TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY ROUNDTABLE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jeff Chester OCTOBER 26, 1993 (202) 628-2620 New Coalition Unveils Public Interest Blueprint for America's 21st Century Telecommunications Highway Washington, DC -- A new coalition, the Telecommunications Policy Roundtable, is calling on Americans to make their voices heard on seven vital issues of communications policy. The coalition's goal is the creation of new approaches to building our nation's emerging information infrastructure. The Telecommunications Policy Roundtable is a public interest coalition of more than seventy organizations. Its statement of principles comes less than a month after the Clinton administration released its own blueprint: "National Information Infrastructure: Agenda for Action." The Clinton program envisions a national network linking computer, telephone and television technologies. The statement also follows dramatic developments in the telecommunications industry, including the planned merger of Bell Atlantic and Tele-Communications Incorporated (TCI). The statement, entitled "Renewing the Commitment to a Public Interest Telecommunications Policy," outlines a series of principles, and introduces them with this credo: "We believe that the following principles must guide policymaking in order to ensure that future generations inherit an information infrastructure which enhances the quality of life for everyone." The seven principles are: o Universal access -- In our information age, everyone has a right to affordable news, education and government information. Information that is essential to the functioning of citizens in a democracy should be free. o Freedom to Communicate -- Information is a two way street. The design of the new networks should aid two-way audio and video communication from anyone to any individual, group or network. o Vital civic sector -- The new networks should allow all groups and individuals to freely express their ideas and opinions. The new networks should include a way for us to build communities. o Diverse and competitive marketplace -- No one should ever control both the wire or wires into our home and the content of the programs that go over those wires. o Equitable workplace -- workers must be valued and protected in the new electronic workplace. Nondiscriminatory practices must form the core of the new information marketplace. o Privacy protection -- Privacy should be carefully protected and extended. o Democratic policy making -- Every American deserves to be heard on this complex set of issues. The coalition meets monthly in Washington, DC. A complete list of member organizations is attached. TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY ROUNDTABLE Member Organizations List Current Through October 26, 1993 Alliance for Community Media Alliance for Public Technology American Arts Alliance American Association of Law Libraries American Civil Liberties Union American Council of the Blind American Library Association Arts Wire American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Association of America's Public Television Stations Association of Research Libraries The Benton Foundation Boston Computer Society, Public Service Committee Center for Civic Networking Center for Excellence in Education/Advanced Engineering Research & Associates Center for Media Education Center for Policy Alternatives Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility Computer Researching Association Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Consortium of Social Science Associations Consumer Federation of America Coalition for Networked Information Electronic Frontier Foundation Gallaudet University Government Accountability Project High Performance, an arts magazine The Information Trust Institute for Public Representation Institute for Alternative Journalism Iris Network for Teachers, an on-line system on the MetaNetwork The Legacy Project Libraries for the Future Lowenstein and Associates Media Access Project Medical Library Association Minority Legislative Education Program National Alliance of Media Arts and Culture National Association for the Deaf National Association of Artists Organizations National Capitol Area Public Access Network (CapAccess) National Center for Law and Deafness National Citizens Communications Lobby National Coalition on Black Voter Participation National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History National Federation of Community Broadcasters National Learning Foundation National Security Archive National Writers Union (Local 1981 UAW) New York Foundation for the Arts OMB Watch People for the American Way Public Citizen Public Service Telecommunications Corporation Seattle Community Network Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc. SLONET Special Libraries Association Sports Fans United Taxpayer Assets Project The Technology Education Council of Somerville (Massachusetts) Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc. Telecommunications Committee, National Association for the Deaf Telecommunications Section of the Community Development Society TVFA, Television for All Telluride Institute/InfoZone Unison Institute United Cerebral Palsy Associations, Inc. U.S. Public Policy Committee of the Association for Computing Machinery World Institute on Disability Writers Guild of America, East, Inc. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ For more information about the Telecommunications Policy Roundtable, please contact Jeff Chester at the below address. C E N T E R F O R M E D I A E D U C A T I O N 1511 K Street, NW, Suite 518 Washington, DC 20005 Telephone: (202) 628-2620 Fax: (202) 628-2554 Internet: cme@access.digex.net -- -=> mech@eff.org <=- Stanton McCandlish Electronic Frontier Foundation Online Activist & SysOp "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood of ideas in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people." -JFK NitV-DC BBS 202-232-2715, Fido 1:109/? IndraNet 369:111/1, 14.4V32b 16.8ZyX