High Performance Computing Act of 1991

The High Performance Computing Act of 1991 (HPCA) is an Act of Congress promulgated in the 102nd United States Congress as (Pub.L. 102–194) on December 9, 1991. Often referred to as the Gore Bill,[1] it was created and introduced by then Senator Al Gore, and led to the development of the National Information Infrastructure and the funding of the National Research and Education Network (NREN).[1][2][3]

High Performance Computing Act of 1991
Long titleAn Act to provide for a coordinated Federal program to ensure continued United States leadership in high-performance computing.
Acronyms (colloquial)HPCA
NicknamesGore Bill
Enacted bythe 102nd United States Congress
EffectiveDecember 9, 1991
Citations
Public law102-194
Statutes at Large105 Stat. 1594
Codification
Titles amended15 U.S.C.: Commerce and Trade
U.S.C. sections created15 U.S.C. ch. 81 § 5501
Legislative history
  • Introduced in the Senate as S. 272 by Al Gore (D-TN) on January 24, 1991
  • Committee consideration by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee and Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space
  • Passed the Senate on September 11, 1991 (passed)
  • Passed the House on November 20, 1991 (passed) with amendment
  • Senate agreed to House amendment on November 22, 1991 (agreed)
  • Signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on December 9, 1991

Background

The act built on prior U.S. efforts of developing a national networking infrastructure, starting with the technological foundation of the ARPANET in the 1960s and continuing through the funding of the National Science Foundation Network (NSFnet) in the 1980s. The renewed effort became known in popular language as building the Information superhighway.[2][4] It also included the High-Performance Computing and Communications Initiative and spurred many significant technological developments, such as the Mosaic web browser,[5] and the creation of a high-speed fiber optic computer network.

Development and passage

Senator Al Gore developed the Act[1] after hearing the 1988 report Toward a National Research Network[6] submitted to Congress by a group chaired by UCLA professor of computer science Leonard Kleinrock, one of the creators of the ARPANET, which is regarded as the earliest precursor network of the Internet.[7]

The bill was enacted on December 9, 1991, and led to the National Information Infrastructure (NII)[8] which Gore referred to as the "Information superhighway". President George H. W. Bush predicted that the Act would help "unlock the secrets of DNA," open up foreign markets to free trade, and a promise of cooperation between government, academia, and industry.[9]

Results

The Gore Bill helped fund the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois, where a team of programmers, including Netscape founder Marc Andreessen, created the Mosaic Web browser[5][10] in 1993, the commercial Internet's technological springboard credited as beginning the Internet boom of the 1990s. Andreessen later remarked that 'If it had been left to private industry, it wouldn't have happened ... at least, not until years later.' [11]

Gore reiterated the role of government financing in American success in a 1996 speech when he, as Vice President, said, "That's how it has worked in America. Government has supplied the initial flicker—and individuals and companies have provided the creativity and innovation that kindled that spark into a blaze of progress and productivity that's the envy of the world." [12]

CNN interview

Following a 1999 CNN interview, then-Vice President Gore became the subject of some controversy and ridicule when his claim that he "took the initiative in creating the Internet"[13] was widely quoted out of context or misquoted, with comedians and the popular media taking his expression as a claim that he had personally invented the Internet.[14][15] George W. Bush, Gore's opponent in the 2000 presidential election, mocked Gore's claim during his acceptance speech before the Republican National Convention that year.[16]

The meaning of the statement, which referred to his legislative support of the early Internet, was widely reaffirmed by notable Internet pioneers, such as Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn, who stated, "No one in public life has been more intellectually engaged in helping to create the climate for a thriving Internet than the Vice President".[17]

President's Information Technology Advisory Committee

PITAC was started in 1991 under the High Performance Computing Act of 1991. On May 28, 2003, President George W. Bush extended the committee.[18]

References
  1. Computer History Museum – Exhibits – Internet History – 1990s
  2. Information Superhighway Envisioned-Legislation Pending to Establish National Computer Network Archived 2006-10-01 at the Wayback Machine
  3. NREN | Technology Resources
  4. FCLJ Vol 46, No. 3 – Blake and Tiedrich
  5. NCSA Mosaic – September 10, 1993 Demo
  6. Kleinrock, Leonard; Kahn, Bob; Clark, David; et al. (1988). Toward a National Research Network. doi:10.17226/10334. ISBN 978-0-309-58125-7. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
  7. Kleinrock, Leonard; Cerf, Vint; Kahn, Bob; et al. (2003-12-10). "A Brief History of the Internet". Retrieved 2007-06-01.
  8. Chapman, Gary; Rotenberg, Marc (1993). "The National Information Infrastructure:A Public Interest Opportunity". Retrieved 2007-06-01.
  9. Bush, George H.W. (9 December 1991). "Remarks on Signing the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991". bushlibrary.tamu.edu. George Bush Presidential Library. Retrieved 2008-01-16.
  10. "Mosaic – The First Global Web Browser". livinginternet.com. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
  11. Perine, Keith (23 October 2000). "The Early Adopter – Al Gore and the Internet – Government Activity". findarticles.com. The Industry Standard. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
  12. "Vice President Al Gore's ENIAC Anniversary Speech". Cs.washington.edu. February 14, 1996. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  13. "Transcript: Vice President Gore on CNN's 'Late Edition'". CNN. CNN. 9 March 1999. Retrieved 2007-06-02.
  14. "Internet of Lies". Snopes.com. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  15. Kessler, Glenn (4 November 2013). "A cautionary tale for politicians: Al Gore and the 'invention' of the Internet". Washington Post - Fact Checker. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  16. Transcript of George W. Bush's Acceptance Speech. ABC News. 2000-08-04. Retrieved 2015-01-30.
  17. Kahn, Bob; Cerf, Vint; et al. (2000-09-29). "Al Gore and the Internet". Retrieved 2007-06-02.
  18. Office of the Press Secretary (May 30, 2003). "Extension of the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee and the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology". Federal Register. Washington, D.C.: Federal Government of the United States. Archived from the original on November 22, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2017. Alt URL
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