ITAA President Harris Miller Educates House Commerce Subcommittee on Importance of C.I.I.P., Calls for Reauthorization of NTIA.

ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 11, 1999--

Harris N. Miller, President of The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), today told the House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade and Consumer Protection that ITAA supports the reauthorization of the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) within the Department of Commerce.

Today's reauthorization hearing was in part a study on what Miller called the next Y2K -- Critical Information Infrastructure Protection (CIIP), over which the NTIA currently has lead responsibility in the government for the "Information and Communications" sector. Miller outlined the growing threat of cyber attacks and the importance of CIIP to the IT industry and the American economy as a whole.

"Assessing the ultimate CIIP roles for NTIA, other government agencies and the private sector is really very simple: our new information-based assets must be protected and preserved," Miller told Subcommittee Chairman Tauzin (R-LA). "Participants and users must understand that along with the obvious benefits of information technology are corresponding commitments to protect IT. The societal stakes involved in critical information protection compel government and industry to seek common ground on the issue."

Miller acknowledged that the IT industry is frequently uncomfortable in working with government agencies on policy issues, but that the agency the industry is usually most comfortable with is DOC. It is for that reason that ITAA and the information technology industry support the selection and continued mission of NTIA, within DOC, as the lead agency and liaison for Critical Information Infrastructure Protection for the IT industry.

"The private commercial sector owns, operates and manages over 90% of the nation's information and communications infrastructure. As such it is appropriate that a civilian agency, focused on the advancement of US industry and the US economy, be assigned the lead for working and collaborating with the innovative companies that have responsibility for and manage these important elements of our economy," Miller concluded.

ITAA consists of 11,000 direct and affiliate members throughout the U.S. which produce products and services in the IT industry. The Association plays a leading role in public policy issues of concern to the IT industry, including taxes and finance policy, intellectual property, telecommunications law, encryption, critical infrastructure protection, securities litigation reform, and human resources policy. ITAA members range from the smallest IT start ups to industry leaders in the software, services, systems integration, telecommunications, Internet, and computer consulting fields. Learn more about ITAA and its positions on the issues by connecting to its web site at http://www.itaa.org.