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XIWT Press release
From: David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1993 06:33:07 -0500
PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Contact: John R. Garrett December 13, 1993 703-620-8990 CROSS-INDUSTRY COALITION TO ADDRESS TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE NATION AL INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE Washington, D.C. -- Today, twenty-eight U.S. corporations announced the formation of the Cross-Industry Working Team (XIWT), a multi-industry coalition committed to defining the architecture and key technical requirements for a powerful and sustainable National Information Infrastructure (NII). "By fostering the development and application of technologies that cross traditional industry boundaries, XIWT hopes to significantly contribute to the development and deployment of a world-class NII," said Robert E. Kahn, president of the Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI) under whose auspices XIWT is organized. "XIWT members are providers of emerging NII technologies and applications from several key information industries. By creating a common forum for technology discussions, and by pooling their diverse skills and experience, XIWT members will facilitate the conversion of the NII vision into real-world implementations." The NII is a major initiative supported by the Clinton-Gore Administration and a broad range of U.S. industries. As envisioned, the NII will integrate modern communications and computing technologies to revitalize and reengineer education, health care, manufacturing, life-long learning, and government, as well as enhance the competitiveness of U.S. industries. "The NII will provide the foundation for a national transformation to an information and knowledge-based society, a key element for the U.S. to sustain leadership in the world economy," said Vice President Al Gore. "It is gratifying to see the XIWT bringing together many of the most knowledgeable technologists in the country to help create a technical vision for the NII. The Administration plans to work closely with the XIWT participants in making the NII a reality." Among its activities, XIWT will * Create and sustain an open, cooperative networked environment for the members to exchange technical ideas, interests, and information; * Develop common technological and architectural approaches that bridge industry gaps and match the evolution of information technologies while providing for openness, heterogeneity, interoperability, scalability, and ease of use; * Plan information infrastructure pilot projects that leverage industry capabilities and state-of-the-art research; * Foster ongoing experimentation and development of technology and cross-industry applications and skills; * Promote cross-fertilization of technology and stimulate advanced infrastructure development; * Create and maintain an open forum for dialogue among representatives of key U.S. stakeholder communities in the private and public sectors; * Organize NII technology forums to discuss and disseminate XIWT results and sponsor periodic publications of white papers on specific technology issues, the first of which is planned for early 1994. XIWT is coordinating its efforts with the 21st Century Infrastructure Project being undertaken by the private sector Council on Competitiveness and is cooperating with other industry groups working on NII issues. "Information highways and skyways must provide the paths to U.S. leadership in tomorrow's global marketplace," said George M.C. Fisher, chairman of the Council on Competitiveness. "The Cross-Industry Working Team is building a framework for a truly cooperative approach by industry, academia and government in developing the infrastructure." "The XIWT is an important complement to these and other policy-related efforts," said Kahn. "By focussing on technical issues that cross traditional industry boundaries, the XIWT will provide an organizational framework for critical cross-industry, cross-disciplinary collaboration in defining and solving the technological problems in creating a robust and efficient NII." To date, XIWT's primary members include: Apple Computer Co.; AT&T Communications, Inc.; Bell Communications Research, Inc.; BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.; Cable Television Laboratories, Inc.; Citicorp; Digital Equipment Corporation; GTE Laboratories, Inc.; Hewlett-Packard Company; IBM Corporation; Intel Corp.; MCI Communications Corporation; McCaw Cellular Communications; Motorola, Inc.; NYNEX, Inc.; Pacific Bell; Silicon Graphics, Inc.; Sun Microsystems; and Southwestern Bell Technology Resources, Inc. Associate Members include: CBEMA; cisco Systems, Inc.; Financial Services Consortium, Inc.; Hughes Network Systems, Inc.; Science Applications International Corporation; Sprint Communications; 3Com Corporation; West Publishing Company; Xerox Corporation.
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