[mmmmax]

TL;DR: This bill attempts to disband The National Technical Information Service (NTIS), which collects and sells information and research. The bill asserts that the agency is no longer important, since you can basically just Google it now.

[vizeroth]

The purpose in founding the NTIS was to ensure that information and research was available to U.S. industry, government, academia, and the public. This is especially the case for government-funded research, but also includes technical information from foreign and other sources.

It's like saying you don't need the U.S. Copyright Office any more because the record and movie labels do such a wonderful job making sure their content is widely available.

"Of the reports added to NTIS's repository during fiscal years 1990 through 2011, GAO estimates that approximately 74 percent were readily available from other public sources."

Yes, because proving that 26% of the material added is not readily available elsewhere proves their uselessness... Oh, and let's not forget that the mandate for them to be profitable did not exist until just before it started to become impossible for them to do so.

[snsr]

> let's not forget that the mandate for them to be profitable did not exist until just before it started to become impossible for them to do so.

I'd be curious to read more about this. Looks like this isn't the first time the agency has been in the cross-hairs (from 1999) -

http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/NewsBreaks/Commerce-Departme...

[tgb]

Thanks; I had misread that as NIST (National Institue of Standards and Technology) and was somewhat shocked.

[fleitz]

Don't worry they'll change that when the senate and congressional bill are reconciled and the NIST will be disbanded while the NITS remains.

[tjaerv]

And they'll add a little pork on top for flavor, too.

[fennecfoxen]

+ Sponsored by senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO).

[sfall]

now I am worried with Coburn on it. I don't like his track record.

[BorisMelnik]

Thank you for this, read through the first half of the page and didn't get it. Funny how I can read code but can't read politics.