TESTIMONY OF

 

PHILLIP J. BOND

                        UNDER SECRETARY FOR TECHNOLOGY

                              U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

 

                        BEFORE THE HOUSE SCIENCE COMMITTEE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT, TECHNOLOGY AND STANDARDS

 

                                                MARCH 14, 2002

 

 

Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, I am pleased to appear before you today to testify on behalf of the Technology Administration, and to share with you the Agency’s approach to fulfilling our mission of maximizing technology’s contribution to the national economy.  A strong economy and a strong national defense are the bedrock on which our freedom, global leadership, standard of living, and quality of life are built.  More than ever before, technology is vital to maintaining and building these U.S. strengths.

 

Rapid advances in technology, especially information technology, have driven our country’s remarkable economic performance for the past decade.  Technological innovation has underpinned sustained periods of economic growth, higher rates of investment, low inflation, high-wage job growth, low unemployment, and solid increases in productivity- the true path for producing higher standards of living.  There can be little doubt that our technology producers and technology-intensive industries will lead the way in returning our nation to a path of robust economic growth.

 

As we have all witnessed in the past few months, technology is our force-multiplier in the war on terrorism and in homeland security.  Thanks to technology, we can put the world’s finest tools in the hands of our military, law enforcement and public safety personnel, intelligence community, and others who are fighting these forces of evil around the globe.   These advanced technologies are significantly reducing the risk to these American men and women in service to their country.  There is every reason to believe that technology will continue to be a significant force in our economy and in the defense of our nation in the years ahead.

 

It is no accident that the United States leads the world in high technology, both civilian and defense.  Our achievements are the dividends that flow from sustained public and private sector investments in research and development, coupled with America’s entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to take risks.  While the private sector must take the driver’s seat, the Federal government does have an important role to play in ensuring that the United States remains on the leading edge of technology and competitive in the world’s high-tech markets.  This Administration is committed to ensuring our global technology leadership through forward-thinking policies and investments.

 

In support of the President’s priorities for science, technology, and U.S. competitiveness, the Technology Administration’s Office of Technology Policy is developing and advocating national policies and initiatives that use technology to build America’s economic strength.   Its role includes:

 

·        Promoting innovation through leadership and advocating policies that encourage research, development, and commercialization of new technologies (such as nanotechnology and biotechnology);

 

-         OTP is chairing an interagency group on technology transfer to improve technology commercialization practices and realize Congress’ vision in the Stevenson-Wydler, Bayh-Dole and Technology Transfer Acts. 

 

-         OTP is also leading a series of discussions on innovation in America at the start of the 21st century.  We will listen to our foremost experts from industry, the labs, and universities, learn the critical issues and challenges to sustained U.S. leadership, and then lead by proposing new initiatives and policies to maintain that leadership.

 

·        Supporting entrepreneurship by representing the interests of U.S. innovators and entrepreneurs in multinational forums and international forums and partnerships;

 

·        working with states, localities, and federal labs to institute policies that promote technology-led economic development;

 

·        Improving the innovation infrastructure by fostering national workforce policies that improve the education and training of future scientists and engineers, and by recognizing excellence through the National Medal of Technology program;

 

-         For example, OTP is leading efforts within the Department to better understand how U.S. businesses can use new high-speed, high-capacity applications to improve American competitiveness and productivity – the demand side of broadband.

 

·        Empowering citizens by working with industry to increase consumer confidence and employ technologies in new ways for greater productivity and higher standards of living, such as telemedicine and e-government applications, and by working to encourage more students to pursue careers in science and technology through the GetTech public-private partnership.

 

The Office of Space Commercialization is tasked to foster an economic and policy environment that ensures the growth and international competitiveness of the U.S. commercial space industry.  To this end, the Office conducts activities in three primary areas—policy development, market analysis, and outreach/education.  Recently, the Office conducted two major workshops in collaboration with the private sector.  In October of 2001, the Office partnered with George Washington University Space Policy Institute to host a workshop on space economic data.  In November 2001, the Office partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Space Enterprise Council and the Space Transportation Association to host a workshop focusing on emerging space markets.  In the coming months, the Office plans to release additional material concerning commercial space issues, and to continue to work through the National Security Council’s Space Policy Coordinating Committee and in other interagency fora to advocate appropriate policies to enhance space commerce.

 

Let me say a few words about the National Technical Information Service and its role in enhancing public access to federally generated scientific and technical information.  I am pleased to report that NTIS is operating on a self-sustaining basis.  Part of its revenue is derived from the sale of technical reports.  But, consistent with Congress’ 1988 mandate to NTIS to develop new ways to disseminate information and it 1992 mandate to focus on electronic media, NTIS is also generating revenue through services to other federal agencies that help them communicate more effectively with their own constituencies online. 

 

For example, NTIS has developed a new web site and “virtual library” to make it much easier for the public to locate scientific and technical information produced by or for federal agencies.  Consistent with the Administration’s effort to make Government more user-friendly and accessible, the new web site will offer a “one search, one source, one solution” for their scientific and technical information needs.  For the first time, users will be able to download full-text reports from the NTIS collection.  We released a version of the new web site to coincide with National Technology Week and we expect to make ongoing improvements to its search capability. 

 

In addition, thanks to a new e-government initiative, NTIS and the Social Security Administration (SSA) are offering the SSA Death Master File (DMF) more frequently and with fewer delays.  Investigations have revealed that Social Security Numbers of deceased individuals were used illegally to commit identity fraud.  Until now, financial institutions, insurance companies, security firms and state and local governments had to wait to check applications against month-old rosters of recent deaths.  Now, due to the new services being offered by NTIS and SSA, they will be able to verify applications far more frequently to guard against fraud, while assuring that this verification system is designed to protect privacy and guard against misuse of the information to commit identity theft.  The DMF Updates files, containing new deaths, changes and deletions, are now being distributed as a weekly subscription.  The weekly and monthly updates files are also available electronically, which also reduces handling and production time.  Users who opt for electronic distribution can access the DMF almost as soon as the SSA releases it.  In short, Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, NTIS remains a healthy, forward-looking organization that plays a key role in helping the Technology Administration support the Department’s overall goal of improving the Nation’s R&D infrastructure by enhancing access to technical information.

 

Lastly, but by no means least, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) continues to be a world-class organization committed to developing and promoting measurements, standards, and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate trade, and improve the quality of life. 

 

NIST’s standards and measurements activities actively support efforts to strengthen homeland security.  Currently, NIST is conducting more than 75 projects that support law enforcement, military operations, emergency services, airport and building security, cyber security, and efforts to develop new types of security technologies.  The list goes on and on and Dr. Bement will provide more information on all of the initiatives and contributions that supports our belief that NIST is truly the “crown jewel” of the Federal lab system.

 

Mr. Chairman, I am honored to lead an organization that has contributed much to our economic and national security.  I look forward to continuing this important work and would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.