Small Business Teleconferencing

[Meera M Blattner]

To small defense-expenditure dependent business in California, New Mexico,
and Washington, DC:

At the present time, large organizations are experimenting with 
teleconferencing, networking, and groupware.  Smaller organizations 
do not have the resources nor the infrastructure to use this new 
technology.  Small business will face a serious disadvantage in the 
near future as larger corporations develop efficient methods of 
working through teleconferencing and groupware.  It is virtually 
impossible for a small business to acess the ISDN lines and other 
equipment required for this service.  To give small business a 
competitive edge, a communication infrastructure can be built to 
allow small organizations to communicate rapidly and with nearly 
the ease of face to face meetings.  

The Universities of California, New Mexico, Hawaii, with participation 
from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and other suppliers, 
are submitting a proposal to the Advanced Research Projects Agency 
(ARPA) under the Technology Reinvestment Project (TRP) to fund a 
project to provide small, defense-expenditure dependent business 
with access to a national community of research scientists and 
engineers via video teleconferencing and groupware.  These 
organizations would have available, through their ethernet capable 
personal computers or workstations, videoconferencing, collaborative 
work tools, databases, multimedia mail, and bulletin boards.  
Databases with the participants addresses and phone numbers, areas 
of expertise and background of participants will be available.  We 
would provide training and support for the use of the equipment.  

If your are interested in participating in this project, please let me 
know as soon as possible, preferably by July 2, 1993 to Dr. Meera 
Blattner, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, L-540, P.O. Box 
808, Livermore, CA, 94551, or contact me by e-mail 
(blattner at llnl.gov), or call me at (510) 422-3503.  We will fax you 
the necessary forms and other information required.

Meera Blattner