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Department of Commerce
August 13, 1999

FACT SHEET

DEPARTMENT PROPOSES TO CLOSE NTIS
AND ENSURE THAT PEOPLE CAN RECEIVE
TECHNICAL INFORMATION FOR FREE OVER THE INTERNET

The Department of Commerce proposes to close the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), transfer its archives to the Library of Congress, and ensure that Government agencies provide technical and business reports to the public for free via the Internet.

The Department believes strongly that the American people can continue to receive the same information they have today if we close down NTIS and ensure that Government agencies post all technical reports on the Internet and send the documents electronically to the Library of Congress. This way, the American people can find the documents they want via search engines that currently exist -- and the more powerful ones being created -- and download them for free. We will propose legislation to Congress next month to achieve these ends. In the new economy, the NTIS business model is fundamentally flawed.

NTIS was created in 1950 to operate as a clearinghouse within the U.S. Government for the collection and dissemination of technical, scientific, and engineering information of all kinds. However, the rapid growth of the Internet has fundamentally changed the way NTIS' customers acquire and use information. As the Department's Inspector General noted in March 1999, "Federal agencies are increasingly bypassing NTIS as a distribution channel, instead offering their publications directly to the public over the Internet." On the Department of Commerce's own web page, the American people can get technical and business reports for free that they are forced to pay for to obtain them from NTIS. For example,

The Department's Proposed Plan Will Ensure that the American People Continue to Have Access to Scientific Information.

In the 21st century, the Administration envisions an environment where all citizens have free access to Government information over the Internet. Improvements in technology are enabling all Federal Government agencies to post their technical reports and business information on their web-sites and allow them to maintain that information for long periods of time. Thus, the Department proposes the following two actions:

Minimizing the Impact on NTIS' Employees.

If Congress approves the Secretary's proposal, the Department will take every available action to help NTIS' employees move into other jobs within the Government.




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