December 2010

This document is a request for comments on strategies for meeting the goals and recommendations of the recently released President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) report "Designing a Digital Future: Federally Funded Research and Development in Networking and Information Technology."

NITRD seeks comment on the questions below. Comments on other aspects of the PCAST report are also welcome.

1. The PCAST report calls for national, long-term, multi-agency research initiatives on networking and information technologies (NIT) for the health, energy, transportation, and cyberinfrastructure sectors.
a. What are the most important NIT R&D challenges in each of these sectors?
b. What NIT R&D challenges are common across all of these sectors?
c. What emerging innovations in these or other sectors could be used to achieve a leap forward in progress?

2. The PCAST report recommends collaborative programs to support high risk/high reward R&D in the following frontier areas: Fundamentals of privacy protection and protected disclosure of confidential data; human-machine and social collaboration and problem-solving in networked, on-line environments where large numbers of people participate in common activities; data collection, storage, management, and automated large-scale data analysis; and advanced domain-specific sensors, integration of NIT into physical systems, and innovative robotics.
a. What are some high-risk concepts that carry the potential for fundamentally changing the landscape in these frontier areas?
b. What limitations in NIT hold back progress today in these frontier areas? How might these limitations be overcome?
c. What efforts currently underway in these areas could be accelerated through collaboration, cooperation, and coordination?

3. The PCAST report calls for fundamental changes in K-12 STEM education in the United States, including the incorporation of computer science (CS) as an essential component.
a. What CS concepts and approaches are most important to effective elementary, secondary, and postsecondary curricula? Among these, which are commonly found in curricula today? Which are missing?
b. What do teachers need (including preparation and training, tools, and resources) to be able to deliver CS education effectively?
c. What factors are important in promoting student interest in CS?

To be assured consideration, comments must be received at one of the addresses provided below, no later than 5 p.m. on January 31, 2011.

More than a quarter of American adults – 26% – used their cell phones to learn about or participate in the 2010 mid-term election campaign. In a post-election nationwide survey of adults, the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project found that 82% of adults have cell phones. Of those cell owners, 71% use their phone for texting and 39% use the phone for accessing the Internet. With that as context, the Pew Internet survey found that:

• 14% of all American adults used their cell phones to tell others that they had voted.
• 12% of adults used their cell phones to keep up with news about the election or politics.
• 10% of adults sent text messages relating to the election to friends, family members and others.
• 6% of adults used their cells to let others know about conditions at their local voting stations on election day, including insights about delays, long lines, low turnout, or other issues.
• 4% of adults used their phones to monitor results of the election as they occurred.
• 3% of adults used their cells to shoot and share photos or videos related to the election.
• 1% of adults used a cell-phone app that provided updates from a candidate or group about election news.
• 1% of adults contributed money by text message to a candidate or group connected to the election like a party or interest group.

A coalition of public interest, privacy and civil liberties groups released an open letter to the Obama Administration and lawmakers urging them not to push legislation that might weaken free expression or hamper online freedoms in response to the release of classified documents by WikiLeaks. In the letter, the groups noted that some critics of the whistleblower website have suggested that the Espionage Act be extended to WikiLeaks for releasing sensitive government documents to the public, which most recently included a batch of U.S. diplomatic cables. "We urge caution against any legislation that could weaken the principles of free expression vital to a democratic society or hamper online freedoms," according to the letter signed by the American Civil Liberties Union, American Library Association, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Center for Democracy and Technology and others.

[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission implementation of rules around network neutrality may open up a change in the way carriers price mobile broadband -- and it’s not going to get cheaper. For U.S. operators the question of whether or not charging someone for a Facebook plan, or for prioritized access to online video would run afoul of FCC regulations was always an issue. So while I don't expect Verizon to change its pricing tomorrow, the fact that there are a set of rules out (or almost out since the full text of the order still isn't available) will make it far easier for operators to plan for pricing changes that won't run afoul of the FCC or will intentionally run afoul of the FCC in order to test its authority.