First the Mpls connection. We all believe (particularly as members of this list) that
the use of the internet will revolutionize politics at all levels. One of the bad
things that Al Gore allowed to happen was to be tagged with the incorrect "I invented
the Internet line". Here is the true deal.
Vint Cerf is widely known as "the father of the Internet." Here's what he says about
Al Gore's role is founding it.
Al Gore and the Internet
By Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf
Al Gore was the first political leader to recognize the importance of the Internet
and to promote and support its development.
No one person or even small group of persons exclusively "invented" the Internet. It
is the result of many years of ongoing collaboration among people in government and
the university community. But as the two people who designed the basic architecture
and the core protocols that make the Internet work, we would like to acknowledge VP
Gore's contributions as a Congressman, Senator and as Vice President. No other elected
official, to our knowledge, has made a greater contribution over a longer period of
time.
Last year the Vice President made a straightforward statement on his role. He said:
"During my service in the United States Congress I took the initiative in creating the
Internet." We don't think, as some people have argued, that Gore intended to claim he
"invented" the Internet. Moreover, there is no question in our minds that while
serving as Senator, Gore's initiatives had a significant and beneficial effect on the
still-evolving Internet. The fact of the matter is that Gore was talking about and
promoting the Internet long before most people were listening. We feel it is timely to
offer our perspective.
As far back as the 1970s Congressman Gore promoted the idea of high speed
telecommunications as an engine for both economic growth and the improvement of our
educational system. He was the first elected official to grasp the potential of
computer communications to have a broader impact than just improving the conduct of
science and scholarship. Though easily forgotten, now, at the time this was an
unproven and controversial concept. Our work on the Internet started in 1973 and was
based on even earlier work that took place in the mid-late 1960s. But the Internet, as
we know it today, was not deployed until 1983. When the Internet was still in the
early stages of its deployment, Congressman Gore provided intellectual leadership by
helping create the vision of the potential benefits of high speed computing and
communication. As an example, he sponsored hearings on how advanced technologies might
be put to use in areas like coordinating the response of government agencies to na!
tural disasters and other crises.
As a Senator in the 1980s Gore urged government agencies to consolidate what at the
time were several dozen different and unconnected networks into an "Interagency
Network." Working in a bi-partisan manner with officials in Ronald Reagan and George
Bush's administrations, Gore secured the passage of the High Performance Computing and
Communications Act in 1991. This "Gore Act" supported the National Research and
Education Network (NREN) initiative that became one of the major vehicles for the
spread of the Internet beyond the field of computer science.
As Vice President Gore promoted building the Internet both up and out, as well as
releasing the Internet from the control of the government agencies that spawned it. He
served as the major administration proponent for continued investment in advanced
computing and networking and private sector initiatives such as Net Day. He was and is
a strong proponent of extending access to the network to schools and libraries. Today,
approximately 95% of our nation's schools are on the Internet. Gore provided
much-needed political support for the speedy privatization of the Internet when the
time arrived for it to become a commercially-driven operation.
There are many factors that have contributed to the Internet's rapid growth since
the later 1980s, not the least of which has been political support for its
privatization and continued support for research in advanced networking technology. No
one in public life has been more intellectually engaged in helping to create the
climate for a thriving Internet than the Vice President. Gore has been a clear
champion of this effort, both in the councils of government and with the public at
large.
The Vice President deserves credit for his early recognition of the value of high
speed computing and communication and for his long-term and consistent articulation of
the potential value of the Internet to American citizens and industry and, indeed, to
the rest of the world.
Cheers,
Phyllis Kahn, State Rep 59B, ward 5
