Internet Information Policy City of Sunnyvale

Executive Summary

The Internet and its associated technologies are rapidly transforming the worlds of commerce, government, entertainment, education, health care, and the home. In order to anticipate and prepare for these transformations, the City Council directed City staff to study the relevant issues and develop an Internet policy for the City of Sunnyvale. In response to the Council's directive, an Internet Information Policy for the City was studied and developed. Since the Internet's underlying technologies, market mechanisms and regulatory structures are relatively immature, the City's policy was designed for future growth and evolution.

The policy goals, objectives and action statements contained in this document provide for the City to address the increasingly complex and pervasive domain of the Internet. Over the next two to five years, a successful City of Sunnyvale Internet Information Policy will be indicated if the following are achieved:
The City uses the Internet to provide useful public information to Sunnyvale citizens, businesses, industries, organizations, and schools. Internet tools such as web services and electronic mail will be used to improve the City's communication and information services. The City's use of the Internet directly contributes to the improvement of City services while reducing operating costs. The use of Internet tools will allow City programs to improve their business processes and internal procedures. The City's use of and encouragement for the Internet will foster economic development within the City. Sunnyvale, through private investment, will have one of the best Internet infrastructures in the world. It will be an excellent place to communicate and conduct business at anytime, with anyone, at anyplace. The City's use of the Internet will enhance the day-to-day lives of Sunnyvale citizens.

Policy Administration Responsibility

Administration of the Internet Information Policy is the responsibility of the Mayor's Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the City Council. This policy will be reviewed and evaluated annually, or earlier as conditions warrant, by the Subcommittee in conjunction with the Director of Information Technology and staff.

The Director of Information Technology has responsibility for the implementation and oversight of all telecommunications and Internet services in the City of Sunnyvale. Specific policies will be recommended by the Director of Information Technology that relate to the implementation of specific Internet services, as applicable.

Summary of Goals and Objectives

Based on the findings and issues described in this document, staff has identified the following three Internet roles for the City: provider of services, facilitator of economic development, and agent to improve the quality of life. The proposed goals and objectives are as follows:

GOAL A:

Use the Internet to maintain and enhance the City's information resources and services provided to Sunnyvale citizens.

Policy Objectives:
Use the Internet to provide public information to Sunnyvale citizens, businesses, industries, organizations, and schools. Use the Internet to improve the City's efficiency and delivery of public services while reducing operating costs.

GOAL B:

Promote the use of the Internet, where appropriate and within the scope of available resources, to enhance the economic vitality of Sunnyvale.

Policy Objectives:
Encourage Sunnyvale businesses and industries, where appropriate, to use the Internet to remain competitive. Encourage Sunnyvale businesses and industries to conduct business with anyone, anywhere, at any time via the Internet. Advocate legislation that ensures that any city like Sunnyvale is not adversely impacted by new forms of Internet commerce.

GOAL C:

Promote the use of the Internet to improve the quality of life for Sunnyvale residents.

Policy Objectives:
Use the Internet to enhance the lives of Sunnyvale citizens. Advocate for privacy laws and security standards at the state and federal levels which protect Sunnyvale Internet users. (Virtually the same as Policy A.4 in the 1996 Sunnyvale Telecommunications Policy.)

GOAL D:

Facilitate the creation of an advanced telecommunications network infrastructure, within given resources, for Sunnyvale citizens, businesses, and industries. (Same as Goal E in the 1996 Sunnyvale Telecommunications Policy.)

Introduction

"Today's Internet is not the information highway I imagine, although you can think of it as the beginning of the highway. An analogy is the Oregon Trail."

The Road Ahead, Bill Gates (1995)

Purpose of a City Internet Information Policy

The underlying technological and market forces that continually reconstruct (what Schumpeter called "creative destruction") the converging computing and telecommunication industries embody a major part of Sunnyvale's economy. These are the same forces that are altering economies and cultures around the world. In fact, without overstating the case, one could say that Sunnyvale and its sister cities in Silicon Valley are in the eye of the storm, called the Information Age.

This advancing storm is not just a technological one. Rather, the most profound changes will come in the social, cultural, educational, and political domains. To a large extent the futures envisioned by writers like Alvin Toffler and Marshall McLuhan about thirty years ago have already come true. The pace of "future shock" and the automation of communication quicken with every nanosecond.

The immediate, secondary, unintended and tertiary impacts of technological change must be studied and planned for by cities, just as cities plan for and develop policies for the replacement of road systems. However, there is a major difference between the relatively stable infrastructure of a road system and that of an information technology infrastructure. Although information technology has begun to invade "stable" areas like road infrastructures with the introduction of sensors and maintenance management systems, information technology infrastructures are much less stable since they are now in a developmental growth spurt.

To cite one example of the dynamic nature of information technology, five years ago computer disk storage was relatively expensive, which predisposed many organizations to adopt or maintain a highly centralized information management style. Hence, information technology was highly rationed and most information systems were still largely paper-based. Interestingly, computer-based laser printers created an increase in printing. Today, a more distributed and paperless style coming into being by the fact that one can buy over 60 times more disk storage with a dollar than one could five years ago. Disk storage technology is just one of many examples.

The City's Internet policy, like the companion policy on telecommunications, must acknowledge that the City of Sunnyvale has little policy control over the world-wide Internet. Moreover, due to its global scope and the voluntary, organic nature, one could easily argue that NO ONE has actual control. Certainly some controls will be put into place, but control is not the most important aspect of this policy. The most important issues for this policy are:
What policies will create an Internet-friendly environment for Sunnyvale's businesses, industries and its citizens? What policies are likely to improve service delivery and allow City government to become more effective? Should the City provide some services on a 24 hour, 7 day a week basis? What are the City's roles vis-à-vis lifelong learning, access to public information, information privacy, and other similar community life issues?

Some may ask, "Why did Sunnyvale wait so long to use the major tools of the Internet, such as the World Wide Web?" One important fact to remember is the World Wide Web and the commonplace web browsers are less than three years old. Three years ago, Marc Andreessen a co-founder of Netscape and team leader that developed the first web browser, was an undergraduate student worker at the University of Illinois National Center for Supercomputing Applications. Likewise, although Internet is nearly thirty years old, it was officially opened up for non-research use only about three years ago. Even among the few cities that erected municipal electronic bulletin board systems over the past five years or so, some have not yet connected to or fully embraced the Internet.

The City of Sunnyvale's approach to the Internet is based on: a) creating an Internet policy before unleashing web pages and other Internet services, b) the value of continually updating Internet information content over having a stagnant Internet "presence", c) the need for City departments and programs to maintain their own Internet information content, just as they now maintain their own "paper" content, d) a common "look and feel" for all City of Sunnyvale Internet services, e) the requirement for City staff and program answer points to be connected to the City's new digital network, f) the necessity for City staff to learn how to use the new set of Internet tools, and g) the primacy of Internet functionality over creative flare.

Social scientists have formally studied cultural and technological diffusion for many years. Generally, they say that it usually takes at least twenty years for most new trends to become fully rooted. The ATM (automatic teller machine) is a perfect technological example. Although it was invented about thirty years ago, it is only recently begun to pervasively change the way banks and bank customers transact business. Likewise, although the Internet promises to change many aspects of our lives, it will take time for all of us to adapt it into our own lives and businesses. More importantly, these personal adaptations will not occur at uniform rates; they will occur quickly for some and very slowly, if at all, for others.

Finally, since this a policy document there will be little, if any, discussion of the internal mechanics of the City's web pages, electronic mail, Internet security and the like. Such issues will be addressed in the City's traditional manner: internal Standard Operating Procedure documents, staff training, etc.

New Infrastructure Emerging

The City's 1996 Telecommunication Policy focuses on the interconnection of wired and wireless networks. This document will not address to any great extent the physical network underpinning the Internet. Instead it will focus on the emergence of new modes of economic activity, communication, and existence.

The bedrock of the emerging infrastructure is formed by pure research and development, which is deeply rooted in Silicon Valley. The world-wide R&D engine produces components that are increasingly: faster, smaller, denser, modular, and digital. Gordon Moore's "law" of chip density calls for a doubling of information storage density every 18 months. His law has stood the test of time back to around the beginning of the current century (even before there were electronic chips). Increased chip density enables faster electronic circuits, smaller modules and lower unit costs. Smaller modularized components allow greater portability, greater complexity (based on simple, uniform components) and smaller energy requirements.

The replacement of existing analog-based information technologies with digital technologies is well underway. This trend will continue well into the next century due to a number of inherent analog technology limitations. In general, digital technologies afford greater flexibility, higher performance, better cost-effectiveness and greater control.

Over time software engineers are able to develop tools that harness the increased power of new electronic components and new forms of information technology emerge. One important trend, which results from the confluence of many new technologies, is called "disintermediation." Disintermediation refers to the gradual elimination of barriers or process helpers, which previously enabled us to fetch information or otherwise conduct our business. This trend has many profound repercussions for everyone since most of us currently act as helpers or organizational choke points throughout the day. A common phrase used today in business process reengineering is "get rid of the middle man." What if our current institutions are largely based on a hierarchical structure with lots of "middle men"? Will disintermediation put most of us out of work? How can our institutions operate with automated intermediaries instead of human intermediaries? The Internet, as a technology, is another very powerful agent of disintermediation since it eliminates barriers and the need to go through "middle men."

The Internet is the product of all the trends mentioned above. It could not exist without the technical, economic and social changes of the last fifty years. Five years ago it may have taken a week, even with fax machines, to determine which vendor has a particular desired product. Today one can conduct an Internet-wide search in minutes, zero in on a few vendor web sites, send electronic mail to clarify issues, and transmit a purchase order in a matter of hours.

The Internet will be an agent for change within Sunnyvale. Without an Internet policy, adaptive planning and a new Internet-friendly infrastructure, the City could be at a serious disadvantage. However, a forward-looking Internet policy should prepare Sunnyvale for some of the major changes on the horizon.

Community Conditions

Information technology is a major feature of Sunnyvale, as it will be in every city in the world. However, since Sunnyvale is in the eye of the storm, information technology has greater importance here than most places. The specific community conditions that require the development of an Internet policy are:
The City's future economic vitality. The Internet's world-wide future over the next decade is quite clear. A rapidly increasing number of people and organizations will routinely use the Internet. The numbers and types of services provided via the Internet will also increase dramatically. The Internet will be a major force in the world's economy for the foreseeable future. Sunnyvale's residents, businesses, industries and government cannot afford to be Internet laggards. Since community life, particularly in a fast-paced City like Sunnyvale, is inextricably linked, if any one group falls behind, other groups will suffer. When local economies begin to fail then businesses, industries and people leave. Flight from a city erodes the tax base, municipal services are reduced, and a vicious cycle begins. However, Sunnyvale can leverage the Internet as a positive economic force; the Internet need not be a missed opportunity. The requirement to conduct the business of City government in the most cost-effective means possible. As Sunnyvale residents, businesses, industries and organizations increasingly become detached from Industrial Age habits, hours of operation, and travel patterns, they will insist that City government accommodate them as they now exist. Although Sunnyvale's government has won many awards and has an excellent service reputation, its customers continually make new demands. This is to be expected since some of the world's most successful companies are located in Sunnyvale and their world-wide customer base is NOT very patient. Today's most common demand within the immensely competitive global economy is: "cheaper, faster and better." If a Sunnyvale company does not respond successively to these demands they go out of business. In some ways the Sunnyvale government has a more difficult set of tasks since it must address both the City's quality of life issues as well as its economic development issues. In order to successfully address both these issues, City Hall must be connected to its constituents and understand the use of the Internet. Trudging down to City Hall with sheaths of paper between the hours of 9AM and noon is no longer acceptable to professionals whose business might be based on transmitting digital signals to Asia at 3AM Pacific Standard Time. The need to safeguard and improve the quality-of-life for City residents. The Internet and its associated technologies have many positive attributes; however they can also be disruptive to community living. Besides the obvious population dislocations caused by Internet industry-based expansions and contractions, the Internet has some well-publicized problems. Among these problems are: Internet criminals, invasion of privacy, arrested social development, excessive indulgence in fantasies or "virtual" worlds, social isolation, etc. While such problems may never be eliminated entirely, the City will be called upon to address many Internet-related quality-of-life issues.

A Vision of the Internet

The obvious elements of an Internet vision are:
it is still in its infancy; its large growth spurt has not yet occurred; it will facilitate unprecedented access to a wide variety of information; it will reduce the need to travel across town or across the world to engage in routine business activities; it will be the foundation for new forms of business and commerce; it will change the way that most of us learn and entertain ourselves.

Fundamentally, the Internet is a communications medium that forms the world's largest "network of networks." It is not controlled (except in limited ways) by any government and it has a long history of enabling people to cooperate and share information. Unlike previous communication tools, the Internet has the ability (not yet fully proven in every case) to carry almost every form of modern communication. Actual practice and experiments have shown that the Internet can support telephony, video conferences, music, simple computer text, complex computer graphics, broadcast television, narrowcast television, broadcast radio, narrowcast radio, group brainstorming activities, library research activities, facsimile, electronic mail, information publishing, transaction-oriented information exchanges, and many other information-related activities.

Sunnyvale envisions the rapid evolution toward a new technology-based infrastructure that will reach to every corner of Sunnyvale and the world beyond. This new vision of an electronic communications environment will create increasingly higher performance standards for City government. The City will be forced to play by the same rules as the City's businesses, industries, organizations and residents. In order to achieve the City's Internet vision the following Internet-related "rules" will apply:
Information and business transactions will occur at any time; City information flow will not stop at 5PM. Virtually all public City information will be available via the Internet in a format that is "user-friendly" and commonplace. Due to the intrinsic nature of the Internet, public City information will be available to anyone at anyplace, so long as they have access to the Internet. Information held to be of a private, confidential nature will be protected behind a secure Internet "firewall" so that network criminals cannot gain unauthorized access. Although the City's Department of Libraries will continue to provide free Internet access, the Library alone will not allow all citizens to have easy access to the Internet. Therefore, the City will develop alternative access strategies (without competing with any commercial Internet providers) to allow all citizens to benefit from the City's new information systems. City staff will be empowered to develop and deliver City services more effectively, collaboratively and efficiently using Internet-based communication tools. Where appropriate, expert systems and Internet agents will be used to improve the responsiveness, quality and speed of City services. Public discourse concerning City and regional policies will be elevated based on greater access to more detailed information.

It is important to highlight that virtually all the existing underlying City "rules" concerning customer responsiveness, customer courtesy and the like will remain in force. The only exception would be if the new technology supersedes a prior standard and allows the City to provide improved services, to be more responsive or faster. Finally, if any citizen does not wish to interact with City government via the Internet, other more traditional means of interaction will be available.

This new Internet vision does not detract from the City's fundamental, ongoing commitment to make Sunnyvale the most livable community in the world. In fact, this vision should reinforce this commitment.

The City's Roles Concerning the Internet

The City must carefully consider and develop an evolving set of roles in relation to the Internet. Since the Internet is not fully developed, it would be premature to create an immutable set of roles. Rather it is better that the City approach the Internet carefully and thoughtfully, while exploiting any genuine opportunities. Unlike the City's recent Telecommunications Policy, this Internet Policy will not emphasize a regulatory role. Although the City will seek to influence legislation and executive actions concerning the Internet, conventional municipal regulatory issues like rights of way and utility franchises do not directly apply in "pure" cyberspace. In any case, the City's Telecommunications Policy addresses most of the relevant regulatory issues. However, Internet regulatory issues will be embedded in the three major role categories listed below.

As depicted throughout this policy statement, the City should focus on the following three Internet roles:
The City as a Provider of Services: How can the City improve its core services? How can the City provide greater, more robust access to public information? How can City government be more responsive? Should the City move toward a 24 hour model for City Hall, the library and other City services? The City as a Facilitator of Economic Development: What roles should Sunnyvale play in the City's economic well-being? How can the City help Sunnyvale corporations prosper on the Internet? How will the changing operational and transactional models for Sunnyvale corporations affect the overall well-being of the City? The City as an Agent to Improve the Quality-of-Life: To what extent should City government be involved in the City's quality-of-life? Should City government develop "quality-of-life" partnerships with other governmental agencies, non-governmental non-profit organizations, businesses, and industries?

The Internet and its associated technologies will have a profound impact on the City of Sunnyvale and there is good cause to become excited about the future possibilities. However, this policy statement is grounded in the reality that policy development must be consistent with the City's available resources and the stewardship of those resources.

Using the Internet to Improve City Services

"The new environment of sharing access to information across institutional barriers requires a new mindset and readiness to work in partnerships and collaborations. We have made progress we never could have achieved without these alliances."

KickStart Initiative: Connecting America's Communities to the Information Superhighway,

US Advisory Council on the National Information Infrastructure (1996)

Using the Internet to Communicate

Researchers, university educators and, more recently, corporations have learned to use the Internet to transmit and publish information electronically. The early creators of the Internet needed communication tools to permit scientists in one state to collaborate with scientists in another state. Interestingly, the Federal government provided the major funding for the development of both the interstate highway system and the Internet. The rationale was similar in both cases: our national defense and economy require fast transportation and communication systems.

Since an increasing number of businesses, industries and individual citizens use the Internet, the City should develop policies and plans to use the Internet as a new major method for communication. Among the City's possible uses of the Internet for publishing (typically via a World Wide Web interface with an easy-to-use search capability) are:

Council agendas, minutes and other official postings
City Charter
Current City codes and ordinances
Frequently asked questions
Facts about the City
Online phone directory
Calendars of events
Current City staff reports
Sunnyvale Resource Guide
Internet version of SUNDial
Program descriptions (e.g., City's recycling program, sport programs, etc.)
Crime statistics
Notices about cultural and creative opportunities
Electronic newsletters
Budget summary information
General Plan and sub-elements

The City currently prints many brochures, guides, booklets, newsletters and reports. Most of these documents are distributed for free today and they should continue to be free if published electronically. Although the City will undoubtedly continue to print many of these publications, there will be a diminished need over time. However, saving trees and reducing printing costs may not be the biggest payoff. The biggest rewards will accrue to some of the primary users of City information. In today's world the news media are becoming increasingly dependent on the Internet. The Internet allows a reporter to quickly and easily gather computer-formatted (not faxes or photocopies that must be retyped) electronic press releases and other public information. In the future if a City is unable to publish its press releases on the Internet, its press releases may never get to their intended audiences. Likewise, people or businesses who are considering Sunnyvale as a place to relocate will increasingly use the Internet to collect information. If another city has its story on the Internet and Sunnyvale does not then Sunnyvale will be at a competitive disadvantage.

Another form of Internet communication is electronic mail. Electronic mail has been used by the City internally for many years and a firewall-protected electronic mail gateway will be placed between the Internet and the City's Intranet. Procedures will be developed to assure that electronic mail messages to City Departments and members of the Council are handled in the same fashion as other forms of external communication. However, the inherent speed and flexibility of electronic mail will undoubtedly improve City responsiveness to residents, businesses and industries.

The City's Internet services will be updated and monitored continually. Although the Information Technology Department will maintain and support the City's Internet services, each City department will be responsible for keeping its own information up to date. Likewise, the Information Technology Department will also maintain and support a secure Intranet that will have electronic mail, web services and other productivity-enhancing network services. The use of security techniques, such as the digital signature, will be carefully researched and incorporated into standard operating procedures to ensure the authenticity of the City's electronic documents. Although separated by a firewall, the Internet and Intranet tools and interfaces will be almost identical in order to reduce training costs, user errors and software support costs.

The City should cooperate with community-based organizations, such as the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce, to create a local "web" of hypertext links for the benefit of the Sunnyvale community. However, the actual information placed on City computers should only relate to City government business. Nevertheless, the City should create hypertext links to information created and maintained by community-oriented organizations. Until experience and a more detailed examination is made, the City will pattern its criteria for creating hypertext links after the criteria used to list organizations in the City's Information Resource Guide.

Using the Internet to Streamline Services

Many organizations have begun to reengineer some or all of their business processes around the Internet. For example:

Wells Fargo Bank recently introduced a wide array of banking services (i.e., checking balances, transferring funds, paying bills, etc.) via the Internet.

Federal express allows customers to access their Internet web page, type in the package number of the package they dropped off the night before, and discover exactly where the package is in real-time.

The Internal Revenue Service and the Franchise Tax Board placed most of their tax forms on the Internet for the 1995 tax year.

Cable News Network (CNN) electronically publishes hourly updated regional weather maps and late breaking news reports on its Internet Web servers.

There are innumerable examples of businesses and organizations that are either experimenting with or permanently changing the way they conduct business based largely on the Internet.

Since most cities lack the assets of banks, large corporations and the federal government, and have only recently gained official access to the Internet, they are only now considering if and how to incorporate the Internet into their future operations. However, there are many promising opportunities, such as:
Improve customer service for a city's utilities. Initiation and termination of service via the Internet Payment of utility charges via the Internet Inform City staff of problems Follow the status of problem resolution Streamline the City permit process for corporations and individuals by allowing them to apply for, monitor the progress of, schedule inspections, and receive City permits via the Internet. Allow citizens to notify the City via the Internet concerning a routine road repair issue. Permit citizens to review and register for City recreational opportunities via the Internet. Facilitate the reporting of unfortunate incidents (e.g., incidences of graffiti). Grant library patrons to access the Library's online catalog and other library resources from the comfort of their homes or offices. Let job applicants review and apply for City employment opportunities via the Internet.  

These examples are a small sample of the City's streamlining possibilities. Although some of these may be impractical in the short term, others may be easy, "low-hanging fruit."

A Paradigm Shift: The 24 Hour City Hall

The City of Sunnyvale currently strives to give the best service it can. However, since it has a finite revenue base it cannot satisfy every need given the existing operational model. If a new tool, such as the Internet, is factored into the model then the City might be able to provide more and/or improved services and still live within its means.

One new set of possibilities might be the Internet-enabled automation of certain routine City functions. The City's SUNDial system provides 24 hour access to a subset of City services, but its offerings are somewhat limited. The Internet holds greater promise since it can deliver more information with greater information richness. Just as a few banks now provide a valuable set of round-the-clock services via the Internet, so could our City allow its citizens to fetch a Sunnyvale Council Agenda or a section of the City Code at 3AM on a Saturday morning while on a business trip to New York City.

The City's 24 hour operational model must have a solid foundation that protects all City information systems from inadvertent and overt information security threats. Therefore, the City should install the appropriate information security infrastructure to assure the confidentiality, inviolability and safety of City information.

Based on the multitude of Internet-related services listed throughout this policy document, the City should fully embrace the use of the Internet as a vehicle to streamline and improve City services. Public information can easily be disseminated to anyone, at anytime, to anyplace. Citizen complaints and inquiries can be sent and reliably received by the City's electronic mail system. Businesses, industries and citizens will be able to access City information resources to quickly find the answers to their routine questions. The underlying costs of delivering these types of services can be kept at bay. The availability of services can be expanded, as required, both in terms of time and the breadth of service. City constituencies will welcome and notice true service improvements.

Criteria for the City of Sunnyvale's Use of the Internet

The Internet will gradually become second nature to City staff and their constituencies. In the near future most City staff will use the Internet as comfortably as the use their telephones. However, just as it is possible to misuse the telephone, it will also be possible to misuse the Internet. More detailed internal City procedures will be developed to ensure that the best interests of the City are clearly articulated and described to City staff.

Criteria for authorized Internet-related activities and projects will also be developed. To guide the development of these detailed criteria, the following types of Internet-related issues will be raised:
Will it improve customer service and/or enhance staff productivity? Is it cost-effective to implement and maintain? What is its overall cost / benefit? How does it change the underlying process of service delivery? Does it create any negative impacts? If yes, what are they? Have ease-of-use and training issues been addressed? Will it enhance or degrade citizen and City interaction? Does it presuppose that everyone has Internet access? If yes, how will those without Internet access be served? How will it be scaled up, both within City government and within the community, as demand for the service increases over time?

These and other questions will be used to inform the ongoing decision-making process concerning the development of Internet-based services by the City.

As Internet and Intranet technologies are acquired to improve communications, operations and services, the City must make resource trade-offs. Since the City has finite resources, it cannot manufacture money to acquire new technology. Old methods and old expenditures must give way to new methods and new expenditure patterns.

The Internet-associated infrastructure will acquire an increasingly larger share of City resources as business processes are reengineered, staff are retrained, and new systems become operational. Continuous improvement activities and rigorous cost-benefit analysis will become absolute requirements as the City begins to embrace the new Internet-related technologies.

The Internet and the City's Economic Vitality

"The future of work consists of learning a living in the automation age."

Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, Marshall McLuhan (1964)

The Internet's Role in Improving the City's Economic Vitality

Sunnyvale's economic vitality is self-evident. While all city economies, including Sunnyvale's, are usually perilous, Sunnyvale's recent overall economic record has been relatively good. Sunnyvale was at the center of the Information Age before there was an Information Age. One cannot mention the Silicon Valley "miracle" without talking about Sunnyvale.

Although Sunnyvale helped provide the kick start to the Information Age, the City's corporations will be forced to continually recreate their economic base on an ongoing basis. With each major new wave of technology and improved business practice, the City's businesses must meet the new challenges or perish. The Internet will be such a new wave. In fact, it will more likely be a Tsunami wave than a slow five foot roller. If the presumed size of this coming wave is a widely shared belief within Sunnyvale, then it will be prudent for the City to get BEHIND the Tsunami, rather than in front of it.

Virtually every high technology company in the world is rushing to the Internet with gold rush intensity. Apple Computer, Hewlett-Packard, Netscape, Microsoft, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Silicon Graphics, IBM and virtually every other information technology company in the world have recently publicized their commitment to the Internet in their product offerings and mode of operation. Other companies, such as Sunnyvale's Yahoo, have a near total corporate commitment to the Internet.

It is a virtual certainty that Sunnyvale's future economy will be heavily influenced by the evolution of the Internet. Therefore, the City should cooperate with organizations like the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce and be generally supportive of the development and use of the Internet by City businesses and industries.

Virtual Corporations, Start Ups and Changing Labor Markets

The "virtual corporation" is a relatively new business model that highlights the reduced need for physical offices, highly bureaucratic organizational structures, fixed business relationships and other similar concepts. A local pundit, Tom Peters, said: "…it's the idea of creating an organizational network in a flash by gathering the best talent to exploit an opportunity. Call it corporation as Rolodex."

New corporations, also known as "start ups", often begin as virtual corporations. Unless spun off from existing corporations, most start ups begin as organizational "blank slates" with few employees and small boards of directors. Although success and corporate philosophy may ultimately force the new corporation to move away from its lean, nimble roots, it will exist as a small vulnerable organization for some period of time.

Virtual corporations and their start up cousins spring from invention and/or necessity. They may remain a collection of highly mobile, nimble entrepreneurs; they may coalesce into a more traditional corporation; or they may fade into the mist. In any case since there are so many of them, virtual and start up corporations have become an important economic force throughout our region.

Modern communications and increasingly the public Internet, play major roles in the respective successes of virtual and start up corporations. The Internet reduces startup and ongoing operating costs, improves the quality of work, increases the speed of information flow, and allows a small organization to look just as impressive on the Internet as a large corporation.

The increasing shift toward virtual and start up corporations naturally changes the labor markets and the manner in which work is conducted. A short list of the changes is as follows:
Long-term stable employment patterns mutate into project-based employment. The Internet supports complex project focus, tracking and communication in ways that traditional methods cannot approach. Employees can no longer depend solely on their employers to provide all the new job training they need; employees are required to become more proactive about the development of their own job skills and their career paths. The Internet, as it evolves, will empower employees to understand their skill development needs, find developmental resources and actually engage in some developmental efforts over the Internet. Virtual and start up corporations expect stronger entrepreneurial abilities from their employees. Instead of coming to a fixed office site, employees may work at home or in temporary offices. The Internet will become the primary mechanism to conduct work from locations outside the traditional corporate campus. Greater interpersonal sophistication is required since interpersonal networking and "quick study" skills become crucial for an employee or partner in virtual or start up corporation. The Internet will become the principal, ongoing interpersonal networking channel for business relationships. Employees must understand how to use the most current information technology tools. Knowledge of the Internet will be crucial. Not only are small corporations changed by a more mobile, flexible mode of operation, but larger, more traditional ones are as well. Most large corporations have outsourced many functions to the same small corporations described above. Not only are these corporations routinely transacting business with these virtual and start up companies, but they are also adopting many of the same methods and employment practices used by the smaller companies.

The City should attract both large and small corporations to Sunnyvale. City programs such as Economic Development should use the Internet to attract new businesses and should continuously scan for ways to use the Internet as a tool for general economic prosperity.

For both Sunnyvale corporations and their employees to succeed, convenient Internet access is an absolute requirement. Therefore, as stated in the City's Telecommunications Policy, the City should encourage the development of an infrastructure that allows businesses and industries to conduct business with anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Although Sunnyvale and the rest of the world are moving toward greater flexibility and mobility, physical location is still critically important. Although we can move information around the world in seconds, we still inhabit physical space. People still live and work in communities. The act of creating Internet businesses and workplaces does not mean that we no longer need to worry about our physical communities. In fact, the livability of one's physical location will be even more important in the coming years than in the past.

Doing Business on the Internet

As discussed above, the Internet will change the manner in which businesses organize and communicate. Likewise, the Internet will enable employees to telecommute and have greater access to career development opportunities. Among the other major changes coming with the evolution of the Internet are:
the manner in which items are sold and purchased, the way business agreements and contracts are made, the ultimate form in which "goods" and services are delivered, and the methods of advertising and marketing goods and services.

Sunnyvale should develop strategies that retain existing and attract new Internet-related businesses. The City should seek to continue to be in the eye of the storm, rather than on the periphery of Internet activity. Without a large pool of Internet-savvy companies and employees, Sunnyvale would likely lose much of its competitive edge in the global marketplace.

The City of Sunnyvale should encourage state authorities to enact and execute laws that protect the reasonable interests of buyers and sellers engaging in the emerging forms of electronic commerce over the Internet. In particular, the City should continue to support legislative activities to ensure stable and reliable financial transactions over the Internet. Special attention should be given to:
encryption standards and mechanisms digital signatures and the nonrepudiation of business commitments consumer privacy fraudulent transactions unauthorized access

The City should also encourage state and federal authorities to resolve all tax and revenue issues associated with electronic commerce in a fair and expeditious manner. Since most California municipalities are dependent on sales tax revenue, a major erosion of sales tax revenue would wreck budgetary havoc.

Likewise, the City should support the actions of legislatures and trade associations that make Internet-based "goods" and services more convenient to access and more affordable to businesses and consumers. One largely unresolved problem is associated with the distribution of and the payment collection for digital information dispensed via the Internet. Apart from the issues of data encryption, nonrepudiation and the mechanics of collecting funds, how much does one charge for reading a single article in an Internet "magazine"? How are fees charged? Must all Internet users join thousands of "information membership" clubs? Will combined use of the Internet and our credit card numbers create 100 small billable transactions every time we "surf" the net? At the same time the City should support legislative actions to protect the legitimate intellectual property rights of intellectual property owners.

The City should promote the development of Internet-based services that benefit Sunnyvale's workforce. City departments, such as the Department of Employment Development, should use the Internet and its best efforts to improve the workforce's aggregate chances in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. This includes job search services, as well as Internet training.

All other departments and programs of the City should use the Internet to improve the City's business climate. For example, new customer-oriented Internet systems should gradually replace existing manual, paper-based systems for those corporations and people who have Internet connections. One system that is a candidate for an Internet interface is the City's permit system. An Internet Web interface would allow contractors, architects and average citizens to apply for building permits via the Internet.

Finally, the City should use the Internet to promote City businesses and industries. The City should work cooperatively with local civic-minded organizations to aggressively retain businesses in Sunnyvale and to attract new ones. The City's official web services should be continually updated with new hypertext links to and contain supportive information about business opportunities in the City, routine demographic information, maps, calendars of events, employment opportunities and reasons to come to or stay in Sunnyvale.

Fiscal Impacts

Sunnyvale's residents and non-residents who work in the City create a complex web of economic exchanges. The introduction of a new technology like the Internet could potentially alter the City's economy. While the Internet has many obvious positive attributes, it also has a few for negative possibilities.

The primary negative fiscal possibilities include:
Loss of sales tax revenue Loss of businesses and industries Diminished office construction and replacement

If businesses and consumers were, for example, to bypass state, city and county sales taxes by purchasing Internet products and services from a remote warehouse in another state, our region is likely to have serious governmental revenue problems. This is a critical issue for every region in the United States.

If a large number of workers were to telecommute, the need for office space in Sunnyvale is likely to decrease. Likewise, with large scale telecommuting, economic prosperity would shift closer to the neighborhoods where people live and away from where they formerly worked. The coffee shops, eateries and stores located in the traditional work locations would decline and the corresponding stores in residential neighborhoods would receive new business. As telecommuting becomes more prevalent the City should encourage the development of technology-based enterprise centers (i.e., drop-in offices with high-speed Internet connections, computers, etc.) located in the City of Sunnyvale.

In summary, if Sunnyvale exploits the Internet to serve the needs of its business community and if dramatic revenue and/or population dislocations do not occur then the Internet should support Sunnyvale's continued prosperity.

The Internet and the Improvement of the Quality of Community Life

"The true value of a network is less about information and more about community. The information superhighway is more than a shortcut to every book in the Library of Congress. It is creating a totally new, global social fabric."

Being Digital, Nicholas Negroponte (1995)

This section is devoted to the City's most important, overarching goal: making Sunnyvale a more livable place. Economic progress and technological efficiency would be catastrophic if our City were to become a wasteland of gloomy alienation. On the other hand, economic progress and technological sophistication do not necessarily lead to a disconnected barren community. While it is conceptually easier to fall into the simplistic choice between either embracing or rejecting new technology, this policy advocates that information technology can and should be used to improve the quality of life of Sunnyvale citizens.

The Internet and Emerging Trends in Learning, Healing, Caring, Enjoying and Living

The Internet has great potential for connecting a person searching for information to a vast cache of world-wide information. Gaining access to needed information empowers a person to find, peruse, and otherwise engage all varieties of the world's knowledge base.

Although the Internet is still in its infancy, there are uncountable numbers of highly valued information repositories available via the Internet. Since the Internet is expanding so rapidly, there are dozens of Internet "tour guides" printed every month that identify thousands of excellent resource sites. Unfortunately, given the nature of paper-based publishing (even bolstered by computers) these books become nearly obsolete before they are in the bookstore.

This policy document will not attempt to identify or even categorize the many types of valuable information resources on the Internet. Instead, this policy will recognize the following Internet resources and activities as vital to Sunnyvale's future quality of life:
Information about public safety, emergency preparedness, warnings, and other health and safety issues; The evolution of the community-based electronic library, which will offer a superset of services now offered in the world's libraries; Connections via the Internet to the City's numerous community-oriented organizations and services; Internet partnerships with Sunnyvale's educational institutions; Cooperation with the full array of Sunnyvale training providers and consumers to promote the growth and development of distance learning, tapping the expertise of specialists via the Internet, and other similar skill transfer activities; Create and maintain, if needed by the community and if no one else chooses to develop, specialized information repositories that benefit the citizens of Sunnyvale; Improve civic involvement by improving the dissemination of public information; Provide appropriate interfaces between all City Internet services and individuals with disabilities.

The Sunnyvale community has all the challenges of any other human community. Our community requires effective health care, transportation systems, educational institutions at all levels, social services, job opportunities, leisure time activities, and all the other services that communities are expected to have. City Hall cannot be responsible for all these services, but it can use the Internet to develop cooperative referral and resource assistance systems with other community agencies to create an ever more seamless mosaic of community-based services. Similarly, City Hall should not compete with commercial Internet Providers whose primary purpose is to connect Sunnyvale residents to the Internet. The City should encourage viable Internet Providers to come to and stay in Sunnyvale; it should not compete with them.

These new partnership services will be carried over the Internet and will consist of interlocking virtual networks of personal computers, large information servers, extremely easy-to-use information kiosks placed in public places, and low-cost Internet devices that may come to the marketplace over the next few years (e.g., television "box" attachments, stripped-down personal computers, etc.)

Community Concerns about Privacy and Security

The architects of nearly all new technology are forced to grapple with the difficult problem of people who are mischievous, uneducated and/or ill-willed. For example, consider the numerous attempts made by auto makers and ancillary parts suppliers to eliminate auto theft. Every security advance seems to spur a new criminal countermeasure. Ultimately, "good" people develop strategies to protect themselves and governments establish laws and sanctions to dissuade a small minority of people from breaking society's laws.

While laws, such as the California State Penal Code 502, attempt to make sharp distinctions between acceptable and unacceptable behaviors, there will always be some issues that are not amenable to crystal-clear categorization. This is particularly true on the ethical frontiers of new technologies. New technologies create the perception by some that society's existing laws do not apply or have not caught up to a new behavior or activity enabled by the new technology.

As earlier stated, most legal issues associated with the Internet are decided at the national or state levels. Moreover, the City's 1996 Telecommunications Policy has already summarized Sunnyvale's positions regarding the issues of privacy and security. Nonetheless, a few complementary, Internet-specific points need to be raised:
The City of Sunnyvale's internal information systems must be safeguarded from inadvertent and calculated security breaches. The City should promote the orderly development and enforcement of Internet-related laws that protect individual freedoms, the right to privacy, the right of association, and all other fundamental human rights. The City should promote the right for citizens to encrypt or otherwise protect their information from unlawful eavesdropping.

Please see pages 13-14 and Policy A.4 (page 31) in the City's 1996 Telecommunications Policy for additional information.

Quality of Life Impacts

All technologies have the potential to be beneficial or deleterious; often they can be both at the same time. The correct dosage of new medicine can save a life; an excessive amount can kill. The Internet shares this "good news / bad news" trait. This document speaks a lot about the potential benefits of the Internet, but it is important to summarize some of the unresolved or problematic areas. The following are among the most obvious:
Excessive early reliance on the Internet might leave gaps in City services if the Internet cannot immediately deliver on a large number of excessively optimistic productivity gains. There are many general Internet problems that exist in many forms and in many places, which will continue to receive an inordinate amount of attention in the mass news media. Among these general problems are: Eavesdropping Computer criminals Limits on the freedom of expression Theft of computer services The creation and sale of one's personal information to strangers without one's knowledge The Internet and computers in general can be extremely addictive to everyone involved. City staff, as anyone else, should guard against wasteful practices or being drawn into projects that yield a low return on investment.

To summarize, the Internet should be used as a communications tool to cost-effectively achieve the City's goals. While the Internet has many potential problems, particularly when a few "rotten apples" attempt to use it for some illegal or unethical purpose, its positive potential will outweigh the downside risk.

Conclusion

This document's policy framework was developed by the City to prepare it for the evolution of Internet over the coming two to five years. Undoubtedly, there will be many surprising developments and unforeseen technologies that will evolve beyond the coming five year horizon. However, the short-term uses and capabilities of the Internet have been the focus of this document.

The primary Internet roles for the City, as described in this document, are: service provider, economic development facilitator, and agent to improve the City's quality-of-life. It is a certainty that the City will begin to incorporate the use of the Internet in the City's core services. The Internet's potential, as a tool to distribute and collect information, is unmatched by other, more conventional technologies. Likewise, if the worldwide financial markets are any indication of the future importance of the Internet, it is important that the City facilitate the growth of and use of the Internet industry in Sunnyvale. Finally, the City should view the Internet as a positive force to improve the City's livability. The Internet can be used to improve such services as the City's library, community-oriented services via a wide range of partnerships, public safety, and education.

This document lays a foundation upon which further refinements can be made as both the Internet and the City evolve in the coming years. As more Sunnyvale businesses and homes gain access to the Internet, this policy framework will quickly prove its worth, as well as show its need to evolve as new demands are placed on the City.

Internet Glossary

Address Code by which a person or device is identified by the Internet. There are two general address types: numerical and alphabetic. The numeric address is used primarily by routing computers to move information from one computer system to another. The alphabetic address has a general format of username@hostname.

Analog signal is a continuous signal that varies in voltage to reflect variations in some quantity, such as loudness of the human voice.

Anonymous FTP is a way to use the FTP program to log on to another computer to copy files when one does not have an account on that computer. Anonymous FTP is allowed by a systems administrator who wishes allow "outsiders" to have access to publicly available files.

Archie is a system that helps Internet users find files located anywhere on the Internet. Archie is both a system of computer programs and a system of computers that contain indexes of Internet files.

Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) is a broad-bandwidth, low delay packet switching and multiplexing technology designed to transmit almost all forms of digital communications without cell delivery delays.

Authentication is the act of verifying the identity of a person or computer process.

Backbone is a high-speed line or transport mechanism that forms a major pathway within a network.

Bandwidth is the range between the lowest and the highest frequencies of a channel. Practically speaking, bandwidth is the amount of information one can send through a channel.

Broadband is a communication channel having a bandwidth broader than that of a voice-grade channel, thereby providing high-speed data transmission capability.

Browser is a client software program that is used to access Internet information via protocols such as: world wide web (WWW), Gopher, FTP, Telnet, etc.

Chatting is sending a few lines of text information in real-time to other network users. Chatting approximates real-time conversations, except both parties use keyboards and screens instead of speaking and hearing.

Client program is a software program used to contact and obtain information services from a server software program.

Cyberspace is a term used to describe a virtual universe of computers, networks, programs and data. More often than not it is used in a non-technical context to describe the psychological state of being in a virtual universe.

Digital Data is digitally represented information, which includes voice, text, facsimile, and video.

Data communication is the movement of coded information by means of electrical transmission systems.

Digital compression allows large amounts of digital information to be squeezed into a single conduit such as twisted pair or coaxial cables, allowing video images to be transported in the same amount of space that previously could carry only voice.

Digital signal is a nominally discontinuous electrical signal that changes from one state or another to another in discrete steps.

Distance learning is learning at home through the use of computers and data networks.

Distributed processing is the processing of data at remotely located sites using communication lines to interconnect computers or microcomputers or intelligent terminals with the central computer.

Domain name is a unique name that identifies an Internet site. A given computer may have more than one domain name, but a given domain name can only point to one machine.

Domain Name System (DNS) is a system for translating computer names into numeric Internet addresses.

Electronic mail (email) is a message, usually text, sent from one computer user to another.

Facsimile (FAX) is the process of transmitting text, pictures, diagrams, and the like via a telecommunication system to a remote location where hard copy of the transmitted material is reproduced.

Fiber optics are hair-thin filaments of transparent glass or plastic that use light instead of electricity to transmit voice, video, or data signals.

Firewall systems interconnect private to public networks, but create obstacles and safeguards to keep unauthorized users from disrupting service or accessing information from inside the private network.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a method of transferring one or more files from one computer to another via a data communications channel.

Gopher is a system developed by the University of Minnesota that structures information hierarchically and allows users to access the information using drill down menus.

Host is a term for any computer on the Internet that someone may access.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is a computer language used for writing pages for the World Wide Web.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is the method by which World Wide Web pages are transferred over a network like the Internet.

Hypertext is a technique for writing, linking and displaying text. This method allows the horizontal and vertical linking of text objects to allow a hypertext user to navigate quickly and easily from one part of a document to another. Hypertext also allows linking to other objects, such as pictures, video, audio, etc.

Hypertext Links are the actual links embedded in HTML documents that are interpreted by web browsers as "other" information that may be accessed. This "other" information may exist within the same HTML document, within another document on that server, or on another document on another server located 10,000 miles away.

Intranet is an organization's private network. It is typically located behind the organization's security firewall and is reserved for those associated with the organization. The underlying tools used for an intranet are typically the same ones used for the Internet.

Internet is the world's largest chain of voluntarily interconnected digital networks. It is the world's predominant public "network of networks." The Internet is made possible by a common agreement on networking standards, common communication tools, and shared operational conventions.

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a specific computer program that enables Internet users to send text messages to each other in real time.

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is an international concept whose objective is a digital public network. When in place, a totally digital network will extend from the user's terminal to the user's destination for the transmission of voice, data, and video information.

Intelligent terminal is a terminal that contains a processing unit and can perform data processing and storage functions.

Interactive system is a real-time communication system that provides immediate, two-way

communication between terminals and a computer, processing transactions as they occur.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is an interactive computer system attached a telephone network that allows a touch-tone telephone to act as a non-intelligent or dumb terminal.

Interconnect equipment is the equipment at each end of a communication channel.

listserv (not capitalized) is a family of programs that manages mailing lists by distributing messages posted to the mailing list, adding and deleting members automatically and other housekeeping chores.

Local Area Network (LAN) is a configuration of telecommunications facilities designed to provide internal communications within a limited geographical area.

Microcomputers are small general-purpose computers.

Modem is an electronic device used for converting digital signals into analog signals for transmission and reconverting the analog signal into digital signals.

Network is a series of points, nodes, or stations connected by communication channels.

Network access is the capability of interconnection with a network.

Newsgroup is an ongoing, automated news service that typically distributes specific types of information to those who request it.

Node is a terminal of any branch of a network or a terminal common to two or more branches of a network.

Nonrepudiation is the process of verifying that X has made an agreement with Y and that neither can unilaterally cancel or void the agreement.

Off-line is the condition where devices or subsystems are not connected into, do not form any part of, and are not subject to the same controls as an operation system. These devices may, however, be operated independently.

On-line is the condition where devices or subsystems are connected into, form a part of, and are subject to the same controls as an operational system.

Page in a WWW context refers to a document, or a collection of information, available via the WWW. A page may contain graphics, a picture, text, video and/or sound files.

Private network is a configuration of private lines and related switching facilities that are provided for the exclusive use of one customer.

Protocol is the rules for communication system operation that must be followed if communication is to be effective.

Regulation is a rule or order having the force of law, issued by an executive authority of a government.

Router is a special-purpose computer or software package that allows packets of information to pass from one computer to another.

Server is a computer that provides a service to other computers on a network.

Standard is a benchmark or point of reference against which performance can be compared; also an agreed-to specification for equipment and circuit design.

Switching is the process of transferring a connection from one telephone circuit to another by

interconnecting the two circuits.

Synchronization is the process of determining and maintaining the correct timing for transmitting and receiving information.

Synchronous transmission is data communications in which characters or bits are sent at a fixed rate; the rate is maintained by electronic clocking devices at both the transmitting and receiving ends of the circuit.

T-1 Service is a time division multiplexed digital transmission system that provides 24 voice-grade digital channels on one pair of copper wires.

TCP/IP (Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) forms the standardized suite of protocols that allow computers to communicate with each other over the Internet.

Telecommunication is any transmission, emission, or reception of signs, signals, writing, images, and sounds or information of any nature by wire, radio, visual, or the electromagnetic system.

Telecommunications Infrastructure is the cables, switches, radio towers, and other facilities and equipment that are required to make telecommunications work.

Telecommuting is use of a computer system in the home (or other location away from the "normal" office environment) that allows an employee to communicate with the office without actually traveling to and from work.

Teleconferencing (also known as videoconferencing) is a conference between person's remote from one another but linked by a telecommunications system.

Telnet is the command that executes a program that allows one computer to login to another computer on the Internet.

Telephony is the science and practice of transmitting speech or other sounds over relatively large distances.

Teleprocessing is the overall function of an information transmission system that combines telecommunication, automatic data processing, and human-machine interface equipment and their interaction as an integrated whole.

Teleshopping is shopping at home through the use of personal computers connected to a computer network.

Terminal is a point in the network at which data can either enter or leave; a device, usually equipped with a keyboard, often with a display, capable of sending and receiving data over a communication link.

Transmission is the dispatching of a signal, message, or other form of intelligence by wire, radio, telegraphy, telephony, facsimile, or other means.

URL (Universal Resource Locator) is a standardized method to provide an address for any resource on the Internet that is part of the World Wide Web.

Viewer is a program used by such Internet programs as Gopher, WAIS or WWW to show files with contents other than text. Unless a viewer is built into the browser, a special viewer may be needed to display graphics or video files.

Virtual network is a carrier-provided service in which the public switched network provides capabilities similar to those of private lines, such as conditioning, error testing, and higher-speed, full duplex, four-wire transmission with a line quality adequate for data.

Voice identification is a technology used to verify the identity of a person accessing a system by comparing spoken passwords with computerized voice patterns.

Voice Mail is an advanced form of telephone answering service that permits a caller to send a one-way spoken message to a service user; the message is stored in the voice message equipment for retrieval by the intended recipient.

WAIS (Wide Area Information Servers) is a system that enables one to search for documents that contain specific information.

Wide Area Network (WAN) is any network that covers an area beyond one's immediate building or campus.

World Wide Web (WWW) is a hypermedia-oriented system for accessing information on the Internet.

Goals, Policies, and Action Statements

GOAL A: USE THE INTERNET TO MAINTAIN AND ENHANCE THE CITY'S INFORMATION RESOURCES AND SERVICES PROVIDED TO SUNNYVALE CITIZENS.

Policy A.1. Use the Internet to provide public information to Sunnyvale citizens, businesses, industries, organizations, and schools.

Action Statements:

A.1.a. Ensure that appropriate printed public information currently available to Sunnyvale citizens will remain free of charge in electronic form.

A.1.b. Ensure that essential information is available on demand via the Internet for the public interest.

A.1.c. Support easy public Internet access to public information to the widest extent possible.

Policy A.2. Use the Internet to improve the City's efficiency and delivery of public services while reducing operating costs.

Action Statements:

A.2.a Use the Internet as a tool to deliver City services.

A.2.b. Consider projects that use the Internet to link the public with City staff, City information repositories, and services including on-line access to: Council agendas and minutes, building codes and permit applications, staff reports, and City statistics.

A.2.c. Use the Internet to reengineer City services, where appropriate, to make City government more cost-effective and responsive.

GOAL B: PROMOTE THE USE OF THE INTERNET, WHERE APPROPRIATE AND WITHIN THE SCOPE OF AVAILABLE RESOURCES, TO ENHANCE THE ECONOMIC VITALITY OF SUNNYVALE.

Policy B.1. Encourage, Sunnyvale businesses and industries, where appropriate, to use the Internet to remain competitive.

Action Statements:

B.1.a. Where appropriate, recommend changes to City ordinances, requirements, or procedures to allow Internet services to improve for Sunnyvale businesses and industries.

B.1.b. Market Sunnyvale as a worldwide center of Internet services and products to encourage the relocation and retention of businesses in Sunnyvale.

B.1.c. Promote the development of Internet-based applications for teaching, learning, training, and retraining of Sunnyvale's workforce.

B.1.d. Attract Internet-oriented businesses and point-of-sale operations in order to diversify the City's economic base and City revenues.

Policy B.2. Encourage Sunnyvale businesses and industries to conduct business with anyone, anywhere, at any time via the Internet.

Action Statements:

B.2.a. Support Internet innovation, where appropriate, in business, government and non-governmental community organizations.

B.2.b. Encourage State authorities to continually revise State laws, regulations and procedures to allow new forms of Internet commerce and business transactions.

Policy B.3. Advocate legislation that ensures that any city like Sunnyvale is not adversely impacted by new forms of Internet commerce.

Action Statements:

B.3.a. Advocate the protection of sales tax revenue bases of cities.

B.3.b. Explore new opportunities to increase city revenues based on Internet-related activities.

GOAL C: PROMOTE THE USE OF THE INTERNET TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR SUNNYVALE RESIDENTS.

Policy C.1. Use the Internet to enhance the lives of Sunnyvale citizens.

Action Statements:

C.1.a. Use the Internet to make Sunnyvale citizens more aware of community resources in the areas of public safety, emergency preparedness, leisure activities, learning resources, and other community services.

C.1.b. Encourage the use of the Internet to support community-oriented information dissemination, library services, and lifelong learning.

C.1.c. Promote the use of the Internet as a vehicle to deliver learning services and resources beyond the classroom and the library to Sunnyvale homes, organizations, and businesses.

C.1.d. Promote the use of the Internet as a tool to enhance rather preclude personal interactions and participation in civic life.

C.1.e. Promote access to a full array of City and non-City Internet services for individuals with disabilities.

Policy C.2. Advocate for privacy laws and security standards at the state and federal levels which protect Sunnyvale Internet users. (Virtually the same as Policy A.4 in the 1996 Sunnyvale Telecommunications Policy.)

Action Statements:

Same Action Statements as those listed under Policy A.4 in the 1996 Sunnyvale Telecommunications Policy.

GOAL D: FACILITATE THE CREATION OF AN ADVANCED TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE, WITHIN GIVEN RESOURCES, FOR SUNNYVALE CITIZENS, BUSINESSES, AND INDUSTRIES. (Same as Goal E in the 1996 Sunnyvale Telecommunications Policy.)

Note: Since this a reiteration of Goal E in the 1996 Sunnyvale Telecommunications Policy, the policies and action statements will not be re-listed here. This goal is included here to reinforce the fact that the Internet's effectiveness in Sunnyvale will only increase as the telecommunications infrastructures within the City become more advanced, easier to use and ubiquitous.

CREDITS

MAYOR'S SUBCOMMITTEE ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Landon Curt Noll, Chair
Jack Walker
Manuel Valerio

OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
Thomas Lewcock, City Manager
Amy Chan, Assistant City Manager

PREPARED BY
THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Shawn Hernandez, Director
Leland Vandiver, Manager, Data Systems & Networking
Deborah Barker, Telecommunications Analyst

THE DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES
Victoria Johnson, Director