Going forward, I support a doubling of basic Information Technology research and continue to promote the Next Generation Internet initiative to help develop new technologies that allow us to reach network speeds up to 1000 times faster than today's Internet. I also support making the R&D tax credit permanent to spur greater private sector innovation.

In other areas, I believe that government, industry, and the non-profit sector must work in close cooperation to solve problems that affect the Internet. For example, I worked with 25 of the largest Internet companies to develop a parent's protection page where parents can go to protect children from material that they think is inappropriate. In response to a spate of service disruptions earlier this year, President Clinton and I convened a meeting at the White House with leaders of the high-tech industry and experts on computer security to discuss how to maximize the promise and minimize the risks to the Internet.

Claire Pieterek is a long-time Palm handheld user. On a mission to ditch her Franklin Planner, she bought her first--a Pilot 5000--in May, 1996. She currently owns a Japanese-language Sony Clie 650C, a Sony Clie 710C, and a Palm Zire 71, among others. She is most at home in Chicago and Kyoto, and is a student of life, the universe, and Japanese.