RECOGNIZING THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE, INFORMATION PRIVACY AND ACCESS TO PUBLIC INTEREST INFORMATION.

WHEREAS, new converging technologies, with simultaneous delivery of voice, video and computer data, will soon allow industry and government to better serve the public in such areas as health care, job training and literacy training; and

WHEREAS, while all New Mexicans will benefit, certain segments of the public, including the poor and those in rural communities, would benefit greatly from access to such information technologies; and

WHEREAS, as New Mexico enters the information age, the potential for abuse and the invasion of individual privacy are greatly increased by widespread access to information technologies, the information superhighway and electronic data; and

WHEREAS, market forces alone, including the dominance by a few industry giants, may prevent information of general interest or information in the public interest from being disseminated, and this may work to the detriment of many New Mexicans; and

WHEREAS, thousands of New Mexicans are already using the information superhighway as demonstrated by the pioneering La Plaza Telecommunity project, a non-profit community-based effort which has successfully moved Taos county into the twenty-first century;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the policy of this state be to facilitate the provision of access for all New Mexicans to local, state and national information infrastructure; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the policy of this state be to protect the privacy of its citizens and that the protection of that privacy serve as a guiding principle in the development and deployment of advanced telecommunications technology in New Mexico; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it be necessary and proper for all appropriate legislative, regulatory and policymaking entities in this state to authorize and facilitate the provision of information of general interest and in the public interest; and