August 17, 1999

By JERI CLAUSING

Government Moves to Make Data More Accessible

ASHINGTON –- In a move designed to make more government information available free over the Internet, the Department of Commerce has proposed shutting down a controversial agency whose core business is the resale of government documents and reports.

The announcement of plans to close the nearly 50-year-old National Technical Information Service comes just three months after the Clinton Administration canceled the agency's plan to launch a fee-based Internet search service that had been designed to help people more easily find and buy the government documents NTIS sells.

Related Article Government Pulls Out of Search Venture (June 15, 1999)

But consumer and library groups, who for years have been pushing the Administration to eliminate what they consider to be often exorbitant NTIS prices, had criticized that venture as a sign that the Administration's information policy was headed in the wrong direction. The service was intended to be a joint venture with Northern Light Technology, an Internet database company based in Cambridge, Mass.

But on the same day that the service, usgovsearch.com, was announced, the Administration put it on hold. And last Thursday, the Secretary of Commerce, William M. Daley, said he would ask Congress to pass legislation shuttering NTIS completely and transferring its extensive archives to the Library of Congress.

"This way, the American people can find the documents they want via search engines that currently exist -- and the more powerful ones being created -- and download them for free. We will propose legislation to Congress next month to achieve these ends," the statement from the Commerce Department said.

The decision was lauded by advocacy groups, who have been pushing the government to post more reports and public information online.

"We think this is great news," said Ari Schwartz, a policy analyst at the Center for Democracy and Technology, a nonprofit organization based in Washington. "We think that this shows that the Commerce Department is really looking at the Internet and realizes what it can mean for public access to government information."

In addition to the problem of NTIS charging for documents that have been created at taxpayer expense, Schwartz said, some agencies have used NTIS as a way to avoid putting documents online themselves.

The closing of NTIS should make "government work better and cost less," Schwartz said.

The agency has 250 employees, who Daley said would be placed on a priority list for reemployment within the government if Congress approves the plan to close NTIS.

"This was a tough decision to make, but sound management dictates that we cut our losses and recognize the technologically advanced environment we live in," Daley said in a statement. "This is the right thing to do and the best thing for the American taxpayers."

Daley said the decision was made after an extensive review of the agency, which was incurring increasing losses and in danger of going bankrupt.

The NTIS turned into a self-sustaining agency during the Reagan Administration, meaning it was charged with funding itself through its sales.

Although the agency sells some of its reports for thousands of dollars each, the increased use of the Internet by government agencies to make documents available to the public free has resulted in declining sales, Daley said.

He pointed to a recent report from the Commerce Department, "The Emerging Digital Economy II," which is available free on the department's Web site, but costs $27 if requested through NTIS.

NTIS, Daley said, has not operated at a profit since 1993. Between 1995 and 1998, it has registered more than $5 million in operating losses.

The Northern Light venture was intended to increase revenue to NTIS, which was going to split the profits with the Cambridge company. Northern Light has since launched the service on its own.

This week

President Clinton's Y2K Czar, John A. Koskinen, and representatives from the Internet community on Tuesday will hold a news conference to discuss the implications of the Year 2000 date change on the operation of the Internet.

Last week

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers voted unanimously on Thursday to limit the number of seats Network Solutions Inc. has on a council that will advise ICANN on Internet domain name issues. The new Internet oversight body made the changes to its bylaws in a private conference call. The change was made in preparation for its public meeting next week in Santiago, where the group hopes to finalize its membership structure.

The CAPITAL DISPATCH column is published weekly, on Tuesdays. Click here for a list of links to other columns in the series.

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Related Sites
These sites are not part of The New York Times on the Web, and The Times has no control over their content or availability.

• Department of Commerce

• National Technical Information Service

• Northern Light Technology

• Library of Congress

• Center for Democracy and Technology

• President's Council on the Year 200 Conversion

• Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers

• Network Solutions Inc.

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Jeri Clausing at jeri@nytimes.com welcomes your comments and suggestions.

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