502 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
502 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
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NETWORKS and COMMUNITIES - December 26, 1993
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Issue 4
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Compiler Sam Sternberg samsam@vm1.yorku.ca
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This special issue is devoted to an analysis of the U.S.
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Whitehouse's network policy. It includes information on how to
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monitor and respond to it. Information on the technological and
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economic assumptions this initiative is based on is also
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included.
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First, key aspects are pointed out; Next, underlying assumptions
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are explored. Then I provide some suggestions for participation
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in the ongoing process of policy formulation. A listing of
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major organizations which can provide you with a "voice" are
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listed at the end.
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WHITEHOUSE LEGISLATIVE GOALS
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A background session held prior to U.S. VP Gore's speech focused
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on the key issues as seen from the Whitehouse .
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" the Telecommunications Act of '34 dealt with a much different
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world. We have now had the challenge of coming up with models
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that define competition in the modern world where you don't have
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competition that's based just on how many wire go into your
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house, but what your access is to wireless technology.
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The fact that we're going to be talking to our televisions and
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watching our telephones means that we have to redefine what
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competition means because we're going to be getting information
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from every source imaginable. And as one person put it,
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everything we do now through wires in the ground we're going to
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do in the air; and everything we do now in the air we're going to
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do through wires in the ground. So we have to rethink the models
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at the same time that we're rethinking the technology."
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VP Gore has done his homework and he is attempting to harmonize
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the various interests within the administration and on the hill.
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"first off, the Vice President has spoken with the spoken with
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the sponsors of all of the bills that are on the Hill in the
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last month or two and has met with many of them personally, and
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has had an interagency group that has been reviewing all of that.
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Tomorrow in his talk he will address where he would like to go
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with some of those , although the administration proposal and
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which of the bills we will incorporate and which provisions will
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be announced in the January speech in Los Angeles".
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Laudably the focus on social issues is clear.
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" This isn't so much about technology, although that's what we
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read about every day, as it is about technology's effects on the
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way we communicate and the way we're going to communicate, and
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who will have information and who will not.
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And the provision of information to the public, to schools,
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hospitals, libraries, as well as to the economically well-off
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sectors of society is a crucial point that we want to make sure
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is included in any reforms that happen".
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The nature of the administration's position on Universal Access
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is not so clear.
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" The extent of how we define universal service is actively under
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discussion. And the question of subsidies or rate subsidies is
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also a very difficult one. As you know, the definition of
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universal service has gone to having a party line phone to having
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an individual line. Is call-waiting part of universal service?
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Is a modem hook-up part of universal service? Those are some of
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the questions that we have to answer. We don't expect to have
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all of the answers, because the market will surprise us down the
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road in terms of what's available".
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The above quotes come from the report of the background session.
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In the speech itself Gore said
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" We cannot relax restrictions from legislation and judicial
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decisions without strong commitments and safeguards that there
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will be a "public right of way" on the information highway. We
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must protect the interests of the public sector.
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That's essential in building the information highway.
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That's essential in providing affordable services for public
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education, public health and government.
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The less fortunate sectors of the population must have
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access to a minimum level of information services through
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subsidies or other forms of a public interest tithe."
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[....................... matter deleted]
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Referring to the many technologies being used by reporters
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hearing the speech he said
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" All of these forms of communication bring us together --they
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allow us to participate in a virtually instantaneous dialogue.
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They will allow us to debate, and then to build a consensus, on
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the nature of the information infrastructure, on the details of
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legislation, on the nature of regulation.
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But, even more, as I said at the outset, these methods of
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communication allow us to build a society that is healthier, more
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prosperous, and better educated. They will allow us to
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strengthen the bonds of community and to build new "information
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communities."
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A FLAW IN THE WHITEHOUSE VISION
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In Vice President Gore's explanation of the administration's
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policy on the Information Highway there are a number of features
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of particular importance to advocates and operators of community
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networks.
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Before going into details, its important to point out one major
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apparent gap in the Vice President's understanding of the
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Internet.
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He apparently does not understand that the Cyberspace is not just
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a communications medium and tool for the distribution of
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information. It is most importantly a new opportunity to create
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compilations of information that meet specific needs.
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The most remarkable resources on the internet are its specialized
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compilations. Examples of excellent new resources include Fednet
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for government information, The History gopher for historians,
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Riceinfo for students and others with broad general interests;
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and the National Capital Free-net for residents of Ottawa Canada
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and the world wide Internet community.
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And among these compilations the most valuable are those that
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feature interactive services. It is specificly interactivity that
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is the most revolutionary aspect of the information highway.
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Free-nets and other civic network services are the most
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significant examples of such interactive compilations. They have
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the greatest potential for providing significant improvements in
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social service delivery, in life long learning opportunities, and
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in local access to information for both individuals and smaller
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businesses. Precisely because they provide local compilations
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tailored to local needs, they encourage broad general use and the
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development of sophisticated interactive resources. Only a civic
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net can develop the panoply of attractive resources that generate
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this synergistic effect. Where else can battered women hope to
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learn immediately about available shelter resources for
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themselves and at the same time obtain initial medical advice.
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Where else can a student study foreign language with both foriegn
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nationals and locals who are native speakers of that language.
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Educating the legislators who will shape this next body of
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communication law is our most important current task.
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COMMENTARY ON THE VICE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
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A: Free-nets and community networks were not specificly mentioned
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in either the background briefing or the speech itself.
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B: Commercial competition was described as the primary mechanism
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of guaranteeing access. The need for special access provisions
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for students, educational institutions, and other special
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populations was recognized.
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C: The issue of privacy and encryption was also not mentioned.
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D: Implied by the announcement was a commitment to encourage
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involvement by states and municipalities in the process of
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"guided deregulation".
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E: Access -by all potential service providers - to all "bit"
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marketing media was emphasised
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F: The Internet itself was described as a precursor to the
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information highway.
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G: There was little recognition that the Internet is a global
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entity.
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BACKGROUND on what was and wasn't said.
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[supplied by the compiler]
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WHY THE INTERNET IS ONLY A PRECURSOR TO THE INFORMATION HIGHWAY.
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1 - It is already possible to send digitized data along any
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communication network. And all networks can already be
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interconnected. This means cable, radio, TV, and the phone system
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are all unifiable and will soon be treated as a single network.
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2 - 98% of all North American households have telephones and
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their ordinary twisted pair phone lines can carry 100 megabits of
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data,when they have the proper equipment at the endpoints. Less
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than 1 percent of Chinese household have phones or are ever
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likely to get copper wire to the home. Advances in cellular
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technology have made interactive cellular TV a current reality so
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the rest of the world does not need wire to be connected. Most of
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the Third World will simply jump directly to wireless
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communication technologies.
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In essence the technology is already hear, so cost must decline
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and services be provided before global access becomes a reality.
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3 - Broadcast holography - the highest bit demanding technology
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currently being developed - can be transmitted within the limits
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of phone wire's 100 megabits of data. At least 4 real time, full
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color interactive TV channels can also be carried simultaneously
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over your phone line.
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4 - The next generation of TV - High Definition TV (HDTV) - will
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consist of computers pretending to be televisions. They will have
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full interactive capability and will be fundamentally digital,
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not analog units. If the history of color TV repeats itself, even
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households without phones will have such TV's within a decade or
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two of their appearance
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WHY ALL PROVIDERS NEED ACCESS TO ALL COMMUNICATION NETS.
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1 - Everyone and anyone is potentially an information provider,
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but not everyone has access to specific communications channels
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now. Without internetworking access, pockets of information
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exclusion will persist. Isolated communities in for example -
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Alaska, Canada, and Mongolia need access - even China, currently
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attempting to isolate itself from satellite broadcasts will
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eventually realize its error. Universal access is critical. It
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should not matter if it requires cable, radio or satellite
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services. Legislatively mandated access is needed to provide
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guarantees. Such legislation, hopefully, will be introduced in
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every country and be supplemented by international telecom law.
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2 - Current consumers of some communications services have not
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benefited from technologically based cost savings. Telephone
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service delivery costs have declined 98% in the past decade but
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North American consumers have not seen these savings passed on to
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them. In Hong Kong cellular service is provided for a low monthly
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fee. In North America every incoming and outgoing call is billed
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on a per minute of use basis. In Britain cable companies already
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offer phone service at lower rates than the state owned telco.
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Competition between alternative communication channels and on
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each channel really is need to allow communication costs to
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decline as rapidly as we seen computer equipment cost decline.
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WHY STATE AND MUNICIPALITIES MUST BE INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS.
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1 - Emerging legislation may mandate shared costs for the
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services to special populations. It will certainly mandate shared
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responsibility over the allocation of fiscal resources - block
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grants - for these communities. Municipalities in particular have
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a strong interest in requiring and providing universal access, as
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a means of lowering the costs associated with service delivery
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and regulatory enforcement. Advocates and operators of civic nets
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need to educate municipal and state officials now. The pace of
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legislative action at the federal level is breathtaking, and
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without informed participation by state and local officials, the
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principal allies the civic networking movement will be left out
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of the process.
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2 - Much of the federal legislation will require state
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legislatures to enact or modify laws to complete the process.
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Errors and omission at the Federal level can be corrected in
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State and municipal legislation.
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WHY PRIVACY ISSUES HAVE TO BE CLOSELY MONITORED IN UPCOMING
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LEGISLATION.
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1 - This administration remains committed to supporting the
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elements of law enforcement and intelligence communities that
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fear real privacy of communication. An attempt will almost
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certainly be made to use this round of legislative action to
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reintroduce regressive legislation on this subject.
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The appointment this week of Mr. Inman - former head of NSA - as
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Secretary of Defense virtually assures this.
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2 - The seductive force of access to the seat of power can
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already be seen in the misstep on the Clipper chip by EFF. [EFF -
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which has been enjoying unusually good access to the Whitehouse -
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advocated "voluntary" acceptance of the clipper chip]. CPSR
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caught this in time, but a concerted effort will be needed to
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prevent this kind of thing from affecting final versions of
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legislation, which are crafted in non-public joint mark-up
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sessions.
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3 - The proponents of a government right to invade your privacy
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are not trustworthy repositories of private information. These
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are the same folks who received 100s of billions in funding to
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monitor the Soviet Union, yet failed to predict its demise or to
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believe it had occurred long after it was an accomplished fact.
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They are now quietly lobbying the Whitehouse for a new role -
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Defending America business through covert action and monitoring.
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They are actually only attempting to defended their blotted
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budgets. If they succeed it will only harm both individual
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privacy and the competitive capacity of the U.S.
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The public justifications for "monitoring" are ludicrous.
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Anyone wishing to avoid legislatively mandate government access
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to private communications will simply avoid the nets. The rest of
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us will be subject to the decisions of this group as to which
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businesses are "America" and which of those deserve covert
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"service." Such a stance can only lead to a profound
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disinclination on the part of Global firms to business in and
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with the U.S. Or to communicate over the U.S. portion of the
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global net.
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WHY ACCESS PROVISIONS FOR SPECIAL POPULATIONS ARE NEEDED.
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1 - Almost no classrooms presently have phone access.
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2 - The vast majority of recipients of Federal, State, and local
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social assistance are among the 45% of the North American
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population without a personal computer in their household. No
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significant improvements in social services and no significant
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declines in the cost of delivering those services is possible,
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unless universal access is provided. Civic networks are the best
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current model for moving towards universal access.
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WHY FREE-NETS AND CIVIC NETS HAVE YET TO BE MENTIONED IN WHITE
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HOUSE MATERIALS.
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1 - The White House does not understand the benefits of civic
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networks.
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2 - The Civic networking community is not politically
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sophisticated.
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3 - The political infrastructure needed to impact upcoming
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legislative activity does not exist.
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MONITORING THE LEGISLATIVE ACTION
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The American Library Association's electronic newsletter can
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be expected to monitor this legislation closely, Subscribe by
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sending e-mail to : LISTSERV@UICMV.UIC.EDU
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In the body of the mail write -
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subscribe ala-wo (your name)
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PARTICIPATING IN THE PROCESS
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Clearly those of us who believe in local community nets with
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global access have got to get busy. The role and value of civic
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nets may be obvious to us. It is not obvious to the legislators
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who will be deciding on these matters.
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The physical net is a product of the business community. Its
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largest segment is based on software developed by a combination
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of government money and voluntarily contributed labour.
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Its content is largely contributed voluntarily for the benefit of
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all interested parties.
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In this is differs from any prior human cultural institution
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except our inherited cultures themselves. They too represent an
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inherited and shared body of knowledge and practices and beliefs
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which are not beneficial possessed [owned] by any particular
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person.
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We must work to guarantee this public spirited quality along with
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the governments goals of universal access.
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I suggest that we take as a model the successful effort led by
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Jim Warren in California to pass AB1624 [ it makes all California
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legislative information publicly available over the Internet ].
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This legislation was virtually dead when Warren began garnering
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support for it within California's computer and political
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communities. Over a several month period the legislature received
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1,000s of letters and faxes in support of the bill. It is now
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law.
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AB1624 will take effect Jan.1, 1994. It is a FIRST; this is the
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first time that comprehensive information about state
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legislation-in-process and state laws have been made available
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by a state via the nonproprietary public computer networks,
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especially without any fees charged by the state, all mandated by
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law.
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When Warren began his efforts the legislators refused to believe
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that anyone would voluntarily work to make government information
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public. They asked how the State could make money form this
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effort and how the Internet volunteers would make money. Slowly
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they were educated to the point where the law made sense to them
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and it passed.
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With the same spirit and determination that jim showed, both U.S.
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citizens and foreigners - like me - should participate in
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guaranteeing a role for civic networks. As VP Gore said in his
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speech " The challenge is not, in the end, the new technology.
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It is holding true to our basic principles."
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U.S. CITIZENS -
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U.S. citizens have a number of options open to them: The
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least effective action you can take is posting messages to the
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Internet. The Whitehouse monitors some of this traffic but most
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congresspersons don't.
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While the Whitehouse is proposing legislation, it is congress
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that will decide what happens.
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1 - Join one of the organizations listed below. Numbers matter
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when it comes to having your voice heard in the legislative
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process. Your dollars will help them participate in the process
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and your membership will increase their impact.
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2 - Send a fax -to the local office - of each of your municipal,
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state, and congressional reps.
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Let them know how important this legislation and the role of
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civic nets will be in its impact on the future social and
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financial health of the U.S. Tell them you will be following
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their actions locally.
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3 - Encourage the state and local chapters of all organizations
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you belong to - to join these organizations and - to take a
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position on local legislative actions.
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4 - E-mail the Whitehouse - tell them you appreciate their
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actions but you believe they have failed to recognize the
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importance of civic networks. Send messages to :
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vice.president@whitehouse.gov
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NON U.S. MEMBERS OF THE INTERNET COMMUNITY CAN GET INVOLVED -
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1 - E-mail the Whitehouse and let them know that the Legislation
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implementing the NII will have a global impact. Tell them about
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your perspective on this legislation.
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2 - Encourage your government to participate in this process by
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monitoring U.S. legislative actions, and preparing to enact
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legislation that reflects your distinct national needs.
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3 - Participate in international Telecom activities
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4 - Educate your government on the economic and social importance
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of maintaining technological parity. Emphasis the importance of
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civic networks in providing a low cost means of remaining on the
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leading edge of global social and technical developments.
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SOURCES OF ASSISTANCE
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1 - THE CENTER FOR CIVIC NETWORKING
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CCN can be reached at 617-241-9205 or ccn@civicnet.org
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To be added to their policy mailing list, send a request to
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nii_agenda-request@civicnet.org.
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Although almost dormant to date, the center may yet prove a major
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actor in the work to shape future legislation.
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2 - CPSR - Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
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This organization is my preferrence as an advocate in the absence
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of any decision by NPTN to take part in this process.
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It has a large network of chapters which can work on the state
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and local level. Its 20,000 members provide an important base for
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information dissemination and advocacy.
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In each case, the addresses listed below are on the machine
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csli.stanford.edu, so that the Internet style addresses should be
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cpsr-board@csli.stanford.edu, for example.
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CPSR-CHAPTERS
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cpsr-acadiana
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cpsr-madison cpsr-philadelphia
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cpsr-austin
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cpsr-maine cpsr-pittsburgh
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cpsr-berkeley
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cpsr-milwaukee cpsr-portland
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cpsr-boston
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cpsr-minnesota cpsr-san-diego
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cpsr-chicago
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cpsr-new-haven cpsr-santa-cruz
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cpsr-denver-boulder cpsr-new-york cpsr-seattle
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cpsr-los-angeles cpsr-palo-alto cpsr-washington-dc
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Please contact and join your nearest chapter.
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for more information gopher to
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gopher.cpsr.org
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3: EFF - the Electronic Frontier Foundation has played a
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significant role in advocating for strong civil liberties and
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high quality services on the Internet.
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for information gopher to gopher.eff.org
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These 3 groups and many others along with a plethora of
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additional information is available for access through the
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wonderful Rice University gopher.
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gopher to RICEINFO.RICE.EDU --> GOVERNMENT, POLITICAL SCIENCE,
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AND LAW.
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Happy New Year. Sam Sternberg samsam@vm1.yorku.ca
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Please feel free to use this newsletter as you see fit.
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