Date: Thu, 21 Apr 94 11:09:00 PDT
From: Todd LaPorte <tlaporte@tct.ota.gov>
Subject: Announcemennt of OTA Wireless study and the NII

March 27, 1994

Announcement 

New OTA Study on Wireless Technology and the National 
Information Infrastructure 

	We are pleased to announce that the Office of 
Technology Assessment's study of the implications of 
wireless technologies for the National Information 
Infrastructure (NII) was formally approved by our 
Congressional Technology Assessment Board at its February 
8th meeting.  The texts of the request letters for the 
study, the press release from Representatives Brown and 
Boucher, and the proposal for the study, which outlines the 
issues we will be considering during the next 14 months, are 
all available via ftp at otabbs.ota.gov.  Look in 
pub\wireless\ for these documents.  Other study-related 
documents will be posted as they become available. 

	The objective of this study is to provide a 
comprehensive analysis of the problems and promises of 
integrating wireless technologies into the NII.  Wireless 
technologies and systems--such as TV and radio broadcasting, 
new personal communications services, and many kinds of 
satellite communications--will form an integral part of the 
NII, but the role they will play and the implications of 
their widespread adoption are not yet clear.  In particular, 
integrating the many wireless and wireline systems that will 
comprise the NII will prove a difficult challenge for 
Federal, State, and local regulators. Many factors, 
including standards development, interconnection and pricing 
arrangements, and differing industry regulation, must be 
addressed before radio-based technologies and systems can 
become an effective part of the NII. 

	This study will:  identify and discuss the various 
wireless technologies that could contribute to the 
development of the NII, assess the barriers to greater or 
more efficient use of radio-based systems, and explore the 
economic, regulatory, and social implications of the 
convergence of wireline and wireless technologies in the 
NII.  The study will also present policy options addressing 
relevant wireless/NII issues. 

	Over the course of the study, we will try to talk to as 
many people as we can in order to understand the wide range 
of interests and concerns surrounding these complex and 
difficult issues.  In addition, OTA will also conduct 
several (as yet undetermined) workshops that will address 
specific issues in more detail.  These meetings will be 
announced as far in advance as possible. If you would like 
more information, please feel free to contact the study team 
at our project e-mail address, wireless@ota.gov.  Any 
suggestions you may have for people we should talk to or 
other sources of data and information will be greatly 
appreciated.   

David Wye, Todd La Porte, Alan Buzacott, Greg Wallace 
Wireless Project Team 
Telecommunications and Computing Technologies Program 
Office of Technology Assessment 
U.S. Congress 
(202) 228-6760 
wireless@ota.gov