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Resolution On Telecommunications And The National Information Infrastructure
- WHEREAS,
- the Congress and the Administration are
developing and considering legislation and
policy initiatives on communication services
and systems, including telephones, cable
television, public utilities, and digital
communications; and
- WHEREAS,
- these initiatives along with the rapid
evolution of digital communication technology
will greatly affect citizen access to the
National Information Infrastructure (NII),
especially in cases where federal, state and
local government agencies are providing
essential public government information,
collected and maintained at taxpayer expense,
in electronic formats only; and
- WHEREAS,
- in order to serve the public interest and
promote broad public access to the NII,
methods must be developed to fund the
development of the nation's communications
infrastructure ensuring that libraries,
schools, universities and health care
facilities will have access at affordable
rates for all basic communications and
information services; and
- WHEREAS,
- fair and equal access to the NII for all
citizens, regardless of geographic area or
income, must be guaranteed; and
- WHEREAS,
- the public's right of privacy must be ensured
by limiting to the minimum necessary, personal
data collected to provide specific services;
by not sharing data collected from individuals
without their informed consent; by allowing
individuals the right to inspect and correct
data files about themselves; and by keeping
transaction data confidential; and
- WHEREAS,
- broad public access to the NII must be
balanced with the legitimate interests of
creators and authors to control and receive
compensation for the use of their intellectual
property; and
- WHEREAS,
- the NII must evolve as an easily accessed,
open data and non-proprietary network
architecture with standard specifications to
ensure interoperability between multiple
networked systems and providers; and
- WHEREAS,
- the American Association of Law Libraries
(AALL), a nonprofit organization of over five
thousand information professionals who serve
the information needs of lawyers and judges,
law students and faculty, legislators and
public officials at all levels of government,
members of the business community and the
general public, has long advocated broad
public access to all forms of government and
legal information; now, therefore, be it
- RESOLVED,
- that affordable rates be made available for
schools, libraries, and universities, all of
which serve the public good, guarantee equal
access, and provide necessary training and
assistance, as well as for health care
facilities; and be it further
- RESOLVED,
- that the American Association of Law Libraries
urge Congress and the Administration to
protect and advance broad public access to
government and legal electronic information by
mandating no or low-cost access regardless of
geographic area for all citizens; and be it
further
- RESOLVED,
- that the development of the NII must consider
the protection of privacy, security, freedom
of speech and association, freedom from
discrimination and intellectual property
rights in the context of the public interest;
and be it further
- RESOLVED,
- that the right of fair use and the non-
copyrightable nature of government
information, paid for by taxpayers, be
maintained in the electronic environment; and
be it further
- RESOLVED,
- that the NII must be developed within an open
environment framework as a system of
interconnections available at no or low cost
to ensure broad public access to federal,
state and local government and legal
electronic information; and be it further
- RESOLVED,
- that copies of this resolution be transmitted
to the appropriate Congressional committees
and to the President of the United States.
Endorsed by the AALL Executive Board, July 14, 1995
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