ZDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD? IMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM; ZDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD? 3 Founded By: 3 : Network Information Access : 3 -Other World BBS 3 3 Guardian Of Time 3D: 24SEPT90 :D3 -Txt Files Only! 3 3 Judge Dredd 3 : Judge Dredd : 3 See EOF if any ? 3 @DDDDDDDDBDDDDDDDDDY : File 55 : @DDDDDDDDDBDDDDDDDDY 3 HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM< 3 3 IMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM; 3 @DDDDDDDDDD6 Computer Network Gets Overseer GDDDDDDDDDDDY : Houston Chronicle : HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM< Houston Chronical [Joe Abernathy] ¤Monday Sept 24, 1990‡ "Computer Network Gets Overseer": A newly formed non-profit corporation will bring Fortune 500 management talent to the nation's increasingly troubled computer network matrix, say government and industry sources. The corporation, Advanced Network & Services, is designed to bring order to the vast Internet data telecommunications system, which has become a frequent companion to contraversy while enjoying a sixfold increase in use since January. The action is expected to pave the way for congressional approval of the Federal High-Performance Computing Act, a comprehensive law that would, among other things, pay to vastly expand the communications capacity of the system. The legislation bogged down after the Houston Chronicle disclosed the controversial aspects of Internet. "We have a very valuable tool in the network, and if we use it properly, it can be a very valuable asset to the country," said Allan H. Weis, chief executive officer of Advanced Network and a 30-year veteran of IBM, one of three corporate partners in the new management firm. Weis said that Advanced Network will provide a day-to-day management and monitoring of Internet, which connects thousands of military, educational and private computer networks. It also will serve as a model for other such partnerships that could help develop and promote the network's services. The company was formed by IBM, MCI Communications and Merit Inc. Merit is a Michigan consortium that previously managed the network under the supervision of the National Science Foundation and will continue to fill this role under the supervision of Advanced Network. There are still questions to be answered about the roles the various groups will play in managing this system. IBM and MCI, both of which sell equipment and services vital to networking, provided $5 million each in seed money for the new corporation. It will actively seek furtther investment by industry and will impose the first formal fee structure on the network, which only recently evolved from an elite communications tool for scientists. "Just as private contractors helped build the interstate highway system, this new corporation will help build the national information superhighways that today's information age demands," said Sen. Albert Gore Jr., D-Tenn., the sponsor of the legislation. The heart of the computing act is the expansion of Internet into a "data superhighway" that would link researchers, educators, homes and buisnesses into a vast network of computing resources. The expanded Internet would be called the National Research and Education Network, or NREN. It has been likened to the telephone in terms of its expected impact on American life. Internet first gained notoriety as the vehicle for the infamous Morris Worm, a destructive program that paralyzed many of the nation's high preformance computers in November 1988. Pieced together over the course of 20 years on the tradition of trust within the research community, the network is a temping target for abuse and the favored arena for hackers. At least 5 million people have access to Internet, which links dozens of nations and which is scheduled to be brought into secondary schools of Texas. In June, the Chronicle reported that the network was being used widely and openly for purposes will outside its research mandate, such as political activism and the distribution of pornographic art and literature. Despite an investigation by the science foundation - which has been the primary distributor of federal dollars for networking - the controversial use continues, although reduced in scope. "We observed the growth over the past few years and we looked at the structure that we had ... and decided that a more formal structure on the national level should be put into place," said Weis. "Something this big moves slowly, but it moves." The science foundation's role in the network is one of the few remaining aspects of the legislation that must be decided. The National Science Foundation is well-respected for its leveraging of funds, and the network infrastructure it molded is reliable and capable. But the foundation has given scant attention to content, bringing it under fire for the network's current state of virutal anarchy. The Department of Energy wants control of the network, but the agency's viewpoint is considered to narrow, say congressional sources. The vision of the science foundation combined with the IBM-style management of Advanced Network is expected to satisfy critics. "The NREN is such a big effort that the government can't do it by itself, industry can't do it by itself, and academia can't do it by itself," said Weis. "To make it successful it's going to take the joint effort of government, industry and academia." Advanced Network will draw management expertise from MCI, IBM, Merit, McGraw-Hill and Merck, the pharmaceutical company known for its ability to find practicality in cutting-edge research. McGraw-Hill, best known as the owner of Business Week, is also in the textbook and information services businesses. "Wouldn't it be nice if we were able to provide, over the network, the newest physics textbook, the the textbook was a living textbook in that you could watch what happened when you applied additional weight to a fulcrum?" said Weis, offering one example of an educational use for the network. Sen. Gore's computing act, which has the support of the Bush administration, would allocate $2 billion over the course of five years to ensure the nation's continued dominance in the field of high-performance computing. The National Research Education Network would recieve $400 million of this amount, with the rest going for related infrastructure. "The interstate highway system would not have een built without a federal commitment," said Gore in behalf of the package. "The federal government is an essential catalyst foor developing and demonstrating this technology." The Federal High-Preformance Computing Act is scheduled to be considered by full Senate before it adjourns in October. A similar House bill, which was suspended following the Chronicle's disclosure of Internet's misuse, will be returned to consideration after approval of the Senate plan. JUDGE DREDD/NIA --- Well folks, got some chem to finish up. I just caught this article when goin' downstairs. Looks like Gore is into this eh? great, if ya' didn't know his wife was the head of the PMRC. And this bit 'bout charging for the net, I don't like the idea and I'm sure the sites don't either. Also, 'regulating', it sounds more like 'censoring'. Guardian Of Time Judge Dredd Ignorance, Theres No Excuse. For questions or comments write to: Internet: elisem@nuchat.sccsi.com ...!uunet!nuchat!elisem Fidonet: 1:106/69.0 or NIA FeedBack P.O. Box 299 Santa Fe, Tx. 77517-0299 [OTHER WORLD BBS]