[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 21, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14980-14982]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-6882]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
National Information Infrastructure; Public Meeting
agency: Office of Management and Budget.
action: National Information Infrastructure Security issues forum;
notice of public meeting and request for public comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
summary: The National Information Infrastructure Security Issues Forum
[[Page 14981]] will conduct a public meeting to continue a dialogue
between government and the private and public interest sectors on
issues related to the security of information on the National
Information Infrastructure (NII). Interested parties--especially users
and providers of services based on the public switched network as well
as cable, wireless, satellite, and Internet communications--are invited
to submit a 1-2 page position statement and request to testify on the
subject of the availability and the reliability of the NII.
The meetings are sponsored by the NII Security Issues Forum of the
Information Infrastructure Task Force and Mega-Project III of the U.S.
Advisory Council on the NII.
dates: The public meeting, ``The NII: Will It Be There When You Need
It? Will It Be Safe To Use?'' will be held on Tuesday, March 28, 1995,
from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Room 4830 at the Department of Commerce
in Washington, DC.
Those wishing to testify should submit a 1-2 page position
statement and request to participate by March 20, 1995. Individuals
wishing to offer general comments or present questions may request to
do so during the meeting. Written comments may be submitted on paper or
electronically, in ASCII format, and will be accepted until April 21,
1995.
addresses: The public meeting will be held in Room 4830 at the
Department of Commerce at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW., in
Washington, DC.
Postion statements and requests to appear for the meeting, ``The
NII: Will It Be There When You Need It? Will It Be Safe To Use?''
should be sent to the National Communications Systems, 701 South Court
House Road, Arlington, VA 22204, marked to the attention of Mr. Mark
Centra. Position statements may also be submitted via fax to (703) 746-
4960 or through electronic mail to centram@cc.ims.disa.mil. Electronic
mail should be submitted as unencoded, unformatted, ASCII text.
Parties offering testimony are asked to provide them on paper, and
where possible, in machine-readable format. Machine-readable
submissions may be provided through electronic mail messages sent over
the Internet, or on a 3.5'' floppy disk formatted for use in an MS-DOD
based computer. Machine-readable submissions should be provided as
unencoded, unformatted ASCII text.
Written comments should include the following information:
Name and organizational affiliation, if any, of the
individual responding;
An indication of whether comments offered represents views
of the respondent's organization or are the respondent's personal
views; and
If applicable, information on the respondent's
organization, including the type of organization (e.g., trade
association, private corporation, non-profit organization) and general
areas of interest.
for further information contact: For further information relating to
the availability and reliability of the NII, contact Mr. Mark Centra of
the National Communications System at (703) 607-6183.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Issues for Public Comment
A. Background
The NII is a system of high-speed telecommunications networks,
databases, and advanced computer systems that will make electronic
information more widely available and accessible than ever before. The
NII includes not only the Internet, but also the public switched
network, and cable, wireless, and satellite communications. As the
network becomes more interconnected, citizens and organizations will
engage in multimedia communications, as well as sell goods and services
electronically, share data resources, and receive Federal benefits.
This increased availability and accessibility of services and products
provided through information technology will dramatically affect the
way in which individuals conduct their everyday affairs.
Consequently, broad public and commercial use of the NII hinges
upon implementing technologies, policies, and practices that not only
ensure that users of information systems have access to information
when and where they need it, but that subjects of information records
are able to protect themselves from unauthorized or inappropriate
access to or use of information.
``Americans will not use the NII to its full potential unless they
trust that information will go where and when they want it and nowhere
else,'' declared Sally Katzen, Administrator of the Office of
Information Regulatory Affairs at OMB and chair of the Forum. ``The
Federal government is a primary user of the NII and thus a catalyst for
change. Yet the NII will be designed, built, owned, operated, and used
primarily by the private sector, making it essential that security on
the NII be considered in partnership with the public.''
To address these critical issues, the Vice president formed the
Information Infrastructure Task Force (IITF). The IITF is chaired by
Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and is comprised of senior
Administration officials having expertise in technical, legal, and
policy areas pertinent to the NII. The Mission of the IITF is to
articulate and implement the Administration's vision for the NII. The
NII Security Issues Forum was established within the IITF to address
the cross-cutting issue of security in the NII.
In addition to the IITF, the President has established the U.S.
Advisory Council on the National Information Infrastructure. The
Advisory Council represents industry, labor, and public interest
groups, and advises the Secretary of Commerce on issues relating to the
NII. Mega-Project III, one of three work groups of the Advisory
Council, is responsible for addressing security, intellectual property,
and privacy issues as they relate to the NII.
The public meetings are part of an ongoing dialogue with the
Administration to assess the security needs and concerns of users of
the National Information Infrastructure (NII). The testimony of the
meeting participants will form the basis of a report being developed by
the NII Security Issues Forum, ``The NII Security Plant.'' The Security
Plan will: Outline findings of security needs; present an analysis of
technical, legal and architectural issues relating to security; discuss
the Federal and private sector roles in meeting these need; and propose
milestones towards the achievement of Federal roles.
B. Structure and Content of Public Meeting
Security--or the confidentiality, integrity, availability, and
reliability of information and services provided on the NII--is linked
inextricably to its broad public use. The Forum and Mega-Project III
seek input from parties representing individual and corporate users of
communications networks as well as providers of communications
services.
Security will determine whether, how, and to what extent the NII
will be used in such critical applications as enabling electronic
commerce, providing public information, training and educating
students, supporting the efficient delivery of government services, and
utilizing intelligent transportation systems.
NII security will be supported by technology, as well as by a sound
legal and policy framework. The Forum and Mega-Project III seek input
in this area [[Page 14982]] as well. Specifically, what technologies,
legal remedies, and policy frameworks, or combinations thereof, can be
used to effectively protect the security of the Internet, the public
switched network, and other communications systems?
A panel of witnesses drawn from the public will be assembled to
discuss the following topics with a panel of senior Administration
officials, members of the Security Issues forum, and members of the
U.S. Advisory Council on the NII, and to field questions and comments
from other members of the public.
The public meeting will consist of two panels. The first panel,
entitled ``Experiences and Expectations,'' representing users of the
NII, should address questions in three principal areas:
1. As systems evolve from a closed to a more open status, what are
your expectations and needs regarding the availability and reliability
of services and information on the NII? Examples of risks include loss
of proprietary or personal information or network disruptions or
outages.
2. How does your organization plan to ensure that information and
underlying systems are available to legitimate users? Consider
technical, managerial, and legal strategies.
3. How should government support the reliability and availability
of the NII? What government policies or guidance would bolster your
confidence in the NII?
The second panel, entitled, ``current State of Affairs and Future
Challenges,'' represented industry providers of communications
services, whether cable, wireless, satellite, Internet, or public
switched network communications, should address questions in three
principal areas:
1. What are the security risks faced by industry providers of
communications services today? As networks evolve from a closed status
to a more open one, how will the interoperability of systems and the
expansion of universal access affect availability and reliability? How
do you plan to address potential threats such as network disruptions
and outages or degradation of service as new services are implemented?
Consider technical, managerial, and legal strategies.
2. Do you feel that end-users are aware of the level of
availability and reliability associated with various components of the
NII? What steps have you taken to educate or meet the expectations of
the user in the areas of availability and reliability of the NII,
particularly within the Internet?
3. How should government support availability and reliability in
the NII? Some examples might include legislation, public education, or
regulation.
II. Guidelines for Participation in the Public Hearing
Individuals who would like to participate on a panel must request
an opportunity to do so no later than March 20, 1995, by submitting a
brief, 1-2 page summary position statement. If approved, each
participant will be allowed to present brief opening remarks. Primary
participation, however, shall be during the general discussion to
follow, according to the format described above.
Participants in the public meeting will testify before and
participate in discussions with a panel consisting of members of the
Advisory Council, members of the Security Issues Forum, and other
Administration officials.
Individuals not selected as panel participants may offer comments
or ask questions of the witnesses by requesting an opportunity to do so
and being recognized during the meeting by the chairs of the meetings.
Oral remarks offered in this fashion should not exceed three minutes.
No advance approval is required to attend the public meetings, offer
comments, or present questions.
The public meeting will be chaired by Ms. Sally Katzen, Chair of
the NII Security Issues Forum. The meeting will be co-chaired by Mr.
Bob Marquette, Deputy Manager, National Communications Systems; Mr. Tom
Sugrue, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information,
National Telecommunications and Information Administration; and Mr.
Robert Pepper, Chief, Office of Plans & Policy, Federal Communications
Commission.
More information about the Clinton Administration's National
Information Infrastructure initiative can be obtained from the IITF
Secretariat. Inquiries may be directed to Yvette Barrett at (202) 482-
1835, by e-mail to ybarrett@ntia.doc.gov, or by mail to U.S. Department
of Commerce, IITF Secretariat, NTIA, Room 4892, Washington, DC 20230.
For inquiries over the Internet to the IITF Gopher Server, gopher,
telnet (login = gopher), or anonymous ftp to iitf.doc.gov. Access is
also available over the World-Wide-Web. Questions may be addressed to
nii@ntia.doc.gov.
For access by modem, dial (202) 501-1920 and set modem
communications parameters at no parity, 8 data bits, and one stop
(N,8,1). Modem speeds of up to 14,400 baud are supported.
Sally Katzen,
Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 95-6882 Filed 3-20-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3110-01-M
