Revolution in the U.S. Information Infrastructure

STEVEN D. DORFMAN is a senior vice president and member of the Office of the Chairman of GM Hughes Electronics Corp. and its subsidiary, Hughes Aircraft Company, and president of the Hughes Telecommunications and Space Company. He joined Hughes in 1957 and, in subsequent years, held positions of increasing responsibility in management, systems engineering, and electro-optics. Mr. Dorfman was named to his present position in October 1993 after serving more than 2 years as president of Hughes Space and Communications Company. Prior to Mr. Dorfman's Space and Communications Company assignment, he was president and chief executive officer of Hughes Communications Inc. (HCI), the Hughes subsidiary that owns and operates communications satellites. Mr. Dorfman was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1992. He received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Florida and his master's degree in the same field from the University of Southern California.

ROBERT E. KAHN has been president of the Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI) in Reston, Virginia since 1986. CNRI was created as a not-for-profit organization to provide leadership and funding for research and development of the national information infrastructure. From 1972 to 1985, he was a program manager, deputy director, and ultimately director of the Information Processing Techniques Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and twice recipient of the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award. Dr. Kahn received his B.E.E. from City College of New York and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Princeton University.

ROBERT E. LITAN is an associate director of the Office of Management and Budget. At the time this paper was written, Dr. Litan was deputy assistant attorney general in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Justice Department, where he supervised the division's civil non-merger enforcement program and the development of the di-vision's policies affecting regulated industries. He came to this position in September 1993, following 9 years as a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he also was director of two research centers in the institution's Economics Studies Program. Dr. Litan formerly was a partner and then counsel to Powell, Goldstein, Frazer & Murphy, an associate at Arnold & Porter, and the regulatory and energy specialist for President Carter's Council of Economic Advisers. He has a B.S. in economics from the Wharton School of Finance, a J.D. from Yale Law School, and a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University.

JOHN E. MAJOR is the senior vice president and assistant chief corporate staff officer for Motorola. In those roles, he oversees Motorola's product, software, and manufacturing research, as well as manages Motorola's global telecommunications network. One of his key initiatives is leading Motorola's effort to be a global leader in software technology. Previously, he managed the Worldwide Systems Group that developed and manufactured private voice and data radio systems for public-safety and business users. Mr. Major serves on the boards of directors of the Telecommunications Industry Association and the Electronics Industry Association. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, where he serves on the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board. His degrees include a B.S. in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Rochester, an M.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois, an M.B.A. from Northwestern University, and a J.D. from Loyola University.

JOHN S. MAYO is president emeritus of AT&T Bell Laboratories. He served as president from July 1991 until March 1995. Throughout his career at Bell Laboratories, Dr. Mayo has played an important role in the development of digital technologies that have brought the world to the threshold of the information age. Dr. Mayo is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). Among his awards is the 1990 National Medal of Technology, given for his contributions to the technological foundations for information age communications. Dr. Mayo was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1979. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University in 1952, 1953, and 1955, respectively.

ROBERT W. STEARNS is vice president of corporate development for the Compaq Computer Corp. He directs the company's strategic planning and business development activities, including acquisitions, joint ventures and alliances, advanced market research, and technology assessment. He is also responsible for coordinating legislative policy issues and Compaq's involvement in various technical standards-setting organizations and trade associations. Mr. Stearns joined Compaq in July 1993 from McKinsey & Co., where he served as a consultant to high-technology clients. He previously held senior management positions at a number of technology companies, including Motorola/Codex, Banyan Systems, Motorola's Information Systems Group, and Management Technologies Inc., a decision-support software company that he founded. Mr. Stearns speaks and writes frequently on matters related to the computer and telecommunications industries and innovation in technological organizations. He graduated with a B.S. degree in chemistry from Brown University in 1971 and an M.S. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973.

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