From Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu Thu Apr  1 12:03:55 1993
Subject: Ottawa Funding
To: eddleman@sunsite.unc.edu (Dan Eddleman)
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 11:36:57 EST
From: Dan Eddleman <Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu>

Forwarded message:
>From cptully@med.unc.edu  Thu Apr  1 10:28:12 1993
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 10:28:40 EST
From: cptully@med.unc.edu (Christopher P. Tully)
Message-Id: <9304011528.AA27558@helix.med.unc.edu>
To: Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu
Subject: ottawa funding

1.8.4.1  INTRODUCTION

Communications is at the heart of building a nation and making it
strong... We must use communications to help break down the barriers
and build the bridges to greater understanding and cooperation...
Although innovations in broadcast programming (and publishing) are
laudable, they are unlikely to bring breakthroughs in interpersonal
communications and understanding.  It is time to look outside these
domains, towards the great advances made in computers and computer
networking technology which have taken place in recent years, to find
new means of making progress.

from "The Changing Face of Broadcasting: Research Proposals for New
Broadcast Services". Communications Research Centre, Department of
Communications Technical Note No. CRC-TN-92-002, 26 February 1992, pp
18-19.


Success in our generation will depend upon the degree to which we shape
the information technologies in accordance with human values.

     Dizard


1.8.4.1.1  THE CONTEXT OF PUBLIC ACCESS COMMUNITY NETWORKS

Every development in communication technology creates opportunities to
redefine the shape and scale of human relationships and social
organization. The convergence of telephone and computer network
technologies now creates the opportunity to develop a national network
of affordable, public access, community-based, electronic information
services (FreeNets) that meet the information needs and expectations of
an ever increasing proportion of Canadians.

Previous technologies have encouraged community organizations to
develop unilateral, "monologue" strategies for communicating with the
public.  Technological developments now make it possible for these
organizations to communicate with the public on a common stage.
FreeNet encourages bilateral,  "dialogue" strategies by offering the
public and its organizations free and equal access to a common and
convenient medium of communication.

The heart of a FreeNet is a central computer network dedicated to
storing and retrieving thousands of files of community relevant
information, and to relaying thousands of electronic messages each day
among community members and organizations.  Yet the soul of a FreeNet
lies in the people who use it and who are free to create as many uses
for it as their imagination will allow.

It has become expensive and inefficient for each community agency
trying to develop and to maintain its own single- offering,
computer-based information service.  Now each can now share a single,
cost-effective, interactive and sophisticated computer facility.  A
FreeNet permits each organization to have its own dedicated space on
the central network, and to determine autonomously how it is used.  The
network is accessed by a common telephone number, much like 911, and
provides "one stop shopping" for all those seeking community
information.

Because a FreeNet is run by the community and for the community, it
helps to encourage and to revitalize community involvement.  It creates
a partnership, a shared responsibility between the community and
existing social institutions for developing and providing timely
information.  Many people are recognizing that traditional ways of
sustaining a community are no longer working well.  They are beginning
to accept the idea that greater voluntary donations of time and energy
are required if their community is to be maintained.  The information
offered on a FreeNet is provided as a voluntary effort by private
citizens and community agencies.  A FreeNet thus offers new
opportunities for citizens to become more involved in their community,
and for groups, institutions and governments to become more visible and
accessible.

A FreeNet alters the scale and nature of the relationships that people
have with the services provided in the community.  For example, in
Cleveland, Ohio and Peoria, Illinois where free, public access to local
FreeNets has been established, thousands of people of all ages and
walks of life have convenient access -- from home computers or from
terminals located in schools, libraries and community centres -- to
hundreds of information services.  Citizens can access public officials
at all levels of government. They can select and obtain information on
screen, disk or printer  about health, day care, welfare and other
social programs.  They can read an up-to-date calendar of community
events, including meetings and minutes of boards, committees and
voluntary organizations.  They can read and write comments in special
interest groups discussing hundreds of matters ranging from waste
disposal to modern dance.  They can explore a wide range of business,
economic and legal topics,  scan the catalogues of university and
public libraries, consider a wide array of educational opportunities
publicized on FreeNet by community schools, colleges and universities.

Linking school computers to FreeNet provides a cost-effective
opportunity for school boards to add the vast learning potential of
distance communication to their pedagogical mix.  This is especially
useful to the increasing number of citizens who must work during school
hours but who desire interaction with teachers.  The FreeNet can also
serve as a forum of opinion exchange among teachers, students, parents,
administrators, and boards without encountering the difficulties of
scheduling and attending large meetings.  Students and others who use a
FreeNet soon learn skills necessary to become information literate as
well as computer literate, to find information quickly and to assess
its quality and completeness.  A FreeNet can thus make significant
contributions to functional literacy in the coming century.

Because of its superior information exchange capabilities, a FreeNet
has additional advantages for individuals and groups who for many
reasons may be information disadvantaged.  For example, the physically
challenged, the elderly and minority ethnic groups can develop and
access their own information about their special needs, releasing what
they choose as part of the general community information flow.  Members
of such groups who have transportation difficulties find a FreeNet
especially useful because all the information and communication
facilities are available via their home telephone, available to them
without discrimination on an equal basis with everyone.

A FreeNet allows fast communication among community organizations as
well as citizens, so it can serve as a vital medium for the
coordination of organizational activities.  Even mid-sized communities
now have hundreds of organizations attempting to serve a wide range of
community needs.  Too often the agencies find it difficult to
communicate with each other and to keep abreast of their respective
activities.  As a result, service duplication can easily occur while
large gaps in services can frequently go undetected and unfilled.  A
FreeNet allows each organization to maintain up-to-date information
about its own services and staff.  The collective information base can
be easily accessed by all, and needed services found and provided in an
efficient way.

A FreeNet promotes openness.  As society becomes increasingly complex
and opaque to the general public, frustration is often expressed as
distrust for politicians and social institutions.  Because a FreeNet is
designed both to provide prepackaged information and to encourage
public and private exchanges among citizens and social institutions,
community computing is a vehicle by which institutions can be better
understood and comprehended by the public.  The institutions, in turn,
can better respond to the public questions and issues in the
community.  A FreeNet, for example, permits elected representatives at
the municipal, regional, provincial and federal levels a direct method
of interacting with constituents.  It provides a communication channel
through which elective representatives both listen and talk to the
electorate about their individual concerns and the issues of the day.
The polling and voting features of a FreeNet allow elected
representatives and citizens to collect information about the nature
and strength of public opinion an matters of the day.  A FreeNet thus
accelerates and diversifies the information exchanges that are critical
to an open and democratic society.

The philosophy of a FreeNet differs significantly from that of
commercial information services: it operates as a non-profit public
information utility offering free access to community information
provided by citizens, for citizens.  As a result, a FreeNet does not
compete with commercial information services; on the contrary, it can
create a larger market for them.  Many people develop a taste for
computer information services by making use of a FreeNet without
charge.  Others purchase or upgrade their home computing facilities or
phone connections to make FreeNet more accessible.  Still others
suggest improvements to FreeNet to make it more useful and usable.
Such reactions expand the market for potential commercial ventures.

Indeed, a FreeNet can be as useful to local businesses as it can be to
the rest of the community. FreeNet links among businesses and local
government agencies, for example, can increase the efficiency and
reduce the cost of developing and learning new bylaws and regulations.
Cultural, sports and tourist businesses can benefit from better public
access to information about their offerings, especially in a national
FreeNet network where remote access can help people in other
communities plan their holidays. And as demonstrated in American
FreeNets, questions from citizens on topics such as car repair, home
renovation, legal or financial issues can be answered by volunteer
experts from the business community with the almost certain effect of
increasing their clientele.


1.8.4.1.2  THE VISION OF A NATIONAL PROGRAM

FreeNets should not stand alone.  We envision that before the end of
this decade, scores of communities across Canada will have a FreeNet
facility.  All will be linked together, providing a national network of
community information services and improving on the FreeNet network now
being developed in the United States.

A national network of FreeNets can provide the infrastructure for a
community-of-communities, and a mechanism by which institutions with a
mandate to provide information uniformly across a province, a region or
the country can to do so economically and efficiently.  The network of
FreeNets would provide a useful vehicle to permit national roundtable
discussions on the key issues of the day.  People from St. Johns to
Victoria, for example, can find out first hand what others are saying
about topics of national importance simply by selecting the appropriate
computer-menu item on their local FreeNet facility.  A networked
community of electronic communities will focus and enrich the debate on
the distinctions between the public and private information spheres and
other telecommunication policy issues.


1.8.4.2.1  WHAT IS THE NATIONAL CAPITAL FREENET?

The National Capital FreeNet (NCF) is the first community telecomputing
facility of its kind in Canada.  It is based on a service philosophy
and organizational model developed by the National Telecomputing
Association in the United States from experiences with several FreeNet
projects in that country beginning with the original FreeNet in
Cleveland, Ohio in 1986.  The nonprofit NTA has sought to standardize
FreeNets and to coordinate their development.  It offers a software
package, FreePort, as the main engine for a FreeNet which can run on
any of several mid-sized computers using the UNIX operating system.
FreePort is relatively portable and generic; it allows considerable
customization to suit different community needs, while retaining
standard commands that encourage users to try different FreeNet
facilities.  Parts of FreePort were licensed from the University of
Toronto.

The NCF was registered as a Canadian nonprofit corporation in July
1992.  As stated in its Charter, the purpose of the NCF is to provide
citizens of the National Capital Region of Ontario and Qubec with free
computer access to community information in both official languages.
Three major services will be provided:
- A "community bulletin board" service will provide event calendars,
  social service and health information, bylaws and regulations, and
  any other material offered in the public interest by citizens or
  agencies of the community.
- An "electronic conferencig" facility will support interactive
  communications between and among information providers and the
  public:
- A "electronic mail" (e-mail) service will provide both public and
  private two-way communication among citizens, community agencies and
public officials.

Polling and voting services will also be supported.


1.8.4.2.2  HISTORY OF THE NCF DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

In November 1991 a group of faculty and staff at Carleton University
met for the first time to discuss the possibility of offering the
National Capital Region a much-expanded version of Carleton's INFO
service.  INFO was established as a means of providing information
about the university and its activities free of charge to anyone in the
community with access to a personal computer and modem.  By dialing
564-5600 and typing INFO, users can obtain information about exam
schedules, gym hours, student phone numbers, sources of financial
assistance and a dozens of other menu topics.  Users multiplied.  So
did the information provided.  Several organizations off campus began
requesting space on INFO to provide their own information to the
public.  And our group began thinking about the exciting potential of a
community information service.

All members of our group have extensive experience developing,
operating and researching computer information and communication
systems.  The experiences have taught us similar lessons about
requirements for the next generation of public computer information and
communication services.  The congeries of separate information systems
must be consolidated into a large and standardized public information
utility.  The information provided should be gathered by the community
for the community according to community needs.  It should be available
to anyone free of charge by dialing a single local number.  Access
should be available at public institutions (libraries, schools,
hospitals, government buildings, etc.) for those who do not have access
from their work or home.  There should be one simple programme to
learn, and one standard information format.  The programme should allow
for two-way and multi-way communication among information providers and
users in addition to "electronic pamphlets." Capital and operating
costs should be kept low.  We found that the FreeNet philosophy and
FreePort software best matched these requirements.  So we became the
National Capital FreeNet Organizing Committee.

In February 1992 we approached President Robin Farquhar of Carleton
University for permission to begin the NCF using Carleton's computing
facilities.  He enthusiastically supported the idea.  We then invited
key members of community organizations to a FreeNet information meeting
in late-March, hoping they would become involved in the project.  Their
response was overwhelming.  Representatives from over 50 community
organizations agreed to attend.  By word of mouth alone that number
quickly doubled.  An additional meeting for the latter group was held
in mid-April.  Since then, Organizing Committee members have been
invited to speak at over a dozen additional meetings of community and
government groups.  All have shown great interest in the idea of a
FreeNet and a pressing need for FreeNet facilities.  By early July, our
mailing list of organization representatives exceeded 200.

In response to the enthusiastic reception of developing a National
Capital FreeNet, the Organizing Committee registered with the National
Telecomputing Association (USA), and purchased a copy of the FreePort
software.  It is now up and running at Carleton University on an
experimental basis.1  In addition, we began work on the creation of a
national organization to assist and coordinate the development of
FreeNets across the country: the Canadian Community Communication
Network.


1.8.4.2.3  OBJECTIVES OF THE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

The primary objective of the NCF demonstration project is to establish
a self-sustaining, public access community information service that can
be a model for future FreeNets across the country.  To meet this
objective:
  -   FreePort software must be modified and augmented for the Canadian
      context (e.g., French language character support, bilingual menus
      and commands);
  -   Standards of information provision must be created;
  -   Registration procedures and ethical standards for users
      mustbe devised;
  -   Training materials for information providers and users
      must be developed, including simple manuals, video materials and
      small group workshops;
  -   Publicity and fundraising campaigns must be undertaken;
  -   Regular evaluations of the organization and use of the NCF
      must be done.

In meeting these objectives, the NCF will provide a living laboratory
for field tests of advanced communication technologies, applications
and ideas.  Communication research will be a central component of the
NCF demonstration project, coordinated by a standing committee of the
Board.  All aspects of the project will be open to research within the
constraints of privacy protection and normal ethical guidelines.  NCF
activities and research will jointly contribute to the major
deliverable of the demonstration project: a "Community FreeNet Kit"
containing software, organization and training manuals and videos,
systems administration and maintenance advice, daily operational hints,
publicity and fundraising tips, auditing and evaluation procedures, and
the Canadian Community Communication Network membership.  The Kit will
be designed to bring any community in Canada "on line" as quickly and
efficiently as possible.  We anticipate that by the year 2000 at least
100 FreeNets will be operating across the country.


1.8.4.3  APPROACH AND METHOD

The development of the National Capital FreeNet is no small
undertaking; it requires the coordinated efforts of a dedicated staff
and hundreds of volunteers.  Four major tasks must be accomplished:
-   The computer system, software, communication equipment
    and phone lines must be installed, updated and maintained for
    24-hour access;
-   Hundreds of voluntary information providers working on
    behalf of community organizations must be registered and trained to
    develop their public information bases in a standardized format;
-   Thousands of citizens must be registered and trained to use
    the NCF and encouraged to contribute opinions, questions or
    information in NCF public forums, special interest groups, and
    electronic mail;
-   Funding must be secured to develop and to sustain the NCF as
    a free-access community information service.

We anticipate it will take three years to accomplish these tasks and to
establish the NCF as a self-sustaining, mature community information
service.  We are thus planning for a three-year demonstration project,
divided in two phases.


1.8.4.3.1  THE PREPARATORY PHASE

People will use a FreeNet if the information benefits they obtain from
it exceed their costs in time and effort.  A FreeNet is designed to be
as reliable, easy and convenient to use as possible, yet the ultimate
success of any FreeNet depends on the usefulness of the information it
contains.   Accordingly, some critical mass of useful information must
be available on the NCF before the bulk of first-time users login so
they will have good reasons to return.  We thus expect that development
of the NCF will occur in two phases.  During the preparatory phase,
rules of NCF use will be established, and the community organizations
will be encouraged to enter information relevant to their activities.
In addition, a few enthusiastic volunteers will be asked to plan and to
moderate a series of FreeNet public conferences on topics of popular
concern (e.g., public education, the environment, city planning, safety
and security).  Others will be asked to develop sample opinion polls,
to begin "ask the experts" columns, to write model comments for the
conferences, and to provide any other information that users would find
beneficial.

Not all activity of the preparatory phase will concern information
provision.  The organizations and individuals providing information can
immediately communicate on the NCF among themselves, and thus can
coordinate their information and services.


1.8.4.3.2  THE PARTICIPATORY PHASE

In view of previous experiences at other FreeNet sites, we estimate
that the preparatory stage will last about one year.  When the Board
believes that enough information is available to sustain general
community involvement, the NCF will be opened to the entire community.
This will begin the participatory phase, which we plan to last two
years

We expect that in the beginning of the participatory phase, citizens
who are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about computer communication
will be among the first to use the NCF.  Such individuals can provide
invaluable support for the nascent service by adding information to it
and by encouraging others to become involved.  They will be encouraged
to do so.

Special efforts, however,  must be made to encourage other citizens
with insufficient computer experience or equipment to participate fully
in the NCF.  The NCF Board will all be challenged to provide an
effective outreach programme to encourage the involvement of
individuals and groups who are curious but shy about the service.  Such
individuals may include the elderly, persons on social assistance,
immigrants and refugees.  It will be especially important to
demonstrate that the NCF is not a passive medium, and is more than
merely "pamphlets on screens."  As part of the outreach, therefore,
citizens will be shown how to send comments and questions to each other
and to the individuals in organizations who provide the information
they read.  They will also be shown how to use the medium to encourage
replies.  In these ways we hope the NCF can give voice to the silent
majority.

In order to increase public access to equipment necessary for use of
the NCF, the Board will work with local libraries, community centres,
schools, churches and similar institutions to provide at least one
public computer terminal in each.  By the end of the demonstration
project we hope that the majority of citizens who want to use the NCF
will spend no more than 10 minutes reaching a point of access.

Community organizations will, of course, continue to add and update
public information during this participatory phase.  As well, the
FreePort software will likely be updated and augmented by programmes
that provide more user-requested services.  It is possible, for
example, that users will request the ability to post classified ads or
to post their resums for perusal by potential employers.  The NCF is
not intended to provide or to compete with commercial services.  At the
same time, the NCF is "user driven" and will attempt to provide
whatever nonprofit information services can meet community needs.


1.8.4.3.3  NCF USERS

National Capital FreeNet users will be of three general kinds:
- Guests will be allowed reading access to all public information at
  any time without registering as an NCF participant;
- Participants will registered users of the NCF, and will
  additionally be allowed writing access to electronic mail,
  conference, polling and voting facilities;
- Providers will have all facilities of participants plus
  capabilities of creating FreeNet menus for the addition and
  organization of "pamphlet" information.

Registration is required of participants and providers to ensure that
they abide by regulations governing proper and ethical use of the NCF.
These regulations will be posted as a separate menu item on the first
screen of the NCF.  Registered users who violate the regulations will
be immediately barred from future use of the system.  The FreePort
software automatically attaches the name of a participant or provider
to any information he or she releases to the public, except for
anonymous voting and opinion polling responses.  This encourages
responsible use of the system, and discourages the posting of
questionable materials.

Anyone can register free of charge, and no charges are levied for NCF
use.  However, because no FreeNet can operate without some funding, it
is possible that users will be invited -- in the spirit of TVO, PBS and
National Public Radio -- to contribute money voluntarily for NCF
support.  Requests for voluntary contributions have been moderately
successful on American FreeNets, and account for up to 25% of their
sustaining funds.

Unfortunately, a small minority of FreeNet participants are likely to
overuse the system, either by  monopolizing an incoming phone line all
day, or by storing or posting thousands of pages of personal or useless
information.  To prevent this practice, some limits will be placed on
session connect time and on accumulated disk space.


1.8.4.3.4  SALARIED PERSONNEL

Judging from the experiences of older FreeNets in the United States, we
project the NCF will attract over 500 information providers and 20,000
subscribers by the end of the demonstration period.  To reach these
projections growth must be managed carefully and, again from the
American experience, this can only be done with a small complement of
paid employees.  Daily operations of the National Capital FreeNet will
be conducted by a small group of paid staff including a project
administrator, a systems administrator and five part- time personnel:
two subscription and operation assistants, a writer/trainer, a
researcher and an accountant.


1.8.4..4.1  YEAR 1: PLANNING AND PREPARATION

Apr-Jun 1992  -Registration of National Capital FreeNet with National
	       Telecomputing Association (USA)
	      -FreePort software installed at Carleton University
	      -First information meetings with potential information
	       providers
	      -Beginning of information needs assessment


Jul-Sep      -Incorporation initiated, Board of Directors and standing
	      committees selected
	     -Demonstration project funding proposal completed and
	      submitted
	     -Identification of information providers in community
	      organizations
	     -Development of information provider manuals in French &
	      English

Oct-Dec      -Workshops conducted for information providers
	     -Installation of 20 modems and phone lines with associated
	      hardware, and 5 gigabyte hard disk space for first NCF
	      traffic
	     -Preparation and uploading of first bilingual menus and
	      information bases from community organizations

Jan-Mar 1993 -Development of user regulations and registration
	      procedures
	     -NCF offered to selected community organizations and
	      members for preliminary trials
	     -Development of computer-mediated conferences, news
	      groups, discussion groups, and polling/voting items
	     -Evaluation of usage begun

Apr-Jun      -Registration materials and participation manuals written
	      and duplicated
	     -Needs assessment and evaluation research analysed
	     -Modification of software, manuals and workshops from user
	      feedback
	     -Second round of information provider solicitations
	     -Workshops conducted for new information providers
	     -Preparation and uploading of new info bases
	     -Preparation of first interim report of the demonstration
	      project


1.8.4.4.2  YEAR 2: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Jul-Sep 1993 -FreeNet promotional campaign begun
	     -FreeNet officially launched as community service
	     -Evaluation research continued
	     -Organizing conference of Canadian Community
	      Communication Network

Oct-Dec      -Monitoring and facilitation of computer-mediated
	      conferences, news groups, discussion groups, and
	      polling/voting facilities
	     -Solicitation of suggestions for additional user
	      services
	     -Solicitation of additional information providers

Jan-Mar 1994 -Additional modems, phone lines, disks and software
	      installed as needed
	     -Addition of new information services per user suggestions
	     -Planning for community funding campaign

Apr-Jun      -Planning for community subscription drive
	     -Preparation of second interim report of the demonstration
	      project


1.8.4.4.3  YEAR 3: TRANSITION TO SELF-SUSTAINING SYSTEM

Jul-Sep 1994 -Community subscription drive launched
	     -Planning for self-sustaining system begun
	     -Evaluation continued
	     -Development of Canadian Community Computing
	      Network linkages

Oct-Dec      -Campaign for sustainable funding launched
	     -Solicitation of suggestions for additional user services
	     -Solicitation of additional information providers

Jan-Mar1995  -Hardware and software upgraded as needed
	     -Addition of new information services per user suggestions
	     -Preparation of Community FreeNet Kit

Apr-Jun      -Distribution of Community FreeNet Kit to new CCCN members
	     -Preparation of final report of the demonstration
	      project


1.8.4.5 PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The National Capital FreeNet is the responsibility of its eight-member
Board of Directors.  Four standing committees work under the Board's
direction and advise it on matters related to the operation of NCF:

-   The "Ways and Means Committee" seeks funds to develop and maintain
    the NCF, and advises on appropriate regulations governing FreeNet
    use;
-   The "Hardware and Software Committee" advises on equipment and
    programme installation and maintenance;
-   The "Community Relations Committee" solicits and encourages
    community involvement in the provision of information and in the
    use of the NCF;
-   The "Systems Design and Research Committee" determines and
    evaluates information needs, user activities, and standards of
    information format, computer-user dialogues, training manuals and
    workshops.

Members of the Board and of the standing committees are volunteers
drawn from a wide range of community organizations including regional
government, local public libraries, community social service and health
centres, OCTranspo, and the Department of Communications.  General
meetings are held about once each month but most committee business is
conducted via FreeNet.

A "Project Steering Committee", reporting to the Board, is responsible
for meeting the demonstration project objectives of the NCF as set by
the Board of Directors.  The Steering Committee is comprised of the
chairs of the standing committees.

Daily operations of the NCF are the joint responsibility of the paid
staff.
-   the "Project Administrator" is responsible to the Steering
    Committee for managing the NCF office, developing funding and
    publicity campaigns, and maintaining good public relations;
-   the "Systems Administrator" is responsible to the Project
    Administrator for the daily operation and maintenance of the
    FreeNet computer system and communication hardware, and for
    software development and modifications;
-   the "Subscription and Operation Assistants" are responsible
    to the Project Administrator  for processing subscription
    applications, creating and updating user and provider accounts,
    sending subscription renewal reminders and other matters related to
    system access;
-   the "Writer/Trainer" is responsible to the Project
    Administrator for developing all manuals and training materials,
    conducting training workshops, and answering questions about
    FreeNet use;
-   the "Researcher" is responsible to the Project
    Administrator for monitoring use of the FreeNet,  and for designing
    and conducting relevant user surveys and evaluation research;
-   the "Accountant" is responsible to the Project
    Administrator for maintaining proper financial records of the NCF.

The diagram below summarizes the organizational structure of the
National Capital FreeNet.

			    Board of Directors
			    |               |
			    |               |
	     Standing Committees          Project Steering
	     Ways and Means               Committee
	     Hardware and Software          |
	     Community Relations          Project Administrator
	     Systems Design and             |
	     Research                     Office Staff:
					  System Administrator
					  Subscription Assistants
					  Writer/Trainer
					  Researcher
					  Accountant


1.8.4.6.1  EXPENSES

Below is a preliminary estimate of expenses for developing and
sustaining the National Capital FreeNet.  As noted previously, the
demonstration project runs for the years 1992-3, 1993-4 and 1994-5.  A
budget for the first proposed Rself-sustainingS year, 1995-6, is also
shown for comparison.

			 1992-3    1993-4    1994-5    1995-6
Communication
hardware                $50,000   $35,000   $25,000   $25,000
phone lines             $25,000   $30,000   $35,000   $40,000
maintenance              $6,000    $7,000    $8,000    $9,000
software                 $2,000    $3,000    $4,000    $4,000

Personnel (including benefits)
office administration
(1 person year)         $45,000   $47,000   $49,000   $51,000
systems administration
(1 person year)         $45,000   $47,000   $49,000   $51,000
subscription and clerical
(1.5 person year)       $40,000   $42,000   $44,000   $46,000
writing and workshops
(0.5 person year)       $20,000   $21,000   $22,000   $23,000
research
(0.5 person year)       $20,000   $21,000   $22,000   $23,000
accounting
(0.25 person year)      $10,000   $10,500   $11,000   $11,500

Promotion
advertising              $3,000    $6,000    $9,000    $9,000
user manual
production               $3,000    $4,000    $5,000    $6,000
workshop expenses        $2,000    $2,000    $2,000    $2,000
travel                   $1,000    $2,000    $2,000    $2,000

Office expenses
rent                    $12,000   $13,000   $14,000   $15,000
equipment                $3,000    $3,000    $3,000    $3,000
communication            $2,000    $2,000    $2,000    $2,000
duplicating              $1,000    $1,000    $1,000    $1,000
contingency              $3,000    $3,000    $3,000    $3,000

Totals                 $293,000  $299,500  $310,000  $326,500


1.8.4.6.2  INCOME

We expect that many of the costs for the demonstration project will be
shared by interested agencies.  For example, Carleton University has
generously offered the use of its unix computing network as the
National Capital FreeNet platform for the first two years of the
demonstration project, considerably reducing startup equipment costs.
Carleton has also sustained the cost of the FreePort software and its
installation.  Members of the organizing committee have shared the
costs to date of NCF incorporation, office, travel and meeting
expenses.  We estimate these dollar and in-kind donations will total
about $30,000 in the 1992-3 year, and about $20,000 in the 1993-4 year
of the demonstration project.

It is likely that remaining funds needed to sustain the National
Capital FreeNet will be solicited from a variety of government and
community sources.  Because a successful FreeNet can greatly enhance
attempts by all levels of government to become more accessible and
responsive to their constituents, it is in their interest to aid in
development and adoption of the model through the NCF demonstration
project.  We thus plan to approach Federal, Provincial and local
government agencies for partial funding of the demonstration project.
Because a widely-used FreeNet can significantly reduce the duplication
and mailing costs normally incurred in reaching their constituents, it
is to the advantage of community organizations to share some of the
costs of the medium.  We thus plan to approach community organizations
for voluntary donations proportional to the amount of information they
provide.

Finally, registered NCF participants and other supportive citizens may
also be asked for voluntary contributions.  How much?  If the NCF can
obtain an average of only $10 per subscriber per year, then the 20,000
subscribers projected by the end of the demonstration project would be
able to contribute over 60% of the budgeted costs for the first post-
demonstration year of operation (1995-6).  Funding strategies and
decisions will, of course, be made by the National Capital FreeNet
Board of Directors in consultation with the Ways and Means Committee.


From Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu Thu Apr  1 12:04:07 1993
Subject: Ottawa Miscellaneous 2
To: eddleman@sunsite.unc.edu (Dan Eddleman)
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 11:36:27 EST
From: Dan Eddleman <Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu>

Forwarded message:
>From cptully@med.unc.edu  Thu Apr  1 10:29:46 1993
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 10:30:10 EST
From: cptully@med.unc.edu (Christopher P. Tully)
Message-Id: <9304011530.AA27570@helix.med.unc.edu>
To: Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu
Subject: ottawa miscellaneous 2

====================================================================
1.8.5.1

Fact Sheet:

			 Telecommunications
			 ------------------
	  - Building an Information Infrastructure for Ontario -



In its report to the province in August 1992, the Advisory Committee on
a Telecommunications Strategy for Ontario addressed the importance of
telecommunications to Ontario.  The committee adopted a compelling
vision of Ontario's future:  Through the enabling effect of
telecommunications, Ontario - and in turn Canada - will be the best
place in the world to live, work, learn and do business.

The committee called for an adequate infrastructure to realize this
vision.  This infrastructure would include a vast array of services and
information in multiple media - voice, data, image and video -
delivered through high- capacity, interacting networks to every home,
school, library, office, factory and laboratory in the province.  These
services would be used by Ontarians who know how to obtain information
and put it to work.  The net result would be a completely
computer-literate society.

This advanced information infrastructure would harness the power of
technology to transform Ontario.  The following sections suggest what
this vision could mean for living, working, learning and doing business
in Ontario.


Best Place to Live
------------------
Telecommunications connects us to the global village.  Through
satellite hook-ups, we are instant witnesses to history whether it's
the Earth Summit in Rio, the fighting in the Balkans or the
constitutional referendum across Canada.  News is what is happening
now, rather than what has already happened.

Today's networks also join us to more immediate circles our families,
friends, co-workers and business associates.  All these human
connections will be further enhanced as technology evolves.

An advanced information infrastructure will foster social equity.  It
will overcome the barrier of distance, which has kept residents of
northern Ontario and other remote areas from full participation in
society.  It will also serve as a liberating technology for people with
mobility problems, such as senior citizens and persons with
disabilities.


New Lifestyles
--------------
Continued progress in telecommunications will increase convenience in
our fast-paced lifestyle and open up new leisure options.

Videotex, for example, is a two-way system that displays graphic
information on a computer terminal linked to a telephone line.  This
makes possible teleshopping, electronic messaging, chat lines and other
services in the home.

North American videotex is still in its infancy compared with the
French system, Minitel, which provides 12,000 services, such as an
electronic phone book, restaurant menus and news updates.  In the
future, Canadians may enjoy a similar range of alternatives.

Already, many banks and financial institutions offer bank by phone
services - which enable the customer to pay bills and complete other
transactions by pressing the telephone key pad.  The cashless society
is coming, in which consumers pay for purchases by directly debiting
their bank accounts through online systems.

Multimedia networks on the horizon will allow us to transmit and
manipulate information of any kind as easily as we use the phone
today.  Multimedia terminals are expected to combine all the elements
of the telephone, computer and television into a single device, which
has been dubbed the telecomputer.

This new technology will make interactive or two-way television a
reality.  Users will be able to go beyond the passive viewing mode to
relate to others.  For example, interactive commercials could allow
consumers to plan a vacation by watching videos of the destination they
intend to visit.  These multimedia networks will also enable users to
access video databases holding thousands of movies and other programs.

Today's mobile cellular phones help people keep in touch while on the
move.  The next step beyond the cellular phone will be personal
communications services or PCS.  In the PCS concept, customers use
pocket-sized cordless phones to place and receive calls almost
anywhere.  Each customer has a personal phone number rather than a
number tied to the workplace or home address.


Electronic Government
---------------------
Telecommunications can also enable better government.  The provincial
government is using technology to reinvent the way it functions,
creating an administration that is more open and accessible, provides
better customer service and delivers programs more efficiently.

In the long run, the Ontario government may well put all its public
information and services online.  Using technology similar to automated
banking machines, the government could reach people in many more
locations across the province 24 hours a day.


Health Care
-----------
"Telehealth" refers to the application of communications technology to
the health care system to improve the quality of care and increase
productivity.

A recent trial at Ottawa Civic Hospital tested an electronic patient
file.  This system reduced to a matter of minutes the time between the
processing of X-rays in the radiology department and the delivery of
information - including both X-ray images and a diagnostic report - to
physicians in the wards.

This project foreshadows the day when an emergency room doctor about to
perform surgery on an accident victim from out of the province could
electronically access medical records from the patient's own
physician.  The surgeon could also consult with other specialists
across town or across the country while sharing three-dimensional
images of the victim's injuries on screen.

Drug care can be improved through telecommunications applications.  In
the future computerized systems will record all a patient's
prescriptions in order to alert physicians and pharmacists to the
danger of drug interactions.

Modern communications can make a life-or-death difference.  Ontario's
air ambulance system uses satellite technology so paramedics in flight
from remote locations can communicate with doctors on the ground.  A
number of municipalities have adopted the 911 phone number for
summoning emergency assistance, and this system should eventually be
extended province-wide.

Information systems will also strengthen management of the health care
system in various ways - from more efficient processing of medical
claims to tracking service delivery patterns for planning purposes.


Best Place to Work
------------------
Almost all workers depend on telecommunications to help with their
jobs.  Changes in technology are leading to changes in the workplace.

Video conferencing, based on the transmission of video signals over
telephone lines, is one of the fastest growing areas in the
telecommunications field.  More and more organizations are finding
video conferences a viable alternative to business travel, thereby
reducing costs, saving time and in many cases reducing personal
stress.  Some day, desktop video conferencing (dialed through a phone)
may become as commonplace as the fax machine is today.

The underlying technology here, digital signal processing, is also a
key element in developing electronic voice recognition and response
systems.  These breakthroughs could eventually provide simultaneous
translation between two people speaking different languages over the
phone anywhere in the world.  Such a system would be an invaluable tool
in the global economy.

Telework is gaining momentum as more and more workers operate out of
their own homes with links to the employer's premises by voice and data
phone lines and fax machines.  In the future video links will allow
even more tasks to be performed at home.  Teleworkers don't have to
commute, saving time and reducing air pollution.  People with physical
disabilities could be one group to benefit substantially from the new
options opened up by telework.

New levels of productivity will be reached with the electronic
secretary, likely to evolve with the application of intelligence to the
telecom network and customer equipment.  A personal electronic manager
could direct calls to the home, the workplace or the car, block
unwanted calls, reroute other calls to colleagues, and perhaps even
take dictation and send correspondence to a printer.


Best Place to Learn
-------------------
In a knowledge-based economy it will be essential for workers to
upgrade skills continually.  We'll have to learn a living.
Telecommunications will help us do this.

A distance education system known as Contact North is enabling more
residents of northern Ontario to obtain a university degree or college
diploma.  Under the program, teachers in a central location are linked
to students in classrooms, community centres or their own homes.
Students and teachers connect through speaker phones, electronic
blackboards on which both student and teacher can write, video
cassettes and fax machines.

It is clear we have embarked on the path toward the electronic
university or the university without a campus.  The next step could be
to reach the estimated 12,000 students who take correspondence courses
each term from Ontario universities, and the additional 12,000 students
who take high school correspondence courses developed by the Ministry
of Education.  By providing access to an interactive network plus
course software, we could improve both the quality and the timeliness
of the learning experience.

Perhaps the most advanced application of telecommunications to learning
is the National Technological University in the United States.  This is
a consortium of U.S. universities offering programs to help technical
professionals stay current in their fields and broaden their management
skills.  Credit and non credit courses are beamed via satellite to
remote classrooms in participating companies and government agencies.
A Canadian version of this concept is under development in Ontario.


One Place to Look
-----------------
Access to information is the key to participation in the learning
society.  Ontario's public libraries are using telecommunications and
computer systems to boost efficiency and customer service.

Today's library technology is not merely storage, as in the past, but
retrieval and communications to help customers find what they want in
other libraries as well.  Through interlibrary loan systems and
telephone and computer networks, a local librarian can usually obtain a
requested item within a week.

Tomorrow, customers will be able to find what they want themselves and
have it in hand when they leave the library, or as they search from
home or office.  Empowered by technology, the library of the future
will package information of all kinds in all formats and deliver it on
time, wherever the customer needs it.


Best Place to Do Business
-------------------------
Telecommunications gives all organizations, large and small, a crucial
competitive edge.  Companies require the latest communications services
to operate efficiently and stay close to their customers.

For many firms, applications such as electronic data interchange and
electronic funds transfer are much more cost-effective than paper-based
systems.  Just-in-time inventory is a key practice in today's
manufacturing industries:  through communications networks, inputs are
ordered directly and automatically from suppliers to arrive when needed
during the manufacturing process.

In the future multimedia links will provide easy access to information
of many kinds voice, data, image and video.  Over the next few years we
expect a growing use of telecommunications to share visual information
between employees of the same company, suppliers and ultimately
customers.  Electronic marketplaces will enable manufacturers and
retailers to exchange information instantaneously, dramatically cutting
operating costs.

Thousands of companies are now doing business electronically.
Eventually, it will become the norm to eliminate paper and rely
entirely on electronic records.

A provincial high-speed network will facilitate research and
development in Ontario in the 21st century.  Scientists in different
locations will be able to collaborate, and designers will be able to
work simultaneously on the same product.


Small Business
--------------
Telecommunications can help level the playing field for small business
in relation to big business create new opportunities for small
communities.  Through telecommunications, small firms will have a
global reach.

The tourism industry is an example of how telecommunications can
increase the competitiveness of small business.  Since spring 1991 the
Ministry of Tourism and Recreation and industry representatives have
been developing a central reservation and information system for
Ontario tourism.  This will lead to higher occupancy rates and better
customer service.


The Challenge Ahead
-------------------
The quality of life we enjoy in the next century will depend directly
on the action we take now to exploit the benefits and opportunities
flowing from modern telecommunications.

Supported by a strong telecommunications sector, we need to develop a
host of specialized information networks or pathways in Ontario for
researchers, students, libraries, businesses, consumers and other
communities of interest and knit these pathways together into a
"network of networks".  These interlocking systems will bring all the
people of Ontario into the information age.


====================================================================
1.8.5.2

FACT SHEET:

	       COUNCIL FOR AN ONTARIO INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE
	       -------------------------------------------------


What is the Council for an Ontario Information Infrastructure?

  The council is an advisory  body reflecting a range of
  telecommunications interests.  Its formation was a key recommendation
  of the Advisory Committee on a Telecommunications Strategy for the
  Province of Ontario, which reported in August 1992.


What is the council's mandate?

  The government has established the council to champion the campaign
  for an Ontario information infrastructure under the provincial
  Telecommunications Strategy.  An information infrastructure is a vast
  array of information and services transmitted in multiple media -
  voice, data, image and video - through interlocking electronic
  communications networks to people who know how to obtain and utilize
  the information to meet their needs.

  The council will review progress in achieving the goals of the
  Ontario Telecommunications Strategy and recommend further actions as
  required.  In addition, it will provide advice to the government on
  telecommunications and information infrastructure issues and sectoral
  concerns.


Exactly what will the council do?

  The council will advise the government on:

     - directions and priorities for initiatives and activities to
       carry out the information infrastructure campaign;

     - trends and developments in telecommunications/information
       technology and the information economy in Ontario and worldwide;

     - sector issues and developments;

     - Ontario's telecommunications infrastructure and network
       development;

     - the government's use of information technology and
       telecommunications;

     - matters referred to the council by the minister on behalf of the
       government.

  The council will also undertake the following activities:

     - lead an awareness campaign to promote an Ontario information
       infrastructure to stakeholders and the public;

     - initiate partnerships among private and public organizations;

     - recommend priorities and review applications under the
       Telecommunications Sector Framework and the Ontario Network
       Infrastructure Program.


How will the council be structured?

  The council will consist of a chair, two vice-chairs and members from
  telecom stakeholders.  All members will serve as individuals, not
  representatives of an organization or institution to which they
  belong.

  Given its broad mandate, the council may set up subcommittees, as
  well as ad hoc committees with a chair from the council and members
  from within or outside the council.


How will the council operate?

  The council will be free to determine its method of work in line with
  its role and mandate - and consistent with government administrative
  guidelines and directives and the laws of Ontario and Canada.

  The council chair will provide direction in the event that
  conflicting views are provided by council members.  The council
  itself will determine whether it will operate on a majority or
  consensus basis, and how to deal with minority views for specific
  issues or activities.

  The council may elect to establish working groups, including members
  and outside experts, to deal with specific issues or questions.


==================================================================
1.8.5.3

FACT SHEET:
		 ONTARIO NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM (ONIP)
		 ---------------------------------------------

A JOBSONTARIO PROGRAM


What is ONIP?

  The Ontario Network Infrastructure Program (ONIP) is one major
  component of a comprehensive, long-term telecommunications strategy
  for the province of Ontario.


What is the purpose of ONIP?

  ONIP will support innovative user-based telecommunications network
  projects.  The goal is to accelerate the long-term development and
  use of high- capacity,  interconnected, multimedia networks to homes,
  offices, schools, factories and laboratories throughout the
  province.

  As a jobsOntario program, ONIP will focus on long-term investment in
  Ontario infrastructure to promote the restructuring of the provincial
  economy.  A key objective is to help Ontarians learn how to obtain
  and utilize information to meet their needs and create future
  opportunities for employment.


What will be funded under ONIP?

  ONIP is a $100 million, four year program, beginning in 1993.  It
  will share the costs of user-based telecommunications network
  projects.  It includes the following mechanisms to assist broadly
  based partners:

  1) Studies and plans - To share the costs (up to 75 per cent) of
			 undertaking feasibility studies and business
			 plan development

  2) Network implementation - To share the costs (up to 50 per cent) of
			      undertaking initial support for
			      user-based telecommunications networks
			      and making these networks operational.


What are the criteria for assistance under ONIP?

  All ONIP proposals will be assessed on the extent to which the
  proposal, as described in a business plan, meets the province's
  economic renewal priorities outlined in the Ontario Budget and the
  Industrial Policy Framework.


  The criteria include the following:

     - supporting economic restructuring (through investments that help
       the economy adapt to structural change) by strengthening the
       competitive fundamentals underlined in the Industrial Policy
       Framework:

     - continuous innovation (e.g., improving products and processes)

     - increasing technological capability (e.g., creating and
       diffusing technology)

     - raising skill levels (e.g., developing specialized skills)

     - establishing companies' home-based activities in Ontario
       (e.g., increasing local value-added)

     - developing linkages and networks (e.g., stimulating
       partnerships)

     - building international capabilities (e.g., expanding
       international trade).

     - supporting community economic and organizational development
       (including community infrastructure development and access to
       specialized training)

     - supporting maintenance of and improved efficiency in the
       existing infrastructure base through optimizing the use of
       infrastructure (e.g., investing in new technology which reduces
       the demand on, or increases efficiency of, present
       infrastructure).


What is the process for approving proposals for funding?

  The Council for an Ontario Information Infrastructure, a
  non-governmental body, will review all proposals and make
  recommendations to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade.

  All potential partners are encouraged to work with staff of the
  Communications Division of the ministry to ensure their business
  plans are complete and to expedite the progress of their proposal
  through the approval process.


Have any projects been approved?

  Three projects recommended by the Advisory Committee on a
  Telecommunications Strategy for the Province of Ontario have already
  been approved in principle:


  1.  A telecommunications-based municipal economic development
  strategy in
      northwestern Ontario

      The provincial government will share with the local communities
      the costs of a feasibility study for a telecommunications-enabled
      community economic development strategy in northwestern Ontario.
      Atikokan, Sioux Lookout and a First Nations community will
      participate.

      A broadly based local group - representing municipal governments,
      band councils and the commercial, industrial, telecommunications,
      education, social service, labour and health sectors - will pull
      together the components of what such a community economic
      development strategy may contain.  Assistance is being provided
      to help implement the process, to  prepare a report on the
      feasibility of the idea and to build an appropriate
      implementation plan.


  2. A community-based network in the Ottawa-Carleton area

     Through ONIP, Ontario will share with local organizations the
     costs of establishing and operating a community network in the
     Ottawa-Carleton area over three years.

     A group of volunteers is starting up a computer-based community
     network service called the National Capital FreeNet (NCF).  Over
     500 social service agencies and other community-based
     organizations have expressed an interest in making their
     information available to the public on this free network.

     Financial assistance will help to expand the technological,
     managerial and training capacity of the network to cope with the
     expected increase in traffic.  The National Capital FreeNet,
     operational in 1993, will provide information from 500
     organizations to 50,000 individual and organizational members by
     1995.


  3. Investment in Ontario's research and education network

     The provincial government will make a major investment in
     Ontario's existing research and education network, ONet, over the
     next three years.  ONIP will share the costs of upgrading and
     enhancing the network and expanding its services and membership.
     Ultimately, ONet will be an important component of a broader
     provincial research and education network.

     ONet was established in 1988 and currently has 78 members.  The
     network links researchers in Ontario universities, colleges,
     centres of excellence, provincial and federal government
     facilities and industrial research centres (such as Alcan, IBM,
     Bell Northern Research, Gandalf and Newbridge).  In addition, it
     enables Ontario researchers to connect with colleagues elsewhere
     in Canada and around the world.

     In spring 1990, ONet joined with nine other regional networks to
     form a national backbone network, CA*net.  When further developed
     and upgraded, ONet can be a strategic part of the proposed
     CAnadian Network for the Advancement of Research, Industry, and
     Education or CANARIE.

     With ONIP support, ONet will increase its present capacity so
     member institutions and researchers can exchange greater
     quantities of information and new members can join.  This
     upgrading will add new services and facilitate more sophisticated
     collaborative research and educational activities.

     Financial assistance will also help develop a new "dial up"
     service, which will provide low cost access, particularly for new
     private sector members.  ONet will move from primarily a
     volunteer-based organization to permanent full-time personnel to
     meet the growing demand for ongoing maintenance and user support.

     ONet is committed to the goal of improving Ontario's industrial
     competitiveness and social services under the Telecommunications
     Strategy.  The development of ONet's high-speed network
     infrastructure for research, education and technology transfer
     will further this goal.

   Together, these ONIP projects demonstrate the value of information
   infrastructure initiatives.  They show how stronger networks can
   help communities and organizations develop the skills and tools to
   meet the challenge of economic restructuring and renewal.



From Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu Thu Apr  1 12:04:18 1993
Subject: Ottawa Miscellaneous
To: eddleman@sunsite.unc.edu (Dan Eddleman)
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 11:36:42 EST
From: Dan Eddleman <Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu>

Forwarded message:
>From cptully@med.unc.edu  Thu Apr  1 10:28:39 1993
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 10:29:08 EST
From: cptully@med.unc.edu (Christopher P. Tully)
Message-Id: <9304011529.AA27563@helix.med.unc.edu>
To: Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu
Subject: Ottawa miscellaneous

===================================================================
1.8.5.4

Fact Sheet:

		    TELECOMMUNICATIONS - A STRATEGIC SECTOR
		    ---------------------------------------


The world is undergoing a technological revolution as profound as any
transformation in history.  One of the key technologies ushering in the
future is telecommunications - the electronic movement of information.

Telecommunications is rapidly converging with the computer.  These two
fields together are now referred to as information technology.  At the
same time, both areas are increasingly linked with the sectors that
provide information - such as libraries, broadcasting systems and
cultural industries like publishing and film.

The overall result is an emerging information society and
knowledge-based economy.  In this new era, telecommunications is an
"infrastructure" for the rest of society - a basic resource as
fundamental to the way we live and work as the electricity grid and the
highway system have been in the past.


Track Record
------------
Economists estimate that the information sector - including both the
creating and communicating of information of all types - now accounts
for more than 40 per cent of North America's gross national product.
In this new era, Ontario's telecommunications industry ranks as the
province's most successful and internationally competitive high-tech
sector.

Our telecommunications carriers, services and equipment manufacturers
generate revenues of $9 billion a year and employ 90,000 people.
Telecommunications is our leading industry for research and
development, investing $600 million a year in R&D, which represents a
full quarter of all Ontario R&D expenditures.


Adding Value
------------
The provincial government's Industrial Policy Framework stresses that
economic renewal depends on shifting emphasis from low-skill mass
production to high value-added activities.  The report calls on all
sectors to strengthen the "competitive fundamentals" - such as
innovation, skill levels, technological capabilities, home-base
functions (such as strategic decision-making) and export potential.

Ontario telecommunications is already strong in these fundamentals and
so offers one of our most immediate opportunities for economic renewal
and growth.  In the near future, it is expected to become the leading
source of well-paid, high value-added and environmentally sustainable
jobs.

Telecommunications also enables other industries to add value to their
activities.  Telecom networks and services are playing a major part in
the globalization of business and are dramatically redefining the
nature of products and services and the shape and size of markets.  All
businesses are coming to rely on access to the best possible
information of every kind almost instantly as a key competitive edge.

In addition, telecommunications is serving as an enabling tool for
public institutions ranging from hospitals and schools to government
offices and public libraries.  All organizations, large or small,
public or private, increasingly count on telecommunications networks in
order to perform their functions effectively and efficiently.

Finally, the telecommunications system serves residential users.
Ninety-nine per cent of Ontario households have telephones, one of the
highest access rates in the world.  New consumer services and options
are constantly being introduced - ranging from features like call
waiting and call forwarding to banking by phone and electronic bulletin
boards.

Responding to the needs of this array of users is a telecommunications
industry that is vast in scope.  The industry includes the carriers who
provide telecom services, the manufacturers who produce the equipment
that makes the services possible, the distributors and retailers who
bring products to market, and the researchers who develop new
communications technology.


Service Providers
-----------------
In Ontario, Bell Canada supplies local and long distance voice service
to 96 per cent of telephone subscribers.  Thirty independent systems
deliver local service to the remaining customers, mainly in northern
Ontario.  Most independents interconnect with Bell Canada to provide
long distance service.  The Ontario Northland Transportation Commission
provides long distance and other telecommunications services in
portions of northeastern Ontario.

Bell Canada, the independent systems and Ontario Northland have in the
past provided public telephone service on a monopoly basis.  However,
the CRTC has recently approved the entry of Unitel Communications Inc.
into the long distance market.

Telecom services are already provided by resellers and enhanced service
providers.   Resellers lease private line circuits from the major
carriers and resell the capacity to businesses and other
organizations.  Resellers are permitted to sell both voice and data
services and to combine traffic from different customers.  They provide
such services as customized billing, call detail recording and
dedicated access lines.

Satellite facilities are used for television signals as well as for
voice and data transmission, mobile radio and video conferencing
services.  Telesat Canada operates all Canadian communications
satellites.  It leases satellite capacity to other companies and also
sells directly to retail customers.  Teleglobe is Canada's overseas
satellite carrier.

Mobile cellular telephones were introduced into Canada in 1985 and have
grown dramatically since.  Cellular services are supplied by national
carriers like Bell Cellular and Cantel Inc. as well as by some
independent systems.  Recently the federal government granted licences
to four providers of the new wireless technology -- digital cordless.

A variety of other telecommunications services are available in the
open market.  Business and institutional users can transfer masses of
information at high speed through data services offered by telephone
companies and other firms.  Further specialized options include private
line service, electronic mail, voice mail and paging.


Equipment Manufacturers
-----------------------
Ontario's telecommunications manufacturing industry includes several
distinct segments.  Ontario firms produce central telephone system
equipment and telephone terminals; cable and transmission equipment;
satellite communications facilities; and customer premises equipment
like private telephone exchanges and local area networks.

Ontario companies also make parts and electronic components - ranging
from fibre optic cable to printed circuit boards.  These products are
shipped to telecom manufacturers and users in both Canadian and world
markets.

Software is becoming an increasingly important element of
telecommunications systems.  Ontario firms develop software for central
switching systems, customer premises applications, computer networks
and stand-alone computers.


Breakthroughs in Technology
---------------------------
Research and development is the driving force behind innovation.  It is
in the laboratory that new technologies and applications originate.

In Ontario, R&D takes place in private industry, universities and
government facilities.  Two provincially funded centres of excellence,
the Telecommunications Research Institute of Ontario (TRIO) and the
Information Technology Research Centre (ITRC), encourage and support
collaborative research between universities and industry.

In the telecommunications field, worldwide new breakthroughs are
occurring continually.  Chip memory used in all telecom networks is
evolving at a breathtaking place - from about 20 million transistors on
a 16 megabit memory chip emerging from today's labs to a billion
transistors on a chip by the year 2001.

The ongoing push toward all-digital networks is making it possible to
send any kind of information - voice, image, data or full motion video
- the same way.  Fibre optics technology will provide expanded
transmission capacity so these multimedia signals can be carried over
the same "wire" - that is, a single glass strand.

New wireless technologies are extending the reach of
telecommunications.  In cellular phone systems, calls are relayed by
radio transmitters from one area or "cell" to another as the user
moves.  Digital cellular technology is being introduced in Canada,
making it possible to put more calls on each cell and improving signal
quality.

Soon, low-power digital wireless technology will eliminate the
interference found in today's home cordless phones.  This will pave the
way for pocket-size cordless phones that allow the consumer to place
and receive calls almost anywhere.

Satellite technology is developing rapidly in areas where fibre cannot
compete.  For example, very small aperture terminal networks transfer
video and data over vast distances.  The  receiving dishes involved are
less than two metres in diameter.


Government Role
---------------
Because telecommunications has an immense influence on the well-being
of society, government shapes the environment in which telecom services
are provided to the public.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
regulates Bell Canada and other national carriers, while the Ontario
Telephone Service Commission regulates the independent systems in the
province.  The Ontario Northland Transportation Commission oversees
telephone service in parts of northern Ontario.

The federal Department of Communications develops national
telecommunications policies and regulates the use of the radio
spectrum.  The Ontario Ministry of Culture and Communications
co-ordinates provincial policies and programs and represents Ontario's
interests before the federal government.


Time to Act
-----------
Telecommunications is making a profound impact in two ways - as an
industrial sector whose potential for creating wealth will surpass any
invention of the industrial age, and as an enabling tool that is
expanding horizons in all industries and all walks of life.

Ontario now faces a choice:  either we drift and fall behind other
nations in terms of economic strength and quality of life, or we take
decisive action now to realize the potential of telecommunications.


====================================================================
1.8.5.5

FACT SHEET:

		    A TELECOMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY FOR ONTARIO
		    -----------------------------------------


What is the Telecommunications Strategy for Ontario?

  The Telecommunications Strategy for Ontario is a long-term vision and
  action plan for telecommunications in the province over the next
  decade.  It deals with telecommunications both as a critical
  infrastructure for economic growth and social and cultural activity
  and as a key sector of the economy.  The strategy is a blueprint for
  action not only by government but by all stakeholders in
  telecommunications.


How was the strategy prepared?

  The Telecommunications Strategy responds to the goals, priorities and
  recommendations contained in the August 1992 report of the Advisory
  Committee on a Telecommunications Strategy for the Province of
  Ontario, entitled Telecommunications: Enabling Ontario's Future.

  The advisory committee was created by the former Minister of Culture
  and Communications to gain broadly based advice on
  telecommunications-related issues and opportunities facing Ontario's
  businesses and the public at large.  More than 100 knowledgeable and
  dedicated individuals drawn from industry, labour, government, and
  community-based interests contributed their time and effort to the
  committee's work over a period of five months.


What is Ontario's vision for telecommunications?

  The provincial government has adopted the vision statement proposed
  by the advisory committee:

  Enabled by telecommunications, Ontario and Canada will be the best
  place in the world to live, work, learn and do business.


What are the goals of the Telecommunications Strategy?

  The strategy has four goals, again reflecting the recommendations of
  the advisory committee.  They are:

     - a telecommunications infrastructure which enables economic
       growth

     - a dynamic, growing telecommunications sector

     - enhanced quality of life through telecommunications

     - strategic application of telecommunications by the Ontario
       government.



  What are the priorities under the strategy? The government has
  adopted the six strategic priorities recommended by the advisory
  committee.  They are:

     - accelerating growth in applications development and use

     - creating a positive environment for information technology
       industry growth

     - investing in people through education and training for
       telecommunications

     - helping communities develop

     - government as a model user

     - ensuring that technology serves people.


What role will the government play under the Telecommunications
Strategy?

  The provincial commitment to the strategy is government-wide.  Many
  ministries will contribute to achieving the goals and priorities.

  The Ministry of Education and Training will take the lead in a
  telecommunications education and training strategy.  The aim will be
  to meet the training needs of the telecom industry and users and also
  to capitalize on telecommunications as a learning tool for Ontario
  residents.

  Management Board Secretariat will spearhead a government-wide
  information technology strategy to make the provincial government a
  model telecommunications user.

  At the national level, Ontario will advocate new policies before
  federal regulatory agencies.  The province will urge the CRTC to
  adopt a broader definition of basic telecommunications service to
  ensure wide access to the latest telecommunications services.
  Ontario will also call for more effective regulatory processes which
  encourage innovation and new service introduction and for an open,
  competitive information technology marketplace - except where there
  is a compelling public interest to the contrary.


What action will the government take now to implement the
Telecommunications Strategy?

  The government will immediately provide funding for the
  Telecommunications Strategy and appoint the Council for an Ontario
  Information Infrastructure.


How will the strategy be funded?

  Initially, there will be two sources of funding for the strategy -
  the Sector Partnership Fund and JobsOntario, both announced in the
  1992 Ontario Budget.

  The Sector Partnership Fund will immediately begin accepting
  applications to assist telecommunications projects.  Over three years
  the fund is designed to provide $150 million to help various sectors
  improve their competitiveness.

  Telecommunications has completed the industry consultations and
  strategic framework necessary to access these dollars.

  In addition, the jobsOntario initiative will channel $100 million
  over four years to a new Ontario Network Infrastructure Program
  (ONIP).  The government's leadership through ONIP will stimulate the
  private sector to develop user-based and user-driven telecom
  networks.  The first three projects to receive ONIP funding have been
  approved in principle:

     - a feasibility study of a community economic development strategy
       enabled by telecommunications in northwestern Ontario

     - support to the National Capital FreeNet in the Ottawa-Carleton
       area to put 500 social service agencies and community groups
       online to the public

     - expansion and upgrading of ONet, Ontario's existing research and
       education network linking universities, colleges, government and
       industry facilities.


What will the Council for an Ontario Information Infrastructure do?

  The new council will raise public awareness, bring partners together,
  advise the government on industry trends, review and advise on
  applications and priorities under ONIP and the Sector Partnership
  Fund, assess progress under the provincial strategy and recommend any
  further actions needed.  It will champion the campaign for an Ontario
  information infrastructure.

  The council will include a chair, two vice-chairs and members from
  diverse telecommunications stakeholders.


====================================================================
1.8.5.6

FACT SHEET:

       TELECOMMUNICATIONS SECTOR FRAMEWORK UNDER SECTOR PARTNERSHIP
       FUND
       -----------------------------------------------------------------


What is the Telecommunications Sector Framework?

  The Telecommunications Sector Framework is a sectoral strategy
  approved by the Ontario government under the Sector Partnership Fund
  (SPF).  Telecommunications initiatives which meet the objectives of
  the Sector Framework can be considered for financial assistance from
  the SPF.

  The major objective of the Sector Framework is to improve the
  competitive position of Ontario's telecommunications industry by
  encouraging co-operation and a move to higher value-added activities
  within the sector.

  The framework responds to the report of the Advisory Committee on a
  Telecommunications Strategy for the Province of Ontario.  The
  committee strongly recommended that the provincial government support
  projects that stimulate wealth and job creation in the telecom
  industry.


What is the Sector Partnership Fund?

  The Sector Partnership Fund is a three-year, $150 million funding
  program under the Ontario government's Industrial Policy Framework.
  It is designed to strengthen sectors or "clusters" of the Ontario
  economy by shifting companies and industries to higher value-added
  activities.  This program was announced in the Ontario Budget in the
  spring of 1992.


What is the purpose of the SPF?

  The focus of the SPF is on strengthening the competitive fundamentals
  of the Ontario economy through:

     - continuous innovation
     - raising skill levels
     - increasing technological capabilities
     - developing linkages and networks
     - building international capabilities and
     - establishing companies' home-based activities in Ontario.


What are the priority areas in the Telecom Sector Framework?

  The Telecom Sector Framework highlights four priority areas:

  - It encourages the development of new telecom applications that
    benefit groups of companies or particular sectors and advance
    Ontario's leadership in network development and management.

  - It fosters innovative business enterprises by promoting strategic
    alliances, particularly between Ontario's large and small telecom
    companies.  Ontario telecom suppliers are also urged to pool their
    resources, talents and skills with those of other information
    technology companies and with firms in related industries.

  The framework calls for specialized sectoral infrastructure that
  strengthens the underlying foundations of the telecom industry,
  provides benefits to the sector as a whole and directly raises the
  competitiveness of Ontario's telecom product and service providers.

  A final direction is market development and promotion.  The framework
  supports activities that increase export sales or expand the domestic
  market for products and services supplied by small and mid-sized
  firms.



Will certain types of projects be emphasized?

Priority will be given to initiatives which:

     - involve consortia of Ontario-based companies that combine their
       technical capabilities to develop new telecommunications
       products or services

     - enhance the competitiveness of each allied organization and
       reduce the risk incurred by individual firms in innovative
       product or market development

     - lower the overall cost to firms of capturing global markets

     - offer opportunities for skills upgrading in the sector

     - provide information on global standards, on initiatives within
       the sector or on leading edge scientific and technical
       developments from global sources

     - increase the amount or timeliness of critical information
       available to smaller firms

     - create vehicles for sharing information and fostering the
       development of product consortia.


=======================================================================
1.8.5.7


	       GLOSSARY of SELECTED TELECOMMUNICATIONS TERMS
	       ---------------------------------------------


ACCESS: In telephony, a point of entry into a circuit or a network.  In
	computing, the manner in which files or data are referred to by
	a
	computer.

ANALOG: A process which models information in the form of a
continuously
	varying parameter i.e. current or voltage.

BAND: A unit of signalling speed which describes the number of signal
changes
      in one second.  Not interchangeable with bits-per-second(bps)
      because
      more than one bit may be transmitted in one change in signal
      state.

BANDWIDTH: The range of frequencies available for signalling i.e. the
	   difference between the high and low frequencies of a
	   transmission
	   band normally expressed in cycles per second (hertz).

BROADBAND: Also known as wideband, this term refers to a communication
channel
	   having a bandwidth greater than a voice-grade channel.

BYPASS: The action of hooking up to a long distance or local network
without
	using local telephone company facilities.  Bypass technologies
	include
	cellular radio, two-way cable television, short haul microwave
	and
	direct satellite to rooftop antennas.

CARRIER: A high frequency radio signal which is modulated to carry
information
	 long distances through space or via cable.

CENTREX: A PBX type of service where incoming calls may be dialled
direct to
	 extensions without operator assistance.  Outgoing and intercom
	 calls
	 may be dialled by extension users.  Currently, this service is
	 usually provided by the local telephone company through the
	 local
	 central office.

CIRCUIT: A physical transmission path between two or more points.

CIRCUIT SWITCHING: A method of communications where an electrical
connection
		   between calling and called stations is established
		   on
		   demand for exclusive use of the circuit until the
		   connection is released.

COMMON CHANNEL SIGNALLING: A technique in which signalling information
			   relating to a number of circuits, and other
			   information such as that used for Network
			   Management, is conveyed by addressed
			   messages
			   over a single channel dedicated to
			   signalling.

DIGITAL: Characteristic of a discontinuous electrical signal which
carries
	 information by means of discrete changes in its duration or
	 amplitude.  Digital communications has come into wide use as a
	 system for transmitting voice or data information due to its
	 economy and accuracy.

ELECTRONIC MAIL: Electronic transmission of a written message to one or
more
		 destinations delivered via voice, text, or video
		 form.

FACSIMILE: A system for the transmission of images (pictures, maps,
diagrams,
	   correspondence etc).  The image is scanned at the
	   transmitter,
	   reconstructed at the receiving station, and duplicated on
	   coated
	   paper or film.

FIBRE OPTICS: This modern transmission form uses laser technology to
produce a
	      beam of light which can be modulated to carry large
	      amounts of
	      information through fine glass fibres.  These modulated
	      signals
	      are detected by light-sensitive semi-conductor devices.

LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN): A term applied to a communications system
which
			  allows a number of different kinds of
			  electronic
			  products, including computers, terminals,
			  facsimile
			  devices and printers, to communicate.  Such
			  systems
			  usually employ coaxial cable, fibre optics,
			  or
			  traditional twisted pair cable, and extend
			  for at
			  most a few kilometres.

NETWORK: A system designed to connect devices for the purpose of
transmitting
	 information.  Networks are either common to all users or
	 privately
	 leased by customers for their own use.

PBX (PRIVATE BRANCH EXCHANGE): A computer which coordinates voice and
often,
			       data traffic, and takes the form of
			       either a
			       small switching system installed on a
			       business
			       subscriber's premises or can be as large
			       as
			       Northern Telecom's DMD-250 used in the
			       telephone
			       company's central office.  PBXs are also
			       referred to as PABXs (private automatic
			       branch
			       exchanges) or EPABXs (electronic private
			       branch
			       exchanges).

PUBLIC SWITCHED NETWORK: The network of more than 3500 Canadian
switching
			 centres which are available for public use.

SATELLITE (COMMUNICATIONS): An object or vehicle orbiting, or intended
to
			    orbit, the earth, moon, or other celestial
			    body.

TERMINAL: Any device capable of sending and/or receiving information
over a
	  communications channel and also a point at which information
	  can
	  enter or leave a communication network.

VERY SMALL APERTURE TERMINAL SERVICE (VSAT): A satellite-based service
			 providing full duplex digital data
			 transmission
			 between satellite earth stations and broadcast
			 video
			 transmission.  Used by businesses requiring
			 low
			 cost high performance branch office to
			 headquarters
			 broadcast video and data transmission.

WIDE AREA TELEPHONE SERVICE (WATS): A service enabling a customer to
direct
				    dial long distance calls to
				    subscribed
				    zones on a measured bulk rate,
				    rather
				    than for each individual call.




From Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu Thu Apr  1 12:04:41 1993
Subject: Ottawa Info Preparation
To: eddleman@sunsite.unc.edu (Dan Eddleman)
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 11:37:15 EST
From: Dan Eddleman <Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu>

Forwarded message:
>From cptully@med.unc.edu  Thu Apr  1 10:27:50 1993
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 10:28:10 EST
From: cptully@med.unc.edu (Christopher P. Tully)
Message-Id: <9304011528.AA27553@helix.med.unc.edu>
To: Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu
Subject: ottawa info preparation

=======================================================================
1.8.2  HOW TO PREPARE INFORMATION FOR POSTING
=======================================================================

How to prepare information for posting.

This document is intended to be a preliminary guide to information
providers on how to format information on floppy disks for display on
the National Capital Freenet.  Only 3.5/5.25 inch IBM disks can be
accomodated at this time.

1.  Organize your information in chunks of one or two screens.  Format
    one chunk per file with lines width of less than 65 characters.
    Information must be stored as unformatted ASCII.

2.  The first line of each text file should be the title for the file.
    This title line will also appear in the menu that calls the file.

3.  Make  file names that are mnenonic of the file title.

4.  Organize the files into directories and subdirectories that reflect
    the menu structure.

5.  One file in each directory should be called menu.  Any
    other files in that directory should contain text that will be
    accessed by selections in the menu file on the same directory.

6.  When a menu refers to another menu, the subsequent menu should be
    in a directory below the first.

7.  Menu files contain five things (more really but you should only
    be concerned with these things at the moment):

    a.  Blank lines (which are ignored).

    b.  Lines that have a # character in column 1.  These are
	comments.

    c.  Lines that start with %l in column 1 and 2.  These are
	displayed when the menu is invoked.

    d.  Lines that begin with %e in columns 1 and 2 are the menu
	prompt.  A menu prompt that calls a menu should end with ...

    e.  Lines that start with %p p in columns 1-4 followed by a file
	name.  These cause the named file to be displayed.  Lines that
	begin %p $filename declane filname to be a menu itself and that
	menu will be displayed.  ie the file name of a menu file is
	preceeded by a $.

Example.  The menu item just above the one you are now using looks
like:

%l
%l   <<< The National Capital Freenet >>>
%l

%e About the National Capital Freenet
%p p freenet/about.ncf

%e NCF Organanizing committee Q & A (unmoderated)
%p nr ncf.qa

%e The National Capital Freenet Organizing Committee
%p p freenet/organizing.cte

%e Organizing Subcommittees...
%p $freenet/subs/menu

%e Position papers and Doucments on the FreeNet...
%p $freenet/papers/menu

Note the file names include the directory path (all this information is
in the freenet directory).

The files in the freenet directory are:

-rw-r--r--  1 root         1874 May 25 13:57 about.ncf
-rw-r--r--  1 root          382 Jul 10 15:56 menu
-rw-r--r--  1 root          783 May 25 14:14 organizing.cte
drwxr-xr-x  2 root          512 Jul 13 13:42 papers/
drwxr-xr-x  2 root          512 Jul  9 15:57 subs/

Note that the last two menu items invoke menus.  These are located in
sub-directories called subs and papers which are shown on the
Unix-style directory list with a d in column 1 and a / in the last
column.

The information you are reading in in the papers sub-directory whose
menu looks like the following (at the time of writing  ... moer papers
may have been added after this was written):

%l
%l   <<<   Papers and Documents on the FreeNet   >>>
%l

%e How to prepare information for the FreeNet
%p p freenet/papers/information

%e English-French, French-English Machine Translation
%p p freenet/papers/xlate

The directory list looks like:

-rw-r--r--  1 root         3095 Jul 13 13:56 information
-rw-r--r--  1 root          218 Jul 13 13:55 menu
-rw-r--r--  1 root         5066 Jul 10 15:51 xlate

Note the absence of any subdirectories since the menu does not
reference any other menus.



====================================================================
1.8.3  ENGLISH-FRENCH, FRENCH-ENGLISH MACHINE TRANSLATION
====================================================================

English-French, French-English Machine Translation


	I received some material from Dave Sutherland at the National
Capital Freenet.  In it was an article by Dorothy Phillips, Thomas
Whalen, et al on "The  Changing Face of Broadcasting..."

	I fully concur with the sentiments expressed in that article.
I have been  pursuing a similar objective, but in the area of
inter-lingual communications.  I  strongly feel, that with our current
constitutional problems we need communication  tools to allow citizens
of this country, from different linguistic backgrounds, to speak  to
each other in their own native tongues.  Only through communications
and  understanding of each other's  view points can we ever hope to
resolve the linguistic  problems that plague this great country of
ours.  To that end,  I have been doing  considerable research into
machine translation systems for mono-lingual users on   electronic
networks like FreeNet.

	The concept I have in mind, which I hope to turn into a VISION
2000 project, is the development of a machine translation system for
mono-lingual users  that will allow members of the public, of one
language group, to access networks  like FreeNet and converse with
other individuals who speak a different language.  Bulletin boards or
conferences could be set up where members of the community  could chat
about their different linguistic viewpoints on a range of topics,
including  the constitution, sports (the Leafs vs Les Habs), culture,
etc. Electronic pen-pals  could be set up for school kids so that they
can communicate to other kids in a  different language. The
possibilities are endless.

	I have recently attended the TMI-92 conference in Montreal and
I have been in correspondence with the MT people at CWARC regarding
this subject.  Related work is already being done in this area at
CompuServe and Carnegie- Mellon.  There are significant restrictions to
setting up such a service, due to the  limitations of the technology,
but I still think there is a real potential here to expand  the
communications horizon of all Canadians and develop new machine
translation  tools for the Canadian communications industry.

	To my mind the NC FreeNet would be an ideal test bed for the
necessary  research and development in this area.  There could be many
technological spin-offs  for Canadian industry in MT (Machine
Translation) products and services as well as  providing a valuable
service to the community at large.

	The major problem with MT today is its very limited use in
	general subject areas.  However, moderate success is being
achieved in what is called restricted domain authoring systems.
Machine translation on these systems works by  restricting the subject
area, topic, vocabulary and semantic structure of the author's
document.  They are ideally suited for electronic networks and
computers and not  pre-written documents.

	Carnegie-Mellon is doing pioneering work in this area with
their recent  $5,000,000 contract to translate all of Caterpillar
Tractor's service manuals.  The  important thing to remember here, is
that they are not translating existing manuals,  but they are setting
up authoring systems for writers of new manuals so that they will  be
written in a style that will make it easy for a computer to translate.
Simply stated,  the computer system prompts the author of a document
whenever they are writing in  style that is too convoluted for the
computer to understand.  Pop down menus, like  those in a spelling
checker appear whenever the computer cannot resolve ambiguities  in
meaning or vocabulary.

	Similar application work has been done at CWARC with their
CRITTER translation system.  My personal objective is to see if we can
extend this development work in restricted domain authoring systems to
a larger audience.  E-mail users are generally much more tolerant of
grammatical errors and so 100%  accuracy is not a requirement.  Those
familiar with USENET know that there are  hundreds of very technical
and restricted domain news groups.  Many would be ideal  candidates for
MT usage.  Other areas for this type of MT is EDI (Electronic Data
Interchange) which is a very restricted domain used for commercial
electronic  invoicing, ordering, etc.

	To my mind, electronic pen paling would be the first ideal
application.  Children's semantic structure is very simple and their
vocabularies are limited  compared to those of most adults.  I also
think this would be fertile ground for  starting the dialogue between
the linguistic dualities in Canada.

	If you think there is merit in this proposal, I would love to
hear from you.   As I mentioned above, I have a personal interest in a
project of this type.  Despite my  surname, I am essentially unilingual
English. I have two brothers, one who is  unilingual French (and a
avowed separatist) and another who is fluently bilingual.   Our family
is sort of a microcosm of Canada. But unlike most Canadian families,
all three of us have computers and e-mail.  Need  I say more.

	Regards

	Bill St. Arnaud, P.Eng.
	Project Officer
	Vision 2000
	567-2000
	email: wcsv2k@carleton.ca

VISION 2000 is a private and public partnership formed in 1989.  Made
up of 38 key Canadian Communications and Information Technology
companies, research organizations, academia and governments. Vision
2000 aims are to accelerate innovation and foster collaboration in
"personal" communications and informaioon technology R&D, as well as to
introduce new Canadian products and and services to world markets.



From Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu Thu Apr  1 12:04:51 1993
Subject: Ottawa Contents (only the parts that I copied) (fwd)
To: eddleman@sunsite.unc.edu (Dan Eddleman)
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 11:37:31 EST
From: Dan Eddleman <Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu>

Forwarded message:
>From cptully@med.unc.edu  Thu Apr  1 10:26:44 1993
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 10:27:14 EST
From: cptully@med.unc.edu (Christopher P. Tully)
Message-Id: <9304011527.AA27548@helix.med.unc.edu>
To: Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu
Subject: ottawa contents (only the parts that I copied)


I have copied the following items from the Ottawa freenet:

<< Main Menu >>
  1 About The National Capital Freenet...
    8 Position papers and Documents on the FreeNet...
      1 The National Capital FreeNet Articles of Incorporation
      2 How to prepare information for the FreeNet
      3 English-French, French-English Machine Translation
      4 A Funding Proposal...
	1 Introduction...
	  1 The Context of Public Access Community Networks
	  2 The Vision of a National Program
	2 The NCF Demonstration Project...
	  1 What is the National Capital Fund
	  2 History of the NCF Demonstration Project
	  3 Objectives of the Demonstration Project
	3 Approach and Method...
	  1 The Preparatory Phase
	  2 The Participatory Phase
	  3 NCF Users
	  4 Salaried Personnel
	4 Project Schedule and Milestones...
	  1 Year 1: Planning and Preparation
	  2 Year 2: Public Participation
	  3 Year 3: Transition to Self-Sustaining System
	5 Project Management
	6 Budget...
	  1 Expenses
	  2 Income
      5 The Ontario Telecommunications Strategy...
	1 Building an Information Infrastructure for Ontario
	2 Council for an Ontario Information Infrastructure
	3 Ontario Network Infrastructure Program (ONIP)
	4 Telecommunications - a Strategic Sector
	5 A Telecommunications Strategy for Ontario
	6 Telecommunications Sector Framework under Sector Partnership
	Fund
	7 Glossary of Selected Telecommunications Terms


From Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu Thu Apr  1 12:05:01 1993
Subject: Ottawa Bylaws 
To: eddleman@sunsite.unc.edu (Dan Eddleman)
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 11:37:51 EST
From: Dan Eddleman <Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu>

Forwarded message:
>From cptully@med.unc.edu  Thu Apr  1 10:25:45 1993
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 93 10:26:10 EST
From: cptully@med.unc.edu (Christopher P. Tully)
Message-Id: <9304011526.AA27543@helix.med.unc.edu>
To: Dan.Eddleman@lambada.oit.unc.edu
Subject: ottawa bylaws


			      BY-LAWS OF
	       THE NATIONAL CAPITAL FREENET INCORPORATED

			    CORPORATE SEAL

1.    The seal, an impression whereof is stamped in the margin hereof,
      shall  be the seal of the corporation.


		       CONDITIONS OF MEMBERSHIP

2.    Membership in the corporation shall be limited to persons
      interested in furthering the objects of the corporation and shall
      consist of anyone whose application for admission as a member has
      received the approval of the board of directors of the
      corporation.

3.    There shall be no membership fees or dues.

4.    Any member may withdraw from the corporation by delivering to
      the corporation a written resignation and lodging a copy of the
      same with the secretary of the corporation.

5.    Any member may be required to resign by a vote of three-quarters
      (3/4) of the members at an annual meeting.

			      HEAD OFFICE

6.    Until changed in accordance with the Act, the Head Office of the
      corporation shall be at Carleton University in the Regional
      Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton, Province of Ontario.

			  BOARD OF DIRECTORS

7.    The property and business of the corporation shall be managed by
      a board of a minimum of eight (8) directors to a maximum of
      fifteen (15) directors of whom a five (5) shall constitute a
      quorum.  Directors must be individuals, 18 years of age, with
      power under law to contract.   Directors need not be members.


8.    The applicants for incorporation shall become the first
      directors of the corporation whose term of office on the board of
      directors shall continue until their successors are elected.

      At the second meeting of members, the board of directors then
      elected shall replace the provisional directors named in the
      Letters Patent of the corporation.


9.    The Directors shall be elected for a term of three years.
      However, to provide for a rotation, one third shall be elected
      for one year, one third for two years and one third for three
      years. Thereafter, the term shall be three years.  They shall be
      elected each year by the members at an annual general meeting of
      members.


10.   The office of director shall be automatically vacated:

      a.   if a director has resigned their office by delivering a
	   written resignation to the secretary of the corporation;

      b.   if a director is found by a court to be of unsound mind;

      c.   if a director becomes bankrupt or suspends payment or
	   compounds with his creditors;

      d.   if at a special general meeting of members, a resolution is
	   passed by two-thirds of the members present at the meeting
	   that a director be removed from office;

      e.   on death;

      provided that if any vacancy shall occur for any reason in this
      paragraph contained, the board of directors by majority vote,
      may, by appointment, fill the vacancy.

11.   Meetings of the board of directors may be held at any time and
      place to be determined by the directors provided that 48 hours
      written notice of such meeting shall be given, other than by
      mail, to each director.  Notice by mail shall be posted
      electronically at least 14 days prior to the meeting.  There
      shall be at least one (1) meeting per year of the board of
      directors.  No error or omission in giving notice of any meeting
      of the board of directors or any adjourned meeting of the board
      of directors of the corporation shall invalidate such meeting or
      make void any proceedings taken thereat and any director may at
      any time waive notice of any such meeting and may ratify, approve
      and confirm any or all proceedings taken or had thereat.  Each
      director is authorized to exercise one (1) vote.

      If all the directors of the corporation consent thereto generally
      or in respect of a particular meeting, a director may participate
      in a meeting of the board or of a committee of the board by means
      of such conference telephone or other communications facilities
      as permit all persons participating in the meeting to hear each
      other, and a director participating in such a meeting by such
      means is deemed to be present at the meeting.

      A resolution in writing, signed by all the directors entitled to
      vote on that resolution at a meeting of the directors or
      committee of directors, is as valid as if it had been passed a
      meeting of directors or committee of directors.

12.   The directors shall serve as such without remuneration and no
      director shall directly or indirectly receive any profit from a
      director position as such; provided that a director may be paid
      reasonable expenses incurred by them in the performance of their
      duties. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to preclude
      any director from serving the corporation as an officer or in any
      other capacity and receiving compensation therefore.

13.   Retiring director shall remain in office until the dissolution
      or adjournment of the meeting at which their retirement is
      accepted and a successor is elected.

14.   The board or directors may appoint such agents and engage such
      employees as it shall deem necessary from time to time and such
      persons shall have such authority and shall perform such duties
      as shall be prescribed by the board of directors at the time of
      such appointment.

15.   A reasonable remuneration for all officers, agents and employees
      and committee members may be fixed by the board of directors by
      resolution.  Such resolution shall have force and effect only
      until the next meeting of members when such resolution shall be
      confirmed by resolution of the members, or in the absence of such
      confirmation by the members, then the remuneration to such
      officers, agents or employees and committee members shall cease
      to be payable from the date of such meeting of members.


		  INDEMNITIES TO DIRECTORS AND OTHERS

16.   Every director or officer of the corporation or other person who
      has undertaken or is about to undertake any liability on behalf
      of the corporation or any company controlled by it and their
      heirs, executors and administrators, and estate and effects,
      respectively, shall from time to time and at all times, be
      indemnified and saved harmless out of the funds of the
      corporation, from and against:

      a.   all costs, charges and expenses which such director,
	   officer or other person sustains or incurs in or about any
	   action, suit or proceedings which is brought, commenced or
	   prosecuted against them, or in respect of any act, deed,
	   matter of thing whatsoever, made, done or permitted by them,
	   in or about the execution of the duties of their office or
	   in respect of any such liability;

      b.   all other costs, charges and expenses which they sustain or
	   incur in or about or in relation to the affairs thereof,
	   except such costs, charges or expenses as are occasioned by
	   their own wilful neglect or default.


			  EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

17.   The board of directors may appoint an Executive Committee for
      such purposes and with all such powers as the board of directors
      may determine from time to time.

      The office of an Executive Committee member shall be
      automatically terminated:

      a.   if an executive committee member has resigned their office
	   by delivering a written resignation to the secretary of the
	   corporation;

      b.   if an executive committee member is found by a court to be
	   of unsound mind;

      c.   if an executive committee member becomes bankrupt or
	   suspends payment or compounds with his creditors;

      d.   if at a special general meeting of members, a resolution is
	   passed by two-thirds of the members present at the meeting
	   that an executive committee member be removed from office;

      e.   on death;


      provided that if any vacancy shall occur for any reason in this
      paragraph contained, the board of directors by majority vote,
      may, by appointment, fill the vacancy.

      Meetings of the Executive Committee may be held at any time and
      place to be determined by the executive committee members
      provided that 48 hours written notice of such meeting shall be
      given, other than by mail, to each executive committee member.
      Notice by mail shall be posted electronically at least 14 days
      prior to the meeting.  There shall be at least one (1) meeting
      per year of the Executive Committee.  No error or omission in
      giving notice of any meeting of the Executive Committee or any
      adjourned meeting of the Executive Committee of the corporation
      shall invalidate such meeting or make void any proceedings taken
      thereat and any executive committee member may at any time waive
      notice of any such meeting and may ratify, approve and confirm
      any or all proceedings taken or had thereat.  Each executive
      committee member is authorized to exercise one (1) vote.

      If all the executive committee members of the corporation consent
      thereto generally or in respect of a particular meeting, an
      executive committee member may participate in a meeting of the
      executive committee members by means of such conference telephone
      or other communications facilities as permit all persons
      participating in the meeting to hear each other, and an executive
      committee member participating in such a meeting by such means is
      deemed to be present at the meeting.

      A resolution in writing, signed by all the executive committee
      members entitled to vote on that resolution at a meeting of
      executive committee members, is as valid as if it had been passed
      a meeting of the executive committee members.


			  POWERS OF DIRECTORS

18.   The directors of the corporation may administer the affairs of
      the corporation in all things and make or cause to be made for
      the corporation, in its name, any kind of contract which the
      corporation may lawfully enter into and, save as hereinafter
      provided, generally, may exercise all such other powers and do
      all such other acts and things as the corporation is by its
      charter or otherwise authorized to exercise and do.

19.   The directors shall have power to authorize expenditures on
      behalf of the corporation from time to time and may delegate by
      resolution to an officer or officers or executive committee of
      the corporation the right to employ and pay salaries to
      employees.  The directors shall have the power to enter into a
      trust arrangement with a trust company for the purpose of
      creating a trust fund in which the capital and interest may be
      made available for the benefit of promoting the interest of the
      corporation in accordance with such terms as the board of
      directors may prescribe.

20.   The board of directors shall take such steps as they may deem
      requisite to enable the corporation to acquire, accept, solicit
      or receive legacies, gifts, grants, settlements, bequests,
      endowments and donations of any kind whatsoever for the purpose
      of furthering the objects of the corporation.




			       OFFICERS

21.   The officers of the corporation shall be a president, first
      vice-president, second vice president, secretary and treasurer
      and any such other officers as the board of directors may by
      by-law determine.  Any two offices may be held by the same
      person.  Officers need not be directors, nor members.

22.   Officers shall be appointed by resolution of the board of
      directors at the first meeting of the board of directors
      following an annual meeting of members in which the directors are
      elected.

23.   The officers of the corporation shall hold office for two years
      from the date of appointment or election or until their
      successors are elected or appointed in their stead.  Officers
      shall be subject to removal by resolution of the board of
      directors at any time.


			  DUTIES OF OFFICERS

24.   The president shall be the chief executive officer of the
      corporation. The president shall preside at all meetings of the
      corporation and of the board of directors.  The president shall
      have the general and active management of the affairs of the
      corporation.  The president shall see that all orders and
      resolutions of the board of directors are carried into effect.

25.   The first vice-president and second vice president,
      consecutively, shall, in the absence or disability of the
      president, perform the duties and exercise the powers of the
      president and shall perform such other duties as shall from time
      to time be imposed upon them by the board of directors.

26.   The treasurer shall have the custody of the funds and securities
      of the corporation and shall keep full and accurate accounts of
      all assets, liabilities, receipts and disbursements of the
      corporation in the books belonging to the corporation and shall
      deposit all monies, securities and other valuable effects in the
      name and to the credit of the corporation in such chartered bank
      or trust company, or, in the case of securities, with such
      registered dealer in securities as may be designated by the board
      of directors from time to time.  The treasurer shall disburse the
      funds of the corporation as may be directed by proper authority
      taking proper vouchers for such disbursements, and shall render
      to the president and directors at the regular meeting of the
      board of directors, or whenever they may require it, an
      accounting of all the transactions and a statement of the
      financial position, of the corporation. The treasurer shall also
      perform such other duties as may from time to time be directed by
      the board of directors.

27.   The secretary may be empowered by the board of directors, upon
      resolution of the board  of directors, to carry out the affairs
      of the corporation generally under the supervision of the
      officers thereof and shall attend all meetings and act as clerk
      thereof and record all votes and minutes of all proceedings in
      the books to be kept for that purpose.  The secretary shall give
      or cause to be given notice of all meetings of the members and of
      the board of directors, all shall perform such other duties as
      may be prescribed by the board of directors or president, under
      whose supervision the secretary shall be.  The secretary shall be
      custodian of the seal of the corporation which they shall deliver
      only when authorized by a resolution of the board of directors to
      do so and to such person or persons as may be named in the
      resolution.

28.   The duties of all other officers of the corporation shall be
      such as the terms of their engagement call for or the board of
      directors requires of them.


			EXECUTION OF DOCUMENTS

29.   Contracts, documents or any instruments in writing requiring the
      signature of the corporation, shall be signed by any two officers
      and all contracts, documents and instruments in writing so signed
      shall be binding upon the corporation without any further
      authorization or formality.  The directors shall have power from
      time to time by resolution to appoint an officer or officers on
      behalf of the corporation to sign specific contracts, documents
      and instruments in writing.  The directors may give the
      corporation's power of attorney to any registered dealer in
      securities for the purposes of the transferring and dealing with
      any stocks, bonds, and other securities of the corporation.  The
      seal of the corporation when required may be affixed to
      contracts, documents and instruments in writing signed as
      aforesaid or by any officer or officers appointed by resolution
      of the board of directors.


			       MEETINGS

30.   The annual or any other general meeting of the members shall be
      held at the head office of the corporation or at any place in
      Canada as the board of directors may determine and on such day as
      the said directors shall appoint.  The members may resolve that a
      particular meeting of members be held outside Canadan

31.   At every annual meeting, in addition to any other business that
      may be transacted, the report of the directors, the financial
      statements and the report of the auditors shall be presented and
      auditors appointed for the ensuing year.  The members may
      consider and transact any business either special or general at
      any meeting of the members.  The board of directors or the
      president or either vice-president shall have power to call, at
      any time, a general meeting of the members of the corporation.
      The board of directors shall call a special general meeting of
      members on written requisition of members carrying not less than
      5% of the voting rights.  Thirty members present in person at a
      meeting will constitute a quorum.

32.   Fourteen (14) days' written notice shall be given, sent or
      posted electronically to each voting member of any annual or
      special general meeting of members.  Notice of any meeting where
      special business will be transacted shall contain sufficient
      information to permit the member to form a reasoned judgement on
      the decision to be taken.  Notice of each meeting of members may
      remind the member that he has the right to vote by proxy.

      Each voting member present at a meeting shall have the right to
      exercise one vote.  A member may, by means of a written proxy,
      appoint a proxy holder to attend and act at a specific meeting of
      members, in the manner and to the extent authorized by the
      proxy.   A proxy holder must be a member of the corporation.

      A resolution in writing, signed by all the members entitled to
      vote on that resolution at a meeting of members, is as valid as
      if it had been passed at a meeting of the members.

 3.   No error or omission in giving notice of any annual or general
      meeting or any adjourned meeting, whether annual or general, of
      the members of the corporation shall invalidate such meeting or
      make void any proceedings taken thereat and any member may at any
      time waive notice of any such meeting and may ratify, approve and
      confirm any or all proceedings taken or had thereat.  For purpose
      of sending notice to any member, director or officer for any
      meeting or otherwise, the address of the member, director or
      officer shall be his last address recorded on the books of the
      corporation.


			   VOTING OF MEMBERS

34.   At all meetings of members of the corporation, every question
      shall be determined by a majority of votes unless otherwise
      specifically provided by statue or by these by-laws.


			    FINANCIAL YEAR

35.   Unless otherwise ordered by the board of directors, the fiscal
      year-end of the corporation shall be December 31.


			      COMMITTEES

36.   The board of directors may appoint committees whose members will
      hold their offices at the will of the board of directors.  The
      directors shall determine the duties of such committees and may
      fix any remuneration to be paid.


			 AMENDMENT OF BY-LAWS

37.   The by-laws of the corporation not embodied in the letters
      patent may be repealed or amended by by-law enacted by a majority
      of the directors at a meeting of the board of directors and
      sanctioned by an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of
      the members at a meeting duly called for the purpose of
      considering the said by-law, provided that the repeal or
      amendment of such by-laws shall not be enforced or acted upon
      until the approval of the Minister of Consumer and Corporate
      Affairs has been obtained.

			       AUDITORS

38.   The members shall, at each annual meeting, appoint an auditor to
      audit the accounts of the corporation for report to the members
      at the next annual meeting.  The auditor shall hold office until
      the next annual meeting provided that the directors may fill any
      casual vacancy in the office of the auditor.  The remuneration of
      the auditor shall be fixed by the board of directors.

			   BOOKS AND RECORDS

39.   The directors shall see that all necessary books and records of
      the corporation required by the by-laws of the corporation or by
      any applicable statute or law are regularly and properly kept.

			 RULES AND REGULATION

40.   The board of directors may prescribe such rules and regulations
      not inconsistent with these by-laws relating to the management
      and operation of the corporation as they deem expedient, provided
      that such rules and regulations shall have force and effect only
      until the next annual meeting of the members of the corporation
      when they shall be confirmed, and failing such confirmation at
      such annual meeting of members, shall at and from that time cease
      to have any force and effect.


			    INTERPRETATION

41.   In these by-laws and in all other by-laws of the corporation
      hereafter passed unless the context otherwise requires, words,
      importing the singular number or the masculine gender shall
      include the plural number or the feminine gender, as the case may
      be, and vice versa, and references to persons shall include firms
      and corporations.


