THE WHITE HOUSE AT WORK



Monday, November 30, 1998

PRESIDENT CLINTON:
LEADING THE WORLD INTO THE INFORMATION AGE

Today, we are drawing up the blueprints for a new economic age -- blueprints not for starting big institutions but rather for freeing small entrepreneurs. We have the honor of designing the architecture for a global electronic marketplace, a marketplace that includes all nations, a marketplace with stable laws, strong protection for consumers, serious incentives for competition, and includes all people and nations.

President Bill Clinton
November 30, 1998

Today at a White House event, President Clinton and Vice President Gore will discuss electronic commerce and its impact on our economy. The President will announce the release of a directive to government agencies to promote Internet use and electronic commerce and issue a report on Administration efforts to promote these technologies.

Presidential Leadership In The Information Age. Electronic commerce, the Internet, and information technology are transforming our economy and our society in ways that are sweeping and profound. In 1997, the President and Vice President released A Framework for Global Electronic Commerce, which set forth principles for the Administration's electronic commerce strategies. Since then, the number of Internet users has doubled, information technology industries are now responsible for over one-third of the real growth in the U.S. economy, and electronic commerce is spreading rapidly, and driving productivity improvements in virtually every sector of the economy. The President and Vice President have also won an agreement to place a moratorium on duties on international electronic transmissions, supported technology literacy in schools, encouraged Internet companies to protect individual privacy, and reached agreements with key trading partners to promote electronic commerce.

Working To Generate Further Growth In Electronic Commerce. Today, President Clinton will issue a directive announcing five new areas for government agencies to focus on to promote electronic commerce:

Building On A Solid Record Of Achievement. The President and Vice President will also release a report detailing the Administration's accomplishments over the last year and a half in promoting electronic commerce, including the passage of:



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