Plan for government-only computer network called 'colossal mistake'

As the Wednesday deadline for industry suggestions on the creation of a government telecommunications network looms, some observers are calling the idea the result of bad politicking and inexperienced policymakers assuming too much of a technological role.

The proposal for a secure government intranet dubbed Govnet "reeks of politics," is "counterintuitive" to an effective response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and is, overall, "a bad, bad thing," said Grant Holcomb, a Marine in the Persian Gulf War. "I watched more of my Marines die because we couldn't communicate. ... I've spent the last 11 years making sure that [communication] can happen."

Holcomb, the chief technology officer for TeraGlobal, which sells software for real-time collaboration and communication over computer networks, said the government's idea to create a national, secure communication system is good, but its requirements will isolate the 40-some agencies that address homeland security and will deny information to the "first responders" who need access to information during emergencies.

At the request of Richard Clarke, President Bush's cybersecurity adviser and a Govnet proponent, the General Services Administration on Oct. 10 asked companies to pitch their ideas, and the deadline for comments is Wednesday.

Govnet would operate on a private network shared by government agencies and authorized users only, with no interconnections to the Internet or other public or private networks. But Holcomb and others say the closed network would only further isolate officials, such as local police and hospitals, who need access to federal information.

"What really needs to be done is open up the information flow," Holcomb said. "People's lives are at stake here."

He said the Defense Department's Global Information Grid could serve as an example for opening a national, secure network to authorized users. The grid offers a globally interconnected, interoperable, secure system to support warfighters, Defense personnel, policymakers, the intelligence community and other non-Defense users involved in relevant operations.

TeraGlobal, meanwhile, offers a similar virtual network for private companies and government entities that has the blessing of industry representatives such as Vint Cerf, considered the founder of the Internet and now a top executive at WorldCom.

Defense officials argue that there is "no way" they can coordinate and execute homeland security missions if the government closes its network. "This 'Maginot Line' approach they seem intent on pursuing is just going about things all wrong and would be a colossal mistake," according to one Defense official's e-mail correspondence.

Holcomb added that the technology for a secure network already exists, but the problem is that the people making the policy are not the technology experts.

"You would actually boost the economy by letting the same network be always on and always available" for various uses such as tracking potential terrorists, Holcomb said. "Govnet's political answer is not yet a viable answer, at least not with the [current] requirements."

Holcomb said Defense's Joint Forces Command is planning to meet with GSA on Govnet. GSA did not return phone calls as of Tuesday afternoon.