From: bob@worldesign.com  (Bob Jacobson)
Subject: POLICY: U.S. VR policy to exclude small business, rely on govt. and academia?
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 93 09:14:04 -0700



U.S. VR POLICY TO EXCLUDE SMALL BUSINESS?
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Some people thought I was unnecessarily alarmist when I railed last
year against the first National Science Foundation workshop on virtual
reality, held at the University of North Carolina.  If you recall,
this conference was attended almost exclusively by invited academics
and government officials, and the report from this meeting did not
become public for almost nine months and still has not been widely
disseminated.
 
Another policy group, the National Research Council, held meetings
nearly as subterrranean and out of the public view.  ("FICSIT," a
loose assemblage of U.S. government agencies, has been a little more
open.)  It's conclusions, to my knowledge, are still not public.
 
The upshot of all this closed-door activity is a rumored U.S.
government policy on virtual reality, about to be announced, that
relies wholly on government agencies and academic laboratories for the
development of the technology.  Small businesses that have been the
driving force behind virtual worlds in the United States play no part
in this policy scenario; only the largest firms will receive federal
support, in collaboration with federal agencies.
 
The first in-print appearance of this rumor in was in Spencer Katt's
column, in this week's PC WEEK.  He attributes the policy to the White
House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).  I'll excerpt a
slice in my next posting.
 
Americans, especially: What do you think about this policy?  Where
might it lead us?  And what should be done about it?
 
I'll also post the OSTP email address in a subsequent message, once I
establish the substance of this rumor.
 
Bob Jacobson
CoModerator