STATUS REPORT GPO A CCESS A Service of the U.S. Government Printing Office June 30,1994 U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, DC 20401 U.S. Government Printing Office Michael F. DiMario, Public Printer For additional information contact the Office of Congressional, Legislative and Public Affairs • U.S. Government Printing Office • Washington, DC 20401 • Telephone: (202) 512-1991 STATUS REPORT GPO A CCESS A Service of the U.S. Government Printing Office Established Under Government Printing Office Electronic information Access Enhancement Act of 1993 Public Law 103-40 - June 8,1993 June 30, 1994 U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, DC 20401 United States Government Printing Office Washington, DC 20401 OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC PRINTER July 1, 1994 Honorable Wendell H. Ford Chairman Committee on Rules and Administration U.S. Senate Suite 305, Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Honorable Charlie Rose Chairman Committee on House Administration House of Representatives Room H-326, The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 Dear Chairmen: Pursuant to the requirement of section 3 of the Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-40), I am transmitting herewith a report on the status of the directory, system of access, and the electronic storage facility referred to in section 4101 of title 44, United States Code, known as GPO Access. Sincerely, MICHAEL F. DiMARIO Public Printer Enclosure ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. Background ......................................... 1 II. Key Provisions of the GPO Access Legislation ................ 2 III. Statement of GPO Objectives ............................ 3 IV. Consultation......................................... 4 V. Online Access to the Congressional Record and Federal Register . . 5 VI. The Locator Service .................................. 10 VII. The Storage Facility .................................. 15 VIII. The Federal Bulletin Board ............................. 16 IX. Future Plans........................................ 19 X. Costs and Financing ................................. 21 List of Exhibits Exhibit A: Legislative History of Public Law 103-40 .............. 25 Exhibit B: Initial Equipment Configuration for the Portions of GPO Access Accessible to the Public.......,........ 28 Exhibit C: GPO Access Press Release ...................... 30 Exhibit D: GPO Access Brochure .......................... 35 Exhibit E: Federal Register Cover and Page II with Subscription Rates and Instructions........................... 38 Exhibit F: Congressional Record Page with Subscription Rates and Instructions ............................... 41 Exhibit G: The Federal Bulletin Board Brochure ................ 44 iii STATUS REPORT GPO ACCESS A Service of the U.S. Government Printing Office I. BACKGROUND Early in the 103d Congress two similar bills (H.R. 1328 and S. 564) were submitted, leading to the enactment of Public Law 103-40, entitled the "Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993" (GPO Access) on June 8, 1993. The GPO Access legislation had bipartisan support. It was introduced in the Senate by Senator Wendell H. Ford (KY) and co-sponsored by Senator Ted Stevens (AK) and Senator Larry Pressler (SD). In the House it was introduced by Representative Charlie Rose (NC) and co-sponsored by Representative Newt Gingrich (GA), Representative Sam Gejdenson (CT), Representative Gerald D. Kleckza (Wl), Representative Pat Roberts (KS) and Representative William M. Thomas (CA). President Clinton signed it into law on June 8, 1993. As required, the GPO Access services were made available on June 8, 1994. Over 700 subscriptions were ordered during the first three weeks of operation and thousands of inquiries were received and processed. A brief legislative history is attached as Exhibit A. A diagram of the initial equipment configuration for the portions of GPO Access that are accessible to the public is attached as Exhibit B. 1 GPO Access - Status Report, June 30,1994 II. KEY PROVISIONS OF THE GPO ACCESS LEGISLATION Summarized below are the key provisions of the Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993 (Public Law 103-40 ). 1. Electronic Directory, Online Access and Storage Facility Under the GPO Access legislation, the Superintendent of Documents is required to (1) maintain an electronic directory of Federal electronic information (the Locator Service); (2) provide a system of online access to the Congressional Record, the Federal Register and other appropriate publications (the Online Interactive Service); (3) operate an electronic storage facility for Federal electronic information (the Storage Facility). Collectively these are referred to as GPO Access. 2. Departmental Requests To the extent practicable, the Superintendent of Documents will accommodate requests by department or agency heads to disseminate their information through GPO Access. 3. Consultation The Superintendent of Documents will consult with users of GPO Access, and with other providers of information services, to assess the quality and value of these services. 4. Fees The Superintendent of Documents may charge reasonable fees for use of GPO Access services, except that Federal depository libraries will have access at no charge. Fees must be set so as to recover the incremental cost of dissemination Depository library access will be paid from the appropriation provided for the Federal Depository Library Program. 5. Biennial Report The Public Printer must submit to the Congress a biennial report, beginning December 31, 1995, on odd-numbered years. This report shall include a description of the functions in this Act and a statement of cost savings in comparison with traditional forms of information distribution. 2 GPO Access - status Report, June 30, 1994 6. Status Report By June 30, 1994, the Public Printer shall submit to Congress a report on the status of the GPO Access services. 7. Operational Deadline GPO Access shall be operational by June 8, 1994. 111. STATEMENT OF GPO OBJECTIVES Mufti-disciplined organizational elements selected from within GPO were assigned critical tasks to facilitate initial implementation of Public Law 103-40. Managers from these organizational elements formed a Task Force to document the plan and coordinate its implementation to assure timely, cost-effective completion of the necessary tasks. Following is a listing of the objectives agreed upon as governing principles in the endeavor: • To improve access to Federal Government information in electronic formats by defining a life cycle beginning with the original document created by the author and ending with archiving in appropriate data formats. • To establish and operate an electronic storage facility for Federal electronic information, to which online access is provided, in order to assure availability of electronic information beyond the short-term use for producing print products or initial electronic dissemination. • To encourage the use of electronic database standards, such as SGML- structured data files; industry standard page description languages, such as PostScript; and standardized document interchange file formats, such as the Acrobat portable document format (PDF), that permit dissemination of the original document, without rekeying, in print and/or electronic format. • To utilize a variety of dissemination media and methods, including online interactive search and retrieval; bulletin board services; CD-ROM; magnetic tape, cartridge or diskette; facsimile transmission; and satellite broadcast or other affirmative transmission, in order to achieve cost-effective information delivery that is appropriate to both the type of information being disseminated and the needs of users of that information. 3 GPO Access ฆ status Report, June 30,1994 • To utilize network access, particularly the Internet, to supplement the more traditional asynchronous (telephone and modem) communications as a means of access to online information services. • To coordinate and facilitate the operation of a comprehensive Federal Government Electronic Locator System for electronic information products and other appropriate Government information. • To provide, through GPO, services for electronic document delivery and online interactive access that are well-designed, easy to use, and low in price. Initially, the Online Interactive Service will provide access to the Congressional Record and Federal Register, but it will be capable of rapid expansion to include other high-demand databases. • To keep system development and operating costs low and manage growth carefully in order to keep the costs to publishing agencies and users as low as possible while permitting GPO to recover its costs. • To establish and expand the GPO Access services as part of an agency-wide strategic plan which anticipates future workforce, technology and budget requirements. IV. CONSULTATION In developing and implementing GPO Access, the Public Printer, the Superintendent of Documents, and other GPO staff have consulted with a variety of publishers and users of electronic government information, both from within and outside of the Federal government. Presentations have been made at numerous public meetings, including the Federal Depository Conferences, meetings of the Depository Library Council to the Public Printer, the Electronic Media (E-Media) conferences held as part of the National Information Infrastructure initiative, as well as local, regional and national library association meetings. Demonstrations and presentations have been made individually and in small groups to representatives of a variety of Congressional offices, Federal agencies, trade and professional organizations and companies. A special public meeting for information industry companies was held in October, 1993, to disseminate the Initial Implementation Plan and answer questions about it. There have been numerous letters and telephone calls from individuals and organizations seeking information about the implementation of the legislation and offering their comments. These have been answered individually. In addition, shortly after the enactment of Public Law 103-40, GPO established a free forum on The Federal Bulletin Board to disseminate copies of pertinent documents and solicit public comment. (Exhibit G provides information on how to access The Federal Bulletin Board.) Its content includes the legislation, the House and Senate reports, the 4 GPO Access - status Report, June 30, 1994 president's statement, the initial implementation plan, copies of press releases, the statement of work for the software procurement and other relevant material. Numerous copies of these documents have also been mailed or faxed to interested parties. The GPO Access Task Force met regularly with representatives of the Congress and other Legislative Branch agencies and with staff from the Office of the Federal Register (OFR) to develop requirements and assure that the implementation was appropriate to their needs and preferences. A variety of individuals, primarily drawn from within the Federal government and from the depository library community, participated in beta testing of the WAIS server databases in order to provide essential feedback before public release. A structured evaluation of the Prototype Locator commenced in June 1994 and will continue through the fall. It will evaluate the utilization of the locator by a variety of users in business, government, and libraries, and the results will be used to determine how to improve and expand the Locator Service. Since the introduction of the GPO Access services on June 8, 1994, GPO staff have participated in major conferences of the American Library Association (ALA) and the Special Libraries Association (SLA). GPO will participate in the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) conference in July 1994. On July 6, 1994, there will be three demonstrations and briefings at GPO, one for information industry companies and two for Federal agencies and others interested in the implementation of the GPO Access legislation. There are also plans to conduct a forum on GPO Access for public interest group users. A GPO Access User Support Team has been established to assist users and answer questions from potential users. The team is collecting comments and suggestions from the hundreds of telephone calls that are coming in, and this information will be used to improve the existing services and as an aid in determining the content and characteristics of future services. V. ONLINE ACCESS TO THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD AND FEDERAL REGISTER Under the GPO Access legislation, the Superintendent of Documents is required to provide a system of online access to the Congressional Record, the Federal Register and other appropriate publications (the Online Interactive Service). The initial implementation of the Online Interactive Service uses a Wide Area Information Server (WAIS) at GPO. It provides full text search and retrieval for the Congressional Record and the Federal Register. It also offers the Congressional Record Index (1992 through 1994) and Enrolled Bills for the 103d Congress. 5 CPO Access - Status Report, June 30,1994 The GPO Access services were made available on June 8, 1994. Over 600 subscriptions were ordered during the first three weeks of operation and thousands of inquiries were received and processed. 1. Requirements In designing the WAIS server applications, GPO identified requirements that this service should: • Be capable of meeting the operational deadline stipulated in the law. • For the most part, utilize existing equipment, in order to minimize costs. - Be compatible and work with Internet, as well as accessible through asynchronous communications (telephone and modem). • Satisfy publisher and public requirements that online access to the Record and Register include the complete publications, including all tables, graphics, etc. Although the above requirements were met with the WAIS server, additional requirements were identified that mandate the employment of alternative methods with a longer development cycle. These are discussed in Section IX: Future Plans. 2. Databases on the WAIS Server The initial GPO Access WAIS databases are: • Federal Register database, that contains daily issues of the Federal Register (FR) from the beginning of calendar year 1994 (Volume 59, Number 1). The database is updated by 6:00 a.m. each day the FR is published. The text of Notices, Final Rules, Proposed Rules, Presidential Documents, and Executive Orders, as well as the contents and finding aids, are included in the database daily as ASCII files, with all graphics included as individual files in TIFF format. Brief ASCII text summaries of each major entry are also available. The Regulatory Agenda will be included at a later time. • Congressional Record database, that contains daily issues of the Congressional Record (CR) for the 103d Congress, 2d Session (Volume 140). The database is updated between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. each day the CR is published, depending on the time that Congress adjourns the preceding day. The Daily Digest, Extensions of Remarks and House and Senate pages are all included in the database daily as ASCII text files, with all graphics included as individual files in TIFF format. 6 GPO Access - status Report, June 30, 1994 • Congressional Record Index databases, that contain the cumulated contents of the Congressional Record Index (CRI) for 1992 through 1994 (Volumes 138 through 140). The 1994 database, covering the 103d Congress, 2d Session, is updated every two weeks to incorporate the most recent biweekly issue of the CRI. The 1992 and 1993 CRI databases, covering the 102d Congress, 2d Session and 103d Congress, 1st Session, respectively, will be static. Each CRI heading, with its subordinate entries, is available as an ASCII text file. All page number references refer to pagination of the daily, rather than the final (bound) Congressional Record. Because biweekly paper issues of the CRI are not cumulative, there is no equivalent print counterpart of these databases. The databases do not contain preliminary information found in the printed version, such as listings of commonly used index headings, nor do they yet include the "History of Bills and Resolutions." The History data will be included at a later time. • Enrolled Bills for the 103d Congress database, that contains all enrolled bills (bills passed by the House and Senate and sent to the President for signature) for the 103d Congress from the beginning of the 1st Session (1993 through 1994). The database is updated on an irregular basis, as bills are passed. Each enrolled bill is available as an ASCII text file and in the Adobe Acrobat PDF file format. Users with Acrobat viewers will be able to display and print typeset page facsimiles. 3. Methods of Access; Software Users with full Internet access and local WAIS client software can search the ASCII text and retrieve both the text files and the TIFF files containing graphics from the Congressional Record and Federal Register. They can also retrieve the Adobe Acrobat PDF files for Enrolled Bills. Customized WAIS client software for Windows or Macintosh systems is available from GPO for $15 per copy. Sample searches and the appropriate source selections (database addresses) are provided with this client software and the installation has been customized for the special file format requirements of the GPO Access databases. The software also include a graphics (TIFF) viewer. Acrobat viewers are available from a number of commercial software suppliers for approximately $25 per copy. Those who do not have full Internet connections can still use the GPO Access databases through the Simple WAIS (SWAIS) client software on the GPO server. This provides the ability to search the ASCII text files through an Internet Telnet session or by using a phone modem to dial directly into GPO. Graphic (TIFF) and Acrobat PDF files are not available through SWAIS. A substantial number of Federal depository libraries have Internet service and can use SWAIS or the customized WAIS client software to search the GPO Access databases. GPO will provide limited 800 service for depository libraries that do not have, and cannot obtain, Internet service, and are outside of the Washington cpo Access ฆ status Report, June 30,1994 metropolitan area. Because of the potential expense, GPO anticipates that this will be only a short term solution, and that the depository libraries will actively seek to obtain Internet access. Depository libraries using this service will have special procedures to follow and will be issued an identification number to use in conjunction with the 800 number. For the present, they will be limited to SWAIS service. GPO intends to offer SLIP/PPP connections to dial in users in the near future. This will enable dial in users with personal computers to use local WAIS client software and have full use of the GPO Access services. 4. Depository Library Access; Subscription Fees As required by Section 4102 of the GPO Access Act, the Superintendent of Documents is providing Federal depository libraries with access to the GPO Access databases without charge. The libraries, in turn, provide free public access to these services. There is at least one Federal depository library in each Congressional District. Costs for this access are paid from the appropriation provided for the Federal Depository Library Program in the Legislative Branch Appropriation. Fees for other users have been set so as to recover the incremental cost of dissemination. Section X contains additional information on the costs for the development and operation of the GPO Access services. The initial fees are as follows: • The annual subscription price for the Federal Register Online via GPO Access through a stand alone workstation (not a server) is $375 and includes the full text and graphics from the daily issues of the Federal Register. Six-month (26 week) subscriptions are available for $200. One month (30 days) of access can be purchased for $35. - The annual subscription price for the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access through a stand alone workstation (not a server) is $375 and includes the Congressional Record and the Congressional Record Index databases. Six-month (26 week) subscriptions are available for $200. One month (30 days) of access can be purchased for $35. • Annual subscriptions are also available for either the Federal Register or the Congressional Record online through a network server with multiple workstations. Rates are as follows: 8 cpo Access - status Report, June SO, 1994 2 to 10 Workstations: $750 per year 11 to 50 Workstations: $1,875 per year 51 to 100 Workstations: $2,815 per year 101 to 150 Workstations: $3,755 per year 151 to 500 Workstations: $3,755 per year plus $188 per 10 additional workstations over 150 (round up) 501 to 1000 Workstations: $10,335 per year plus $94 per 10 additional workstations over 500 (round up) Prices for servers with over 1,000 workstations can be provided upon request. • The annual subscription price for the Enrolled Bills for the 103d Congress Online via GPO Access through a stand alone workstation (not a server) is $60. Because of the low price, no partial year subscriptions are offered. • Annual subscriptions are also available for the Enrolled Bills online through a network server with multiple work stations. Rates are as follows: 2 to 10 Workstations: 11 to 50 Workstations: 51 to 100 Workstations: 101 to 150 Workstations: 151 to 500 Workstations: 501 to 1000 Workstations: $120 per year $300 per year $450 per year $600 per year $600 per year plus $30 per 10 additional workstations over 150 (round up) $1,650 per year plus $15 per 10 additional workstations over 500 (round up) Prices for servers with over 1,000 workstations can be provided upon request These rates are preliminary and are based on GPO's best estimates of the number of subscriptions that will be sold, or delivered without charge to Federal depository libraries, during the first year of service. It is difficult to anticipate precisely the costs for providing a new service, and even more difficult to anticipate the number of users and their patterns of use. Consequently, GPO will monitor both revenue and costs, and plans to adjust the rates as needed, so that the revenue, over time, will be sufficient to recover all of the incremental costs of dissemination. If usage exceeds the initial forecasts, GPO will be able to reduce the rates. Section X contains additional information on the costs for the development and operation of the GPO Access services. The WAIS server offers limited options for charging users. Time-based charges are not meaningful in a service that is based on the transmission of queries (packets), rather than a continuous, asynchronous communications session. Since the WAIS client software does not provide the user with the file size for all files (some clients provide the size of the basic ASCII text file), it is not reasonable 9 cpo Access - status Report, June 30,1994 to charge users based on the size of the files downloaded. Additionally, with online information services, the greatest requirement for user support comes during the initiation of service and the completion of the initial searches, so it is necessary to establish a minimum charge that will recover these anticipated user support costs. Finally, the expressed user preference is for a low cost, fixed price subscription that would permit the user to budget for the service. GPO anticipates that future enhancements to the WAIS server software and/or implementation of the SGML-based online service described in Section IX will provide more flexible pricing options. The press release announcing the GPO Access services is attached as Exhibit C. A brochure that is used to respond to customer inquiries and otherwise promote the online databases is attached as Exhibit D. A reproduction of the Federal Register cover and the description and prices for the online Federal Register that appears in each daily issue is Exhibit E. A reproduction of the description and prices for the online Congressional Record that appears in each daily issue is Exhibit F. VI. THE LOCATOR SERVICE Under the GPO Access legislation, the Superintendent of Documents is required to maintain an electronic directory of Federal electronic information (Locator Service). The idea of a Federal locator or directory for electronic data files is not a new one. There have been a number of studies and legislative initiatives seeking to address the vast quantity of government information that is not easy to acquire in large part because it is not easy to find. Assignment of the responsibility for a government-wide locator to GPO is a logical extension of its responsibility for the publication of the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (MoCat). Title 44 USC ง1711 requires GPO to "prepare a catalog of Government publications which shall show the documents printed during the preceding month, where obtainable, and the price." MoCat production receives modest funding (about $2.5 million a year) as part of the Legislative Branch Appropriations to fulfill the requirements of Title 44. MoCat does list a wide variety of paper, microform and electronic government "publications" — over 32,000 records per year. However, coverage of electronic information products has largely resulted from the inclusion of CD-ROM and diskette based products in the GPO Sales Program and obtained for distribution to Federal depository libraries. While it is not limited to such items, that has been a major source of information for MoCat. The new legislation gives GPO the responsibility to provide a more comprehensive directory or locator of electronic information available from the Federal government. 10 cpo Access • status Report, June 30,1994 Consequently, GPO has established a prototype Federal electronic directory (Prototype Locator) that provides the public, directly or through a Federal depository library, free online access to a variety of applications that identify selected Federal information services and products. The Prototype Locator then either directs or connects the users to the referenced information. The Prototype Locator was developed through a contract with the University of Kentucky Research Foundation, on behalf of the University of Kentucky and the National Distance Learning Center. It is for $380,000 and runs through December, 1994. It is funded by retained earnings from the Superintendent of Documents' Sales Program. 1. Characteristics of the Prototype Locator Service A Prototype Locator has been developed that: • Provides users with descriptive data on a wide variety of Federal information services and products as well as facilitating access to the referenced information. • Provides a basis for the collection of data on user characteristics and needs, as well as tracking Prototype Locator usage. • Demonstrates the feasibility of integrating the Prototype Locator with the other components of GPO Access, particularly the online databases available through the WAIS server. The Prototype Locator is designed: • To allow users easy searching for information about selected Federal information services and products. • To be simple, intuitive, and self-instructing to allow users to obtain information quickly and efficiently. • With software that is modular in design that permits upgrades with additional functions, capabilities, and enhancements. • To allow for expansion to a fully operational Locator Service with only reasonable reprogramming efforts. • To be a hardware-independent open system, such that it can function on a variety of different operating system/hardware platforms. • To be compatible and work with Internet, as well as accessible through asynchronous communications (telephone and modem). 11 GPO Access - status Report, June 30,1994 * So that any data sets developed or collected by the Prototype Locator are available for reproduction and dissemination in ASCII format. • To refer public users to holdings of Federal depository libraries and take orders for the GPO Sales Program. In developing the Locator Service, GPO sought to design a system that permits and encourages agencies to make data about their electronic information available locally, in a distributed system, under the control of the participating agencies. The Prototype Locator, really an initial group of model locator applications, was operational by May 1994 for preliminary testing and evaluation. Public access is scheduled for July 1994. The implementation uses a phased approach. The initial set of information was available in May 1994, with additional agencies or information sources being added gradually thereafter. The result will not be a single, central locator, but rather a series of inter-related, individual locator applications in several different locations. 2. Prototype Locator Applications Two major GPO information sources, the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (MoCat) and the Publications Reference File (PRF) are the core applications for the Prototype Locator. MoCat identifies print and electronic publications from a wide range of government agencies. PRF identifies print and electronic publications for sale by GPO. The MoCat locator application permits the user to identify a document and then obtain a list of nearby Federal depository libraries that select that type of material. The PRF locator application permits the user to order publications from GPO. Another application uses a database already offered by the Library of Congress (LC), the Congressional Bill Digest, to facilitate public identification of legislation enacted or in process. Software developed by the contractor permits natural language queries to be run against the LC database. This results in information that permits the user to identify bills and then order the full text from GPO as either PostScript or Acrobat PDF files or obtain them in other formats from alternative sources. GPO and its contractor are working with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) on additional locator applications. Other agencies are talking to GPO about incorporating their data in later phases. An essential locator application is the Federal Resource Registry. It can accept Government Information Locator Service (GILS) records from any Federal agency and provides a registry of the various agency locator applications that are linked 12 GPO Access ฆ status Report, June 30,1994 through the GPO Access Locator Service. It is important to understand that the Locator Service is intended to identify and describe-but not necessarily to directly deliver—the full content of information resources in response to a user query. For example, a search of the PRF may identify a publication, but the user will need to go to a Federal depository library or purchase a copy from GPO to use it. 3. GPO's Role in the Locator Service GPO's role in providing the Locator Service is that of a facilitator, a coordinator and a provider of tools that can be used by an agency that wishes to include in the Locator Service data that the agency is ready and able to offer to the public. Thus each agency can work at its own pace, based on available resources and interest. GPO will publicize the availability of the Locator Service and assist users in making their initial connection to it. GPO can train agency personnel and assist them in the implementation of their own portion of the Locator Service. As a distributed system, each agency's locator can be maintained locally and accessed directly by users, but it can also be linked (networked), so that users can search across many agencies. GPO also serves as the place where users might start if they are not sure which agency is likely to have information that would assist them, but the GPO Locator Service will not be the only path into the system. 4. Free Public Access; Methods of Access Although the GPO Access legislation permits GPO to charge users, other than Federal depository libraries, for use of the Locator Service, access will be free to all users at least for the remainder of calendar year 1994. It is GPO's intention to continue this as a free public service if at all possible. Currently users can access the Locator Service through an Internet Telnet session or by using a phone modem to dial directly into GPO. As noted above, GPO will provide limited 800 service for depository libraries that do not have, and cannot obtain, Internet service, and are outside of the Washington metropolitan area. 5. Equipment; Software At present the equipment acquired as the GPO host for the Locator Service is a DEC 3000 Model 400 Alpha Workstation running OSF/1. This server has over 9 gigabytes of hard disk storage. Additional equipment can be acquired in the future, based on the volume of use. The contractor is developing several client (user) interfaces that can be used by the public directly, or through the Federal depository libraries, to access the 13 GPO Access ฆ Status Report, June 30,1994 Locator Service. These will be models, but the system will allow agencies, or users, to develop alternative interfaces. GPO will distribute free client software for three operating systems, DOS, Windows and X-Windows (Unix). The client software will be released as it becomes available, probably in the fall. The DOS client will be suitable for unassisted public use in a Federal depository library and can support assistive technology for the sight impaired. 6. Public Testing The contract for the development of the Prototype Locator provides for public testing for a period of six months, from July 1 through December 31, 1994. There will be at least 12 test sites, including libraries, schools, state and local government agencies and businesses. The testing phase involves: • Development and testing of user manuals and related training materials. • Training of staff and users at the test sites. • Operation of a help desk for user support. • Collection and analysis of data on Prototype Locator usage and acceptance at the test sites. 7. Transfer of Operations; Contractor's Final Report Responsibility for operation and maintenance of the initial Prototype Locator applications will be transferred from the contractor to GPO in the summer of 1994. GPO technical staff received training during May and June 1994, to prepare for this transfer. Additional training on the initial Prototype Locator applications and end-user software will be held at GPO during July. The contractor will continue to provide technical and consulting support through December 1994. The contractor's final report will summarize the data from the public testing and offer recommendations for expanding the Prototype Locator into a fully operational Locator Service. This report will also provide projections for operational costs and potential usage of the Locator Service during the next five years. 14 GPO Access - status Report, June 30, 1994 VII. THE STORAGE FACILITY The GPO Access legislation requires the GPO to "operate an electronic storage facility for Federal electronic information to which online access is made available." This facility, named Information Depository for Electronic Access (IDEA), began receiving data on March 31, 1994. It is located in Owensboro, Kentucky. 1. Purposes; Methods of Access The Storage Facility permits GPO to retain electronic files for extended periods of time after their short-term use for production of print products or active electronic dissemination, and it will provide a mechanism for access and retrieval of stored data files, including access through the Internet, as a service to Federal agencies and the public. As with other GPO services, publishing agencies will reimburse GPO for the costs of storing their databases in the facility. Agencies will be able to underwrite ail, or a portion, of the costs of public access, thereby reducing costs to users of their data. Data files in the Storage Facility will be referenced in the Locator Service to facilitate public identification and retrieval. Fees will be established to recover the incremental costs of dissemination that are not funded by publishing agencies. Federal depository libraries will have access to the Storage Facility without charge. Costs for their access will be paid from the appropriation provided for the Federal Depository Library Program in the Legislative Branch Appropriation. 2. Content The Storage Facility provides immediate remote access to the source data files for Federal information that have been made available through the GPO Access online services, thus assuring that these files are never "out of print." It will also be used as the original point for storing and providing public access to data files that are anticipated to have limited usage and/or are not appropriate for dissemination through the other online services. The initial data sets in the Storage Facility include the Congressional Record (from January 1994) and Federal Register (from January 1994), the Congressional Record Index (from 1992), and Enrolled Bills for the 103d Congress (1993-1994). The text files from these databases will be stored as ASCII files, with graphics stored as separate files in the TIFF format. Enrolled bills will also be stored as Adobe Acrobat PDF (portable document format) files. The volume and variety of information will increase as additional information is disseminated through the GPO Access online services. 15 GPO Access ฆ Status Report, June 30,1994 3. Equipment The initial equipment for the IDEA facility includes a DEC 3000 Model 400 Alpha Workstation running OSF/1, with 9 gigabytes of hard disk capacity. Future plans include adding a CD-ROM jukebox with 100 disc capacity; and an optical disc jukebox with 88 disc capacity, using 5.25" WORM [Write Once, Read Many] discs and/or erasable discs each with 1.3 gigabytes of storage. The facility will be accessible through the Internet, permitting access to the CD-ROM discs and retrieval of files stored on the optical discs. VIII. THE FEDERAL BULLETIN BOARD The House and Senate Reports on the GPO Access legislation acknowledged the existence of The Federal Bulletin Board and incorporated it into GPO Access. The bulletin board service (BBS) enables Federal agencies to provide the public with immediate, self-service access to Government information in electronic form at reasonable rates. During the past six months over 16,000 files were download, transferring over 3.2 gigabytes of information to users of The Federal Bulletin Board. 1. Key Features In addition to supporting the transfer of a wide variety of data files for a fee, the free services that The Federal Bulletin Board offers include: • Telephone help service on weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, at (202) 512-1530, as well as communication via fax at (202) 512-1262 or through BBS E-Mail to BBS Assistance. Selected agency staff are also available for E-Mail consultation. • A User's Manual available for downloading. • Browsing functions for the various menus and libraries on the board, including searching for keywords that describe the content of each file. • Online ordering for free GPO sales catalogs as well as for CD-ROMs and other GPO sales items. • Reference files to assist users in the location and use of files. • Subject Bibliographies to help users to identify publications of interest that are for sale from GPO. • Forums that provide information on a variety of subject areas, including implementation of the GPO Access Legislation (Public Law 103-40). 16 GPO Access - Status Report, June 30, 1994 2. Content of Files As of June 1994, the bulletin board has over 5,000 files representing more than 18 Federal agencies from all three branches of the Federal government, including files from such agencies as: • Congress • The White House • The Supreme Court • Department of Energy • Department of Justice • Department of State ฆ Environmental Protection Agency • Federal Highway Administration • Food and Drug Administration • General Accounting Office • Government Printing Office • Health Care Financing Administration • Internal Revenue Service • Merit System Protection Board • Office of Foreign Assets Control • Office of the Federal Register • Public Health Service • Social Security Administration The bulletin board includes files on subjects such as: • Federal Budget, FY 1995 • Federal Depository Library Program • Foreign Countries • General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) • Health Care Reform • Human Rights • Iran-Contra Report • National Export Strategy • National Information Infrastructure • National Performance Review • North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) • Pending and Enacted Legislation • Press Releases • Proposed and Final Rules 17 GPO Access ฆ Status Report, June 30,1994 This information is available in a variety of formats, including: • ASCII • PostScript • Lotus 123 • WordPerfect • Acrobat PDF • dBase • Executable Software 3. Methods of Access; Software Currently users can access The Federal Bulletin Board through an Internet Telnet session or by using a phone modem to dial directly into GPO. A variety of standard off-the-shelf communications software can be used to access the bulletin board. 4. Depository Library Access; Fees Federal depository libraries have access to fee-based services of The Federal Bulletin Board without charge. Costs for this access are paid from the appropriation provided for the Federal Depository Library Program in the Legislative Branch Appropriation. Fees for other users are set so as to recover the incremental cost of dissemination. Users do not pay a minimum fee or any charge for the time spent online. All charges are based on the size of file downloaded. The minimum charge is $2 per file. The average price of a file downloaded from The Federal Bulletin Board is $5. Payment methods include MasterCard, VISA, or GPO Deposit Account. Users are charged only when a fee-based file is downloaded. A brochure that is used to promote The Federal Bulletin Board and respond to inquiries is attached as Exhibit G. 18 GPO Access ฆ Status Report, June 30, 1994 IX. FUTURE PLANS GPO concluded that the type of online interactive service that must be provided to meet a broader spectrum of Federal depository library and public needs and to completely satisfy the requirements of the legislation requires a longer development cycle than the one year provided in the GPO Access legislation. Consequently, while developing the WAIS server applications to meet the statutory deadline, GPO also defined requirements for an enhanced Online interactive Service and began the necessary steps to fulfill these requirements. 1. Use of SGML GPO recognized that to garner potentially significant economies throughout the Federal sector, an acceptable standardized data structure must be employed. This structure should begin at the authoring level and remain usable throughout the publishing processes, whether publishing in electronic or traditional printed format. Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), prescribed by Federal Information Processing Standard 152, was selected as the appropriate means to accomplish these objectives. Consequently, GPO is changing to production of the Congressional Record and Federal Register using SGML. Efforts to develop Document Type Definitions (DTD) for both the Record and Register are well underway. This is a prerequisite to implementation of an enhanced Online Interactive Service. In addition to preparing documents in-house using SGML, GPO expects to offer training so that Federal agencies can incorporate SGML during the authoring process. Eventually, requirements for SGML will be incorporated into commercially procured printing/information products. Use of this standardized data structure will provide a coherent and unambiguous syntax for describing the elements of information in the textual data and delineating the inter-relationships between those elements, thus increasing the availability of Government information for public use in more universally accepted electronic formats. 2. Software Procurement A notice was published in the Commerce Business Daily on August 18,1993, announcing that GPO would procure an off-the-shelf build engine and retrieval software site license for use in electronically disseminating Government publications. This software will be used to produce CD-ROMs and online interactive databases from SGML-structured files. A Request for Proposal (RFP) to procure this software was issued in mid- November 1993. A pre-proposal conference was held in December 1993. Although the RFP solicited commercially available software, GPO recognized that 19 GPO Access ฆ status Report, June 30,1994 the procured software might require substantial customization for these particular applications and issued an amendment in March 1994, addressing these and other issues raised during the pre-proposal conference. Proposals were received in mid-May 1994, and are currently under review. The award date is presently projected for September 1, 1994. 3. SGML-Based Interactive Search and Retrieval In addition to providing a greatly enhanced search and retrieval capability, five additional features of the enhanced Online Interactive Service are regarded as very important. The SGML database structure will permit: * Creation of databases at the authoring stage that are suitable for publication via conventional printing methods, online interactive access and CD-ROMs, without the need for GPO to manipulate the data to produce one product or the other, and with the online and CD-ROM versions capable of employing the same user interface. * Incorporation of data from one publication into another with a different printed format (such as Bills into the Congressional Record or Federal Register documents into the CFR) without manipulation. * Automated composition (print on demand) of data extracted from electronically disseminated databases in the same format as the "official" printed publication, or in format(s) chosen by the user. * GPO to eliminate the need to re-key and proofread publication data, because it makes it possible for publishing customers to submit validated, machine-readable data. * Exponential increases in the amount of Federal information that can be made available electronically to the public, if a conforming database is specified as a deliverable in future Printing Procurement contracts, along with the printed information products. 4. Alternative Forms of Dissemination CD-ROM publications may be used to provide archival copies of the data from the Online Interactive Service and/or to serve users who cannot or do not choose to use the online services. These CD-ROMs will employ the same user interface as the Online Interactive Service, thus reducing retraining of users who do use both formats. Affirmative transmission, via satellite or other methods, will be considered as an additional means of dissemination if there is sufficient user interest to permit full cost recovery. 20 GPO Access - Status Report, June 30,1994 X. COSTS AND FINANCING The GPO Access legislation does not authorize appropriations, but it does authorize GPO to charge users for the incremental cost of distribution. Although no appropriations are made directly for GPO Access, per se, appropriations made to publishing agencies may be available to create databases, maintain information in the Storage Facility, and otherwise participate in the GPO Access services. However, in the absence of appropriations to cover the other costs for maintaining the system and providing services to users, GPO must recover all such costs from the fees charged for its services. 1. Sources of Funding GPO is a self-supporting agency, receiving fees for its production and procurement services to Congress and Federal agencies and for its sale of Government information to the public. Publishing agencies, including the Congress, generally will continue to pay the "first copy" or development costs, as they do with current paper and CD-ROM products. They will do this with their own funds and under their authority, reimbursing GPO for its services. This certainly means that agencies will have a very substantial voice in deciding on the content and characteristics of the services that GPO offers. The Legislative Branch Appropriation does include funding for Congress' own printing and binding through the annual Congressional Printing & Binding (CP&B) appropriation. It also provides funding for four programs, including the Federal Depository Library Program, through the annual Salaries & Expenses (S&E) appropriation. The appropriate congressional database development costs and operating expenses for certain congressional usage are being charged to CP&B. The expenses for Federal depository library use are being charged to the S&E appropriation. When information is disseminated through the GPO Access services, the incremental cost of dissemination will be recovered from the recipients or, in the case of the Federal depository libraries, from the (S&E) appropriation provided to the Superintendent of Documents for that program. This would include any costs necessary for maintaining the system; providing user support; training and documentation; and software licensing fees, as well as general and administrative expenses. The funding sources for the GPO Access services are flexible, and specific amounts cannot be estimated with accuracy at this time because the evolution of the service will result from the decisions of many Federal agencies regarding their participation. Moreover, the volume of use, in turn, is dependent on the types of information that are made available through the service. Therefore, the major determinants of the size of the program and its costs are based on the decisions of publishing agencies and potential users. Total program funding will vary based 21 cpo Access - status Report, June 30,1994 on the demand for services and the supply of databases made available, but the revenue from users of the GPO Access services must be sufficient, over time, to recover all incremental dissemination costs. This is the basic concept underlying the revolving fund mechanism under which most GPO programs operate. 2. Pricing of Current and Future Services GPO has priced the present online services at the estimated "incremental cost" as directed by law. As experience is gained, prices will be adjusted to assure that incremental costs are accurately reflected in the prices. The more users there are and the more databases that are made available, the lower the incremental costs will be per user per database. Prior to full public release, SGML-based services will be tested at a number of sites to gather information on the quality and value of the services and facilitate estimation of usage and costs. This testing will include both Federal depository libraries and a variety of organizations that are representative of users. The law requires that the GPO Access services be self-sustaining. As a result, the selection of publications and services to be offered will partially depend on: • The willingness of publishing agencies to fund public access to these services. • The ability of GPO to generate sufficient income from fees paid by those who purchase services. • The ability of GPO to re-allocate limited funds from the appropriation that is provided for the Federal Depository Library Program to support usage by that community. As currently occurs with other print and electronic publications, reimbursement for development costs incurred by GPO will come from fees paid to GPO by the publishing agencies. 3. Development Expenditures and Operating Costs Based on the presently available information, GPO estimates that the capital expenditures for GPO Access (the Locator, the Online Interactive Service, and the Storage Facility) will amount to about $1.0 million, cumulative over the first three years of the program. Total GPO operating expenditures are expected to total about $.7 million during the first year of implementation of the initial online services. Publishing agencies may incur additional expenses in developing databases for the online services and participating in the Locator Service. 22 GPO Access ฆ Status Report, June 30,1994 4. Benefits and Savings from Dissemination of Electronic Information Net savings in terms of reduced distribution of paper copies, if any, as a result of online dissemination may not be realized for several years. Cost reductions due to electronic formats, such as CD-ROM, can be substantial for individual publications, if paper copies are eliminated. Making information contained in government electronic databases available online promotes equity and accessibility in information dissemination. Data is available online nationwide substantially before paper copies can be distributed. Benefits accrue to the users in terms of increased productivity and timely access to information. CD-ROM and other electronic formats are beginning to replace paper publications and are being used to disseminate information never published in paper formats. Certain publications that would have been prohibitively expensive to produce in paper are being published as CD-ROMs. Given the cost advantage per volume of data afforded by CD-ROM over traditional paper alternatives, efficiency in information dissemination is greatly increased by the growing use of CD-ROM. Microfiche publications presently account for about 60 percent of depository library distributions. The use of optical disc technology may begin to replace microfiche. In the early years of implementation, the savings will be minimal, if any. Much of the potential savings as compared with paper copies, have already been realized through the use of microfiche. In the longer term, significant savings may be possible, even for publications presently distributed only in microfiche format, as the government moves toward implementation of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) format. Creation of databases in SGML format will facilitate the storage, search, and retrieval of data, SGML will allow microfiche formats as well as paper to be replaced with online full text that can be accessed just when needed. These trends, which are driven by the pace of technology, should eventually result in reduced dissemination costs and increased services. 23 GPO Access - status Report, June 30, 1994 LIST OF EXHIBITS Exhibit A: Legislative History of Public Law 103-40 Exhibit B: Initial Equipment Configuration for the Portions of GPO Access Accessible to the Public Exhibit C: GPO Access Press Release Exhibit D: GPO Access Brochure Exhibit E: Federal Register Cover and Page II with Subscription Rates and Instructions Exhibit F: Congressional Record Page with Subscription Rates and Instructions Exhibit G: The Federal Bulletin Board Brochure 24 GPO Access - Status Report, June 30,1994 Exhibit A: Legislative History of Public Law 103-40 GPO Access - Status Report, June 30,1994 Legislative History of Public Law 103-40 [S. 564] June 8, 1993, 107 Stat. 112, 44 USC ง 4101- Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993 Legislative History citations: 103d Congress S. 564 March 11, 1993 March 18, 1993 March 22, 1993 May 25, 1993 May 25, 1993 June 8, 1993 Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993 Congressional Record, p. S2781-, introductory statement by Mr. Ford Senate Report 103-27, Committee on Rules and Administration Congressional Record, p. S3383-, considered and passed Senate House Report 103-108, Committee on House Administration Congressional Record, p. H2771-, considered and passed House Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, vol. 29, p. 1043, President's Statement on Signing Parallel bill: H.R. 1328 March 11, 1993 April 1, 1993 Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993 Congressional Record, p. H1231, introduced fay Rep. Rose House Report 103-51, Committee on House Administration Precursor bills: 102d Congress H.R. 5983 Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1992 September 22, 1992 Congressional Record, p. H8965, introduced by Rep. Rose; p. E2737, statement September 29, 1992 House Report 102-933, Committee on House Administration September 29, 1992 Congressional Record, p. H9683, passed in House; received in Senate, referred to Committee on Rules S. 2813 GPO Gateway to Government Act of 1992 June 4, 1992 Congressional Record, p. S7599, introduced by Sen. Gore, statement July 23, 1992 Joint Hearing on S. 2813 and H.R. 2772, Senate Committee on Rules and Committee on House Administration H.R. 2772 June 26, 1991 April 8, 1992 July 23, 1992 GPO Wide Information Network for Online Act of 1991 ("WINDO") Congressional Record, introduced by Rep. Rose (37 cosponsors) Congressional Record, p. H2465, statement by Mr. Owens on National Library Week, discussing WINDO bill and inserting American Library Association Fact Sheet Joint Hearing on H.R. 2772 and S. 2813, Committee on House Administration and Senate Committee on Rules 26 GPO Access • status Report, June 30,1994 101st Congress H.R. 3849 Government Printing Office improvement Act of 1990 January 24, 1990 Congressional Record, p. E35, statement on introduction by Jim Bates, January 23, 1990 March 7-8, 1990 Hearings on H.R. 3849, Subcommittee on Procurement and Printing, Committee on House Administration Other Background: Hearing, Joint Committee on Printing, New Technology and the Government Printing Office, S. Hrg. 102-115, June 19, July 24, 1991 Hearing, Joint Committee on Printing, Government Information as a Public Asset, S. Hrg. 102-114, April 25, 1991 Hearings, Subcommittee on Procurement and Printing, Committee on House Administration, 'Title 44 U.S.C.- Review", May 23-24, June 28-29, 1989 Informing the Nation: Federal Information Dissemination in an Electronic Age. United States Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, October 1988 Provision of Federal Government Publications in Electronic Format to Depository Libraries. Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Depository Library Access to Federal Automated Data Bases to the Joint Committee on Printing, S. Pit 98-260, December 1984 Legislative Branch Appropriations Hearings, Part 2, testimony, various years 27 GPO Access - Status Report, June 30, 1994 Exhibit B: Initial Equipment Configuration for the Portions of GPO Access Accessible to the Public 28 Initial Equipment Configuration for GPO Access System (June 30,1994) Access Room Telecommunications Room to CO (Leeds, Schuman, Siymaak INTERNET rtv. 6-30-94) A.+A 4044 GPO Access - Status Report, June 30, 1994 Exhibit C: GPO Access Press Release 30 GPO Access - status Report, June 30,1994 News For Release IMMEDIATE June 7, 1994 Contact: John fierger 202-512-1525 No. 94-6 ONLINE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, FEDERAL REGISTER SERVICE DEBUTS The official Government versions of The Congressional Record and the - Federal Register are -now available online the day of publication via the rapidly expanding information superhighway. Users connected to the Internet will be able to access the full text and all graphics of the Record and the Register. Electronic versions of the Federal Register are being produced in a cooperative project by the Office of the Federal Register (OFR) and the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office , nopassword,. GPO will distribute free client software (for DOS, Windows, and Unix) when it becomes available, in the Fall, 1994. Federal Bulletin Board Features • a telephone help service • free user's manual • free browsing functions • online ordering for other sales products • forums that provide infoimation on a number of subject areas. More than 5,000 files from over 18 Government agencies representing all three branches of the Federal Government are available in a variety of formats and on a wide variety of subjects. Prices for paid files are based on the size of the file downloaded or retrieved to the screen. Electronic Bulletin Board Access: Internet: telnet to fcdend.bbs.gpo.gov 3001 (port 3001) Modem dial in to (202) 512-1387 (Settings: 8 bits, no parity, 1 stop bit, full parity) up to 9600 Baud. The Storage Facility The OPO storage facility will provide immediate remote access to the source data files for Federal information that have been made available through the online system of access. Data files in the storage facility will be referenced in the Locator Service. Pees will be established to recover the incremental costs of dissemination, with free access to Federal Depository Libraries. GPO Access A Better Way To Find Federal Information GPO Access consists of: * a system of online access to the Congressional Record, the Federal Register and other databases, The WAIS Server. * an electronic directory of al] formats of Federal information, The Federal Locator. * an electronic storage facility, Federal IDEA (Information Depository for Electronic Access). * an electronic bulletin board for immediate, self-service access to Government infoimation, The Federal Bulletin Board. For further information: Electronic Information Diuemination Services (BIDS) Mall Stop: SDE U.S. Oovemment Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20401 Phone: (202)S1M330 Fax: (202) 512-1263 Internet E-Mail: help@eldsOS.eidS.gpo.gov Available Online, Updated Daily! Federal Register, Congressional Record, Enrolled Bills through GPO Access A Service of the U.S. Government Printing Office KMCMaAnmfc* Monad -,( ..MnlnmtoMy Easy and Inexpensive Use the Internet or Dial In Federal Register, Congressional Record Online via GPO Access Get the Official, GoventmeDt Versions Via the Internet Complete - Full text end graphics of the Federal Register (FR) and the Congressional Record (CR), including the 1992-1994 Congressional Record Indexes. Current - Updated each day published. -ฆJ Timely - fly 6 a.m. daily for FR; between 9 and 11:00 a.m. for CR, depending when Congress adjourns the previous day. Convenient - Access via Internet to a Wide Area Information Server (WAIS) at GPO. Customized local WAIS client software and free user's manual are available from GPO via The Federal Bulletin Board. * Inexpensive - Just over $ 1 per day. If you do not have a Jul! Internet connection... Text only through telnet or asynchronous dial in (telephone and modem). Users who dial in or telnet to the server will access through SWAIS and wilt not require local WAtS client software, How To Subscribe Multiple Work Station Discounts GPO Access Online Databases Prepaid subscriptions are available from the Superintendent of Documents by VISA, MasterCard, GPO Deposit Account, check or money order. For online ordering, telnet to wais.access.gpo.gov, login as newuser , no password or use a computer and modem to dial (202) 512-1661 and login as wais , no password , at the second login, newuser , no password . Reasonable Rates For either the Congressional Record (including the 1992-1994 Congressional Record Indexes) or the Federal Register a subscription for a single work station is only: Single Month $35 Six Months $200 One Year $375 Enrolled Bills of the 103d Congress: One year (only) $60 These subscriptions provide for unlimited use for a stand alone work station or individual User-ID. There are discounts for servers with multiple work stations. Follow the online subscription procedures for pricing information. Annual subscriptions available for servers with multiple work stations are as follows: Federal Register or Congressional Record* 2-10 workstations $750 per year 11-30 wont itationi 11^75 per year 51-100 work stations $2,ซ15 peryesr 101-150 work nation! $3,155 per year 151-500 work stations tl.755 per year pint SISS per 10 work stations 501-1,000 work nations 110,335 per year plus S94 per 10 work nations 1,001 plus work stations Pleue Inquire * include! Congressional Record Index and 1994 History of Bills. Enrolled Bills of the 103d Congress SI20 per year $300 per year S450 per year M00 per year SSW per year 2-10 workstationi 11-50 work stations 51-100 work stations 101-150 workstations 151-500 work stations plus S30 per 10 work stations 501-1,000 work stations J1.650 per year plus SIS per 10 work stations 1,001 plus work stations Please Inquire Customized EINet local WAIS client software @ SI 5 per copy and free users manual are available via The Federal Bulletin Board. For further information: Phone: (202) 512-1530 Fax: (202)512-1262 Internet E-Mail: helpฎ eids05.eids.gpa.gov The GPO Access WAIS (Wide Area Information Server) applications include: FEDERAL REGISTER - Contains dally Issues of the Fsderal Regular (FR) from Ilia beginning 01 caswidsr year 1994. Updated by 8:00 am. e'tdi day llป FR I* publshed. Node**, nrtM and proposed rule*, regulations, Presidential document*. ancvaVe ontere, table of contents, owrecnoria. separate pert*, the regulatory agenda, and reader aids are Muded In the database ae ASCII lent riles, wtti af graphics SKtaded as Individual (Uee In TIFF format. Grief ASCII tesl aummaries of esch major entry am available. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - Contains detty Issues of Ihe Crjngreeelonel Record (CR) for Ihe 103d Congress, Second Session, IBM- Updsted between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. each day the CR la pubfshed. Hone and Ganata pages, 11m Dally Digest and Extensions of re marks are al Included aa ASCII text Mas wHh an graphic). The History of Bus database tor the 1AM Congresslonsl Reoordlndei la etso avesable. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD INDEX - Contains hides entries for 1M2 through 1094. The 1994 database, covering the 103d Cong roil. Second Session, wH be updsted every two weeks to Incorporate Ihe most recent bhnekly Issue of Ihe CRI. The 1992 end 1993 CRI databases, covering Ihe 103d Congress, 2d Session and 10M Congress. 1st Session, respectively, will be static. Esch CRI headhg wtti Hs subordinate entries, wHI be available es sn ASCII lest die. All page number references safer to pagination of the daffy, rather than the final, Congressional Record. ENROLLED BILLS - Contains al enroled bits (bits passed by In* House and Sanaa) and sent to Ihe Presktsnl for signature) t,r the 103d Congress from trie beginning of Ihe 1st Session. The database nrfflbe updated en an Irregular beak), as bUs are passed. Esdi enroled Ml ts available as an ASCII lent (Be end In the Adobe Acrobat PDF fin femur Users wMi Acrobat vamre wHI be able to display and print typeset page fecslmllsa. Complete, Current, Timely, Convenient, and Inexpensive cpo Access - status Report, June 30,1994 Exhibit E: Federal Register Cover and Page (I with Subscription Rates and Instructions 38 cpo Access - Status Report, June 30,1994 6-14-94 Vol. 59 No. 113 Tuesday June 14,1994 United States Government Printing Office SUPERINTENDENT OP DOCUMENTS Wttfcinjwn. OC JOiDJ OFFICIAL BUSINESS Penjtty Drii/ซtซ us*. S30Q SECOND CLASS NEWSPAPER PofMg* *nd Ft**f Paid U-S. GD^ernmem Printing OHic* 39 GPO Access - status Report, June 30,1994 ii Federal Register / Vol. 59, No. 113 / Tuesday, June 14. 1994 SUBSCRIPTIONS AND COPIES FEDERAL REGISTER Published daily. Monday through Friday, (not published on Saturdays. Sundays, or on official holidays!, by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC 20408, under the Federal Register Act (49 Stat 900, aa amended; 44 U.S.C Cb. 15) and the regulations of the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register (1 CFR Ch. I). Distribution is made only by the- Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington. DC 20402. The Federal Register provides a uniform system for making available to ma public regulations and legal notices issued by Federal agencies. These include Presidential proclamations and Executive Orders and Federal agency documents having general applicability and legal effect, documents required to be published by act of Congress and other Federal agency documents of public interest. Documents are on file for public inspection in the Office of toe Federal Register the day before they are published, unless earlier Sling is requested by the issuing agency. The seal of the National Archives and Records Administration authenticates this issue of the Federal Snifter as the official serial publication'established under the Federal Register Act 44 U.S.C 1507 provides that the contents of the Federal Register shall be judicially noticed. The Federal Register is published in paper, 24x microfiche and as an online database through GPO Access, a service of the U.S. Government Printing Office. The online database is updated by 6 a.m. each day the Federal Register i> published. The database includes both text and graphics from Volume 59,- Number 1 (January 2.1994) forward, it is available on a Wide Area Information Server (WAIS) through the internet and via asynchronous dial-in. The annual subscription fee for a single workstation is $375. Six-month subscriptions are available tor $200 and one month of access can be purchased for $35. Discounts are available for multiple-workstation subscriptions. To subscribe, Internet users should telnet to waisAccess.gpo.gov and login as newuser (all lower case); no password is required. Dial in users should use communications software and modem to call (202) 512-1561 and login as wais (all lower case); no password is required; at the second login prompt, login as oewuser (all lower case): no password is required. Follow the instructions on the screen to register for a subscription for the Federal Register Online via GPO Access. For assistance, contact the GPO Access User Support Team by sending Internet e-mail to heJp@eids05.eids.gpogov, or a fax to (202) 512-1262, or by calling (202) 512-1530 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The annual subscription price for the Federal Register paper edition is $444. or 5490 for a combined Federal Register, Federal Register Index and List of CFR Sections Affected (LSA) subscription; the microfiche edition of the Federal Register including the. Federal Register Index and LSA is $403. Six month subscriptions are available for one-half the annual rate. The charge for individual copies in paper form is $6.00 for each issue, or $6.00 for each group of pages as actually bound; or $1.50 for each issue in microfiche form. All prices include regular domestic postage and handling. International customers please add 25% for foreign handling. Remit check or money order, made payable to the Superintendent of Documents, or charge to your GPO Deposit Account, VISA or MasterCard. Mail to: New Orders, Superintendent of Documents. P.O. Box 371954. Pittsburgh. Pa 15250-7954. There are no restrictions on the republication of material appearing in the Federal Register. How To Cite This pabhcatioii: Use the volume number and the page number. Example: 59 FR 12345. 202-7B3-323S 512-Z303 PUBLIC Subscriptions: Paper or fiche Assistance with public subscriptions Online: Telnet wais.access.gpo.gov, login as newuser . no password ; or use a modem lo call (202) 512-1661.' login as wais, no password , at the second login as newuser , no password . Assistance with online subscriptions 202-512-1530 Single copieivfoack copies: Paper or fiche 783-3238 Assistance with public single copies 512-2457 FEDERAL AGENCIES Subscription*: Paper or fiche Assistance with Federal agency subscriptions For other ketephoae immhara, eee the Reader Aide aecaoi al ttwaad of thfe ieeee. 523-5243 523-5243 THE FEDERAL REGISTER WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO USE IT FOR: Any person who uses ttae Federal Regular and Code of Fedenl Regulations. WHO: Tbe Office of the Federal Register. WHAT: Fr*e public briefings (approximately 3 hours) to prtwnl: 1. Tbe regulatory pmeess, with a focus od the Federal Register system and the public'* tole in the tkveiopinem oF regulation*. 2. Tbe relationship beiwwn tlป Federal Register and Code of . Federal Regulations. 3. Tbe important element* of typical Federal Reguter documents. 4. An inooducuon to the finding aid* of the FR/CFR lyrtem. WHY: To provide the public with access to informstioo necessary to research Federal agency regulations which directly affect (ham. Then will be no disctusioc of specific agency regulation*. WHEN: WHERE: RESERVATIONS: WASHINGTON, DC June 23 at 9.00 am Office of the Federal Register Conference Room. 800 North Capitol Street NW., Washington, DC (3 blocks north of Union Station Metro) 202-523-J538 40 cpo Access - status Report, June 30,1994 Exhibit F: Congressional Record Page With Subscription Rates and Instructions 41 GPO Access - Status Report, June 30, 1994 D746 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—DAILY DIGEST June 27, 1994 Next Meeting of tie SENATE 9 a~m_, Tuesday, June 28 Senate Chamber Program for Tuesday: Senate will resume consideration of S. 687, Product Liability Fairness Act, with a cloture vote to occur, thereon, and a. vote on or in relation to the Kohi/Cohen/Murray A/nertdrnenr, No. 1930 to occur at lOajn. (Senate will recta from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. for party conferesttts.) Nevi M*ethg of tbe HOUSE OF REPRJESENTATTVES 10-.30 a-m. Tuesday, June 28 House Chamber Program for Tuesday: Consideration of the following two Suspensions: 1. H.R. 3626, Antitrust Reform Act; and 2. H.R. 3636, National Communications Competition and Information Infrastructure Act. Complete consideration of H.R. 4606, Labor, HHS, Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1993. Extensions of Remarks, as inserted in this issue HOUAE Bevii I.Tom. Ala, EOT? Brawn, Oeart* E- Jr.. CeJll. EM29 Bryant, Joba, Tot., DBS Byrne. Lซ*ltซ L.. Va_ SUM Calrart, Ken. Cell!.. ฃ1340 OoMa. Hoปaxd. M.C. EU99 Ootonan. ftoaaM O, Taa. BD30 d* Laro, Ron. The Vlrrtn laiejvle. KtDQ. CU31 Burttab, Karan. Artt.. ฃ1330 Fiปc)i, HArria w.. ni^ ews Faato, Vtc. Calif- son GOdeneon. Sam. Coem.. ElxM Crania. Rod. Minn.. E1341 CiMiwood. Jans* C- Pa.. EON Hamilton, Lm h.. tod.. E1329 Laotoa. Ton. Oalir.. E133S Hartoy. Edward J~ Maes- E1337 M*sk. Came P. na.. B1331 Haailf.Jtot.lowa. BUS Meal. Maacv. Calif., E13IJ Balull. Mck J.. I]. W. Va_. E133S Rli-bardm. Bill. N. Mem.. E1331 Seatoram. Rick. Fa.. E1333 Shew, K. Clay. Jr., na„ ฃ1301 Sbsatar. Bod, Pm_ E133S 8ml li. NeeJ. Iowa, El330 Burns. Bob. Artt, E1333 Talent Jam* M.. Mo. E13ป Taylor. CWisa K_ H.C. EUป Tvm ratohaii Edward. cam., BU33 Trsnoaiu, Jam A, Jr.. Ohio. E1M1 Waxman, Henry a.. Calif.. EI33S \ Congressional TUcord s?s fief proviaionj of Title 44. United Sums Code, awl published for each ' public proceedings of each How* of Congress, as reported by ฆ Official Reporters' thereof, are printed pursuant to directions i Joint Committee on Printing as authorised by appropriate .--------.--------.----- _...... ... • each day that one or both House*, are in session, excepting very Infrequent Instance* when two or more on usually small ooitsecoslve issues are printed at one line. iThe ComreseloaiJ Record is available aa as online datahase through GPO Access, a service of in* U.S. Goveruroent Printing Office. The online dFrr-^Tir Ib updated each day the Congressional Record ia published. The database Include* both text and graphics from the beginning of the 103d Congress, 2d Session (January 1994) forward. 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