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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President
For Immediate Release
Release October 9, 1998
STATEMENT BY VICE PRESIDENT GORE
ON PASSAGE OF NEXT GENERATION
INTERNET RESEARCH ACT
I am pleased that Congress has passed the Next Generation Internet
Research Act with strong bipartisan support. This legislation
encourages federal research needed to ensure continued U.S. leadership
in critical computer and communication technologies in the years to
come.
The Next Generation Internet initiative, which President Clinton
and I first proposed in October 1996, will keep America at the
cutting-edge of Internet technology. The NGI will establish the
foundation for the networks of the 21st Century in the same way that
government investments in networking beginning in the late 1960's led to
today's Internet.
Today, more than 70 million Americans are using the Internet to
educate their children, communicate with their elected officials, and
find the best deal on a new car or a home mortgage.
The Internet is driving a $2 trillion global information and
communications industry that has accounted for roughly one-third of U.S.
economic growth in recent years. More than 7.4 million Americans work
in information technology industries and in related occupations, earning
wages that are more than 60 percent higher than the private sector
average.
But the Information Revolution is just beginning. The Next
Generation Internet initiative will lead to networks that are more
secure, reliable, and thousands of times faster. It will enable
revolutionary new applications such as telemedicine and distance
learning and will accelerate of the pace of scientific discovery.
I urge Congress to provide full funding for this important
initiative, and not to take any steps that would delay it.
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