Re: Stimulus funds for open science?

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Robert Atkinson <rca53 () columbia edu>
Date: April 30, 2009 10:50:45 PM EDT
To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: Re: [IP] Stimulus funds for open science?

Unfortunately, the NTIA BTOP program is strictly limited about what  
the money can be used for.  While it doesn’t have to be spent on  
broadband infrastructure, I don’t think the statute can be stretched  
to fund scientific research. There are five defined categories for  
which grants can be made, none of which could  cover "open science."  
There is a sixth catch-all grant category  that allows funding for  
anything else that is consistent with the BTOP purposes, but the  
statutory purposes are quite explicit and restrictive. So, it is  
difficult to imagine how any of the "broadband stimulus" could be  
allocated "toward open science."  Maybe the NSF has something in its  
portion of the stimulus money for this?

It is also worth noting the NTIA portion of the $7.2B doesn't  
necessarily have to be spent on new infrastructure. Only one of the  
six grant categories is specifically for building and deploying  
broadband infrastructure and BTOP purposes envision a number of "soft"  
projects such as broadband education, training, etc. to stimulate  
broadband demand.  If one goal of the stimulus is to increase  
broadband penetration, it might be a good idea to spend much more than  
the mandated minimum of $250M on innovative programs to encourage  
sustainable broadband adoption.

Bob

Robert C. Atkinson
Director of Policy Research
Columbia Institute for Tele-Information (CITI)
http://www.citi.columbia.edu

office: 212-854-7576
mobile: 908-447-4201

E-mail: rca53 () columbia edu
alt: bob () robertcatkinson com





On 4/30/09 2:02 PM, "David Farber" <dave () farber net> wrote:

>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Larry Press <lpress () csudh edu>
> Date: April 30, 2009 11:25:00 AM EDT
> To: "dave () farber net" <dave () farber net>
> Cc: ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
> Subject: Stimulus funds for open science?
>
> Dave,
>
> James Boyle, Professor of Law at Duke University, suggests that some
> Internet stimulus funds should go toward facilitating open science
> rather than building infrastructure.
>
> Two excerpts from his Financial Times column
>
> (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/501df49e-2f7c-11de- 
a8f6-00144feabdc0.html):
>
>
> "What we ought to be doing is trying to understand where the
> architecture of information in our society has been a success, where
> government investment has yielded remarkable social and economic
> benefit. We can study the reasons for the absolutely stunning success
> of the internet, and try extend that success, that model of network
> design, into places that it currently doesn’t reach."
>
> ...
>
> "imagine a scientific research process that worked as efficiently as
> the web does for buying shoes. Then imagine what economic growth a
> faster, leaner, and more open scientific research environment might
> generate."
>
> Larry Press
>
> PS -- He is wrong to downplay the need for new infrastructure.
>
>
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------------
> Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now
> RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/
> Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com




-------------------------------------------
Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now
RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/
Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com