EU, U.S. To Talk Info Highway

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

EU, U.S. To Talk Info Highway
AP 02/24 11:50 EST V0518
Copyright 1994. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
   BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- The European Union's industry chief
will meet U.S. Vice President Gore and other senior American
officials next week to discuss information superhighways.
   Martin Bangemann, a member of the EU's executive commission,
will hold the talks so the transatlantic trading partners can
avoid developing two different telecommunications systems.
   EU spokesmen said Bangemann will travel to Washington on
Tuesday and hold a round of meetings on Wednesday with American
officials.
   His agenda called for him to swap ideas with Gore, Commerce
Secretary Ron Brown and Delano Lewis, president of National Public
Radio. Brown and Lewis were appointed last month to head the
Clinton administration's advisory committee on technology.
   Bangemann, who heads a panel of experts overseeing the
development of the European system of information highways, also
will meet with U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor.
   The EU estimates European countries will invest up to 150
billion European currency units ($174 billion) in information
highways by the end of the century.
   National information networks will allow the transmission of
data, visual and audio materials directly to the consumer.