Internet Info 1994 March/Internet Info CD-ROM (Walnut Creek) (March 1994).iso/inet/nren/nii.npr.931022

Text File | 1993-10-26 | 9KB | 167 lines

<NIC.MERIT.EDU> /nren/nii.1993/nii.npr.931022

Date: Fri, 8 Oct 93 10:41:56 EDT
From: Shawn McCarthy <[e-mail]>
Subject: National Performance Review/NII Symposium

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
SYMPOSIUM TO EXPLORE SYNERGIES OF THE NATIONAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW
AND NATIONAL INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE

* Public Policy Implications of Information Technology
* Reengineering Through Information Technology
* Role of the Information Technology Industry

Washington, D.C. -- Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of the House
Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance, will
discuss government's committment to building an information infrastructure
at a symposium sponsored by The Information Technology Association of
America (ITTA), the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), and
GOVERNMENT COMPUTER NEWS. The three groups have joined together to
sponsor a major public policy discussion on the National Performance Review
and the National Information Infrastructure.

The Event will start at 8 a.m. on October 22, 1993, at the Lowes L'Enfant
Plaza Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The Symposium will examine implementation strategies for the National
Performance Review (NPR) and investigate how the National Information
Infrastructure (NII) can help the federal government reach its performance
goals.

Also slated to speak are Carolyn Lukensmeyer, deputy director for
management, National Performance Review; James Flysik, co-chairman of
the NPR information technology task team and director of telecommunications
management at the U.S. Treasury Department; and Renato DePentima, deputy
commissioner, Social Security Administration.

The sessional will run from 8 .m. to noon. The fee for government
officials is $25 in advance or $35 at the door. The fee for industry
representatives is $60 in advance or $80 at the door. Press
representatives are welcome.

For more information, contact:
Tom Temin - Government Computer News [phone]
Bob Cohen - ITAA [phone]
Larry Bernosky - NAPA [phone]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 22 Oct 93 17:48:50 EDT
From: Shawn McCarthy <[e-mail]>
Subject: Symposium Report

As experts meet in Washington, Government Scrutiny Grows for NII and NPR
Initiatives,

By Shawn P. McCarthy
GCN Associate Editor, Systems

(Permission granted to re-post or reprint, with credit to Government
Computer News)

     Two Clinton Administration programs - the National Performance Review
and the National Information Infrastructure effort - already are on the
way to achieving some of their goals. But many details remain unfocused,
and public attitudes need to change before success can be guaranteed.
     That's the scenario painted by several government officials who met
today in Washington D.C. to discuss synergism between the NPR and NII at a
symposium sponsored by Government Computer News, the Information
Technology Association of America and the Congressionally charted National
Academy of Public Administration. GCN's Editor Tom Temin moderated the
symposium.
     Carolyn Lukensmeyer, deputy director for management of the National
Performance Review, reported that, just six weeks after the NPR plan was
released, some kind of action has been taken on about 63 percent of the
program's recommendations. ``I think the window of opportunity for this is
much larger than any of us dreamed,'' said Lukensmeyer.
     Her biggest challenge for the months ahead will be to overcome
nay-sayers who predict the NPR cannot be achieved in "our lifetime." Her
best weapon has been to point to the Berlin Wall, the collapse of the
former Soviet Union and the recent PLO/Israeli peace accord as proof that
big things can happen quickly.
     The NPR's recommendations ranged from ways to reengineering
government business processes to thoughts on improving taxpayer services.
     Lunkensmyer insisted that the NPR is different from other government
performance initiatives that have failed, because
     * the review is not an exercise in "government-bashing"
     * it searches for existing successes and builds on them
     * it leverages the knowledge and expertise of federal employees
     * it goes to great lengths to triple-check quoted numbers
     * it has the strong support of the president and vice president

     She admitted that fear among taxpayers is a big problem. A democratic
Leadership Council poll this year showed that a majority of taxpayers
worry about "empowering" federal employees to do more when there are
already perceived problems with government waste and fraud.
     To quell concerns, Lunkensmyer said Clinton has targeted four
American deficits that must be dealt with. These are the budget deficit,
the deficit in infrastructure investment, the deficit in government
performance and the deficit in public trust of the government.
     Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass), chairman of the House Subcommittee on
Telecommunications and Finance, complained about recent mergers of
communications giants, such as the proposed deal between Bell Atlantic and
Telecommunications Inc. (TCI). While citing the merger as a force that
will speed the deliver of on-line interactive media, he said "We must make
sure that the tangled webs they (merging media companies) weave don't
electronically ensnare consumers and competitors."
     Markey's solution? Open interfaces right to the desktop or television
top, and competition in the marketplace. "We should have at least two
independently-owned wires running down every street in America, each
capable of delivering interactive multimedia."
     James Flyzik, director of telecommunications management at the
Treasury Department, reported that re-engineering through information
technology will be a key enabler to reinventing government. He has found
many success stories in the government that will serve as an information
technology foundation for future expansion. But his immediate worry is that
     * the federal government has no national strategic vision for
       information technology
     * there is a poor public perception of government IT efforts
     * there is still a paper-based system in place in many government offices
     * delivery of government information is uncoordinated and overlapping
     * many barriers exist against expanding information technologies
       while few incentives exist to remove those barriers.

     Flyzik proposed some solutions too. These include
     * strengthening leadership in IT, by establishing IT working groups
       to eliminate duplicate efforts and create strategic plans, while
       empowering interagency teams to coordinate such efforts
     * integrating "electronic government" by making "virtual agencies"
       that can be accessed by phone and computer 24 hours per day, integrating
       data government data so citizens only have to report it once and
       placing programs such as food stamps onto debit cards.
     * establishing a support mechanism to help those looking to establish the
       information infrastructure and share IT resources.

     The symposium also included a panel of IT experts fielding questions
in a session moderated by Temin.
     Renato DiPentima, deputy commissioner of the Social Security
Administration, said that some of the nagging questions on the NII
continue to be: Who will own the connecting networks? How will quality
connections be assured? How will copyright rules be enforced? How will
network security be enforced? And how will large systems be maintained?
     He said these concerns are what the public needs to think about while
it watches the mergers of the telecommunications giants.
     Richard Varn, an Iowa state senator, said Iowa paid for its own
network of data lines to disseminate government information
electronically. He wants to see "public time" available to all on future
networks.
     Varn noted that much public information is already available on
networks today, "but some people are not ready or willing to use them
[networks] yet," he said. One solution is to simplify the process,
including issuing smart cards that serve as a citizens driver's license,
bank debit card, health card and more.
     Ann Fuelberg, chief information office for the state of Texas,
brought in a dose of reality by noting that while we dream about an
on-line world, the cost of getting could be tremendous. She encouraged the
federal government to work closely with the states to achieve realistic
goals.
     "We could be your best friends in the project," she said "or your
worst enemy if we are left out."
     Temin noted that the federal government has long been the protective
force that looks after those in society that can't always help themselves.
"But when you're talking about information technology," he said "it's
tough to build the moral equivalent of a subway system."

end.