
   and computing technology infrastructure needed to support electronic
   delivery, including appropriate technical standards to ensure systems
   compatibility and interoperability?

2. What consistency of electronic service delivery innovations exists
   with the current policy/management framework?

3. What policy/management changes that may be needed to implement
   technology-enhanced service delivery to rural/small town America?

How could electronically delivered service applications be implemented
to take into account the following policy/mangagement considerations?

1. equity of electronic access to Federal services

2. protection of citizen privacy in Federal record systems

3. prevention/detection of fraud, waste, and abuse in program management
   and service delivery

4. protection of the security and integrity of systems used for
   electronic service delivery

5. appropriate retention and archiving of records and information
   related to electronic service delivery

6. consistency with annual and five-year agency planning for
   telecommunications and information resource management

7. relationship to agency automation programs and activities

8. relationship to FTS2000, NREN, and other Federal information
   technology programs

9. opportunities presented by electronic service delivery for
   synergy/economies of scale across Federal agencies/programs, across
   Federal/State/local levels of government

10. opportunities for cooperation with the private sector (service
    providers, computer/telecommunications providers, profit and
    nonprofit)

11. opportunities for telework, telecommuting

Frank Odasz                      \   /    ^     IMAGINATION
Western Montana College, Dillon, - O -   / \  ^  is more important
MT, 59725 Voice:406-683-7338     /   \ ^/~~~\/~\  than knowledge.
Fidonet: 1:346/3 Fax 406-683-7493     / \    \  \ -Albert Einstein.
Internet:[email-masked]  /   \    \  \
>->>>>>>----Big Sky Telegraph-406-683-7680--1200b,8N1--->

- ------- End of Forwarded Message