Bliley Press Release on H.R. 1858

[Rich Greenfield]

Bliley Introduces Bill to Block "Toll Booths" on The Information
Superhighway. Ensures Consumers Will Continue To Have Full Access To
Information on the  Internet

>From   http://com-notes.house.gov/cchear/hearings106.nsf/
47b306c9f0a69f47852567050069a969/
47bc21059822e338852567760076feb4?OpenDocument

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any spaces]


May 19, 1999

Contact: Christina Gungoll
(202) 225-5735


WASHINGTON (May 19) -- Americans will continue to have full access to
information on the Internet, such as stock quotes used for on-line trading,
under a
bipartisan bill introduced by Chairman Tom Bliley (R-VA) today. 

H.R. 1858, The Consumer and Investor Access To Information Act of 1999,
provides new protection to publishers of electronic databases, while
ensuring that
public access to information will not be limited by publishers' asserting a
proprietary right over facts and information, which historically have been
part of the
public domain.

The bill also provides database publishers protections against database
theft of
their databases. The bill's anti-theft protections will also protect
institutions like the
stock exchanges from hackers and pirates seeking to undermine the integrity of
the data they disseminate to the public.

"We live in the Information Age. We must keep information -- like stock
quotes --
readily available to consumers on the information superhighway.

"Millions of Americans depend on information they obtain over the Internet
to help
them make important investment decisions, such as price shopping, mortgage
comparisons and personal investment decisions. This bill will ensure that
investors
continue to have access to this information.

"Americans should not have to pay tolls for public information obtained on the
information superhighway. Facts and information should remain toll-free on the
information superhighway. Facts and information like stock quotes have
been, and
under this legislation, will continue to remain readily available to the
public,"
Chairman Bliley (R-VA) said.

U.S. Reps. John Dingell (R-MI), Billy Tauzin (R-LA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA),
Michael Oxley (R-OH), and Ed Towns (D-NY) are also original cosponsors of the
bill.

As Chairman of the House Commerce Committee, which has primary jurisdiction
over the telecommunications, securities, and Internet-related issues, this
is the
second bill Chairman Bliley has introduced this year designed to promote the
growth of electronic commerce -- the new marketplace for the 21st century.

Fulltext (19p. PDF) at:

http://com-notes.house.gov/cchear/hearings106.nsf/
8eaabcee30ee07ee852566f900700f0d/11b0c73a05c02702852567760077af12/
$FILE/DATABASE_001.PDF

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any spaces]

***************************************
Rich Greenfield, Technology Coordinator
Alaska State Library, P.O.Box 110571
Juneau, Alaska 99811 
Tel. 907-465-2928; Fax 907-465-2665
richard_greenfield at educ.state.ak.us