Tax policy should also encourage NII research and development. Kahn raised several policy issues. First, he is unconvinced that competition is feasible in the last mile of wiring to the home. The two must be rationalized. Carol C. Henderson, deputy director of the Washington office of the American Library Association, outlined the NII's promise for libraries, and noted generally that access to technology was equal to access to numerous communications.
Libraries are both users and providers of information.
The library will remain important, she said. Librarians will also maintain older materials that for-profit information providers will most likely purge from their databases when demand diminishes. Finally, the library will act as a safety net, guaranteeing universal access to information and expertise. Mary Gardiner Jones, president of the Consumer Interest Research Institute, said that it is essential to American democracy that the NII bring full, two-way video capabilities to every home. The Administration's goal of bringing information to the community is not enough.