From: patt@squid.tram.com (Patt Bromberger)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Electronic Access to Congress
Date: 9 Nov 92 19:03:00 GMT
Reply-To: patt@squid.tram.com (Patt Bromberger)
X-Fidonet: Split
Originator: wtm@sheldev.shel.isc-br.com

Index Number: 25551

Forwarded from: Frank Odasz, Director of Big Sky Telegraph
      franko@bigsky.dillon.mt.us

RE: I'd like to invite everyone interested to respond directly
to my Internet ID (above) regarding the following congressional
request for input! CoSN members can be particularly helpful with
the POLICY questions toward the end of the list! Please feel free
to disseminate the following.

Congressional input for this study can also be forwarded to Tom
Grundner at Cleveland Freenet - telnet 129.22.8.76 or telnet
129.22.8.75. Tom's voice number is 216-368-2733. Tom is focusing
on gathering urban input while Big Sky Telegraph is gathering
rural input. EVERYONE is invited to contribute to this study.
Feel free to add your own questions and answers and/or to answer
the listed questions in whatever manner suits you.

     CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT STUDY AND
                 WESTERN'S BIG SKY TELEGRAPH
          CONNECT ELECTRONICALLY TO CITIZENS FOR INPUT.

The US Congressional Office of Technology Assessment is
conducting a major study and has contracted with BIG SKY
TELEGRAPH of Western Montana College to solicate from citizens
suggestions regarding the potential of information technology to
allow the Federal government to be more responsive to rural and
small town America in the dissemination of Federal services and
information. BILLIONS of your tax dollars are spent each year
disseminating Federal services and information!

THE CHALLENGE:
"Electronic technologies might reduce the need for some layers of
bureaucracy, help bring government services more directly to the
citizens, and, by so doing, provide better services more
cheaply."

One goal of this study is to determine if citizens CARE enough to
respond to the opportunity to advise congress DIRECTLY, if given
the opportunity. This IS YOUR opportunity! The hope is that
grassroots input will provide innovative ideas and approaches.

EVERYONE interested is invited to respond to ANY or ALL of
the following questions and engage in online discussions with any
of the other participants. Access to Big Sky Telegraph is
available at no charge using a modem at 406-683-7680. Select
M)essages from the Main Menu, then select the USCONGRESS
conference. Big Sky Telegraph's voice number is 406-683-7870.

The conference will be held from September 1 - December 1, 1992,
solicating online written comments and opinions from teacher,
student, and citizen users of Big Sky Telegraph. All messages
will be printed and included as appendices to the study. A
summary 30-40 page double-spaced report from Big Sky Telegraph is
due in draft form Nov. 9, the final report is due Dec. 18, 1992.

PLEASE share your views on the following questions, and feel free
to ask your OWN!

1. What are citizen needs and desires for the electronic
   services?

2. If the appropriate technology were in place, what would
   citizens like to be able to DO and how would their lives
   improve?

3. What are the opportunities for improvement in the productivity
   and efficiency of service and information delivery?

4. What problems might arise with both service provider and
   citizen acceptance of electronic delivery?

5. What might be the requirements for education, training,
   and equipping of recipients?

6. How would electronic access impact users who are senior
   citizens, or disabled, or who live in rural settings?

7. What might be the requirements for training of service
   providers?

8. What services that are reasonably representative of the types
    of Federal services provided to small towns might be best
    suited to electronic delivery?

9. What services and technical applications might highlight
   opportunities for innovation in service delivery?

10. What are the prerequisites of successful implementations with
   attention to facilitators and inhibitors of innovations?

11. How might the services, delivery mechanisms, and related
    policy/management frameworks be redesigned?

EDUCATIONAL APPLICATIONS:  What should the federal policy
be with regard to supporting K-12 and other educational
applications using computer networks?

1. What computer network or information services could the
  federal government provide access to which would make our
  K-12 schools better?

2. Does the federal government have an obligation to provide more
  than access to services, must it also insure equitable access
  to these services for all schools and provide the necessary
  training to use these services effectively?

3. Should the federal government have a responsibility to assist
  in corporate and business training programs, or should it stop
  at the K-12 or college levels?

POLICY QUESTIONS: (These questions may be too technical for some
people.)

1. What might be the requirements for the government
   telecommunication and computing technology infrastructure
   needed to support electronic delivery, including appropriate
   technical standards to ensure systems compatibility and
   interoperability?

2. What consistency of electronic service delivery innovations
   exists with the current policy/management framework?

3. What policy/management changes that may be needed to implement
   technology-enhanced service delivery to rural/small town
   America?

How could electronically delivered service applications be
implemented to take into account the following policy/mangagement
considerations?

1. equity of electronic access to Federal services

2. protection of citizen privacy in Federal record systems

3. prevention/detection of fraud, waste, and abuse in program
   management and service delivery

4. protection of the security and integrity of systems used for
   electronic service delivery

5. appropriate retention and archiving of records and information
   related to electronic service delivery

6. consistency with annual and five-year agency planning for
   telecommunications and information resource management

7. relationship to agency automation programs and activities

8. relationship to FTS2000, NREN, and other Federal information
   technology programs

9. opportunities presented by electronic service delivery for
   synergy/economies of scale across Federal agencies/programs,
   across Federal/State/local levels of government

10. opportunities for cooperation with the private sector
    (service providers, computer/telecommunications providers,
    profit and nonprofit)

11. opportunities for telework, telecommuting

Frank Odasz                      \   /    ^     IMAGINATION
Western Montana College, Dillon, - O -   / \  ^  is more
important
MT, 59725 Voice:406-683-7338     /   \ ^/~~~\/~\  than knowledge.
Einstein.
Internet:franko@bigsky.dillon.mt.us  /   \    \  \
fidonet: 1:346/3 Fax 406-683-7493     / \    \  \ -Albert