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LEXIS-NEXIS® Academic

April 7, 2000, Friday

SECTION: BUSINESS;Pg. C-1

LENGTH: 571 words

HEADLINE: Bill aiding computer exports gets a boost

BYLINE: Otto Kreisher; COPLEY NEWS SERVICE

BODY:
WASHINGTON -- A House subcommittee yesterday approved legislation to make it easier for the American computer industry to compete in the fast-growing global market.

The bipartisan bill, introduced by two Californians, would cut from six months to 30 days the time Congress can review administration proposals to adjust the definition of "super computers," which cannot be exported to countries considered national security threats.

Because of rapid advances in computer science, the high speeds that define super computers at a given time can become common in other computers in short order. The bill was easily passed by the House International Relations subcommittee on trade.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the subcommittee chairwoman, noted that revolutionary improvements in computer capabilities are being developed about every three months.

"If we do not reduce the waiting period and expedite the process for our computer industry, we will have a situation where new export control (limits) will be out of date by the time they are approved," said Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., in opening her panel's meeting.

New Jersey Rep. Robert Menendez, the subcommittee's top Democrat, pointed out that the current 180-day delay in new computer export standards was imposed by the GOP-controlled Congress in 1998.

"That made it impossible for the U.S. government to respond to rapid improvements in computer technology," Menendez said in supporting the bill.

The longer congressional review was imposed because of concerns that the sale of super computers to Russia and China could allow them to develop improved weapons.

For the same reasons, arms control organizations also have opposed easier standards for high-speed computers.

But all Republicans on the panel, including its most conservative member, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, supported the bill.

The measure was introduced by Reps. David Dreier, R-San Dimas, and Zoe Lofgren, D-Palo Alto, after the high-tech industry complained it was losing millions of dollars in sales to foreign competitors who may lag behind American technology but have no restrictions on what they can sell to potential U.S. adversaries.

The Computer Coalition for Responsible Exports said the bill "is of great importance to the U.S. computer industry."

"The subcommittee has recognized that our export control laws need to keep pace with technology, and a six-month waiting period does not meet that goal," said Dan Hoydysh, director of trade policy for Unisys and coalition co-chairman.

The power of computers generally is stated in MTOPS -- million theoretical operations per second. While a computer capable of 2,000 MTOPS was considered a super computer in 1997, Intel is expected to introduce a 23,000 MTOPS microprocessor this summer.

The industry noted that a computer using two of the Pentium chips used in many common personal computers today would be capable of nearly 4,000 MTOPS, twice the old super computer threshold.

Last July, President Clinton proposed raising the threshold for restricted computers to 12,300 MTOPS and in February to 20,000, an indication of how quickly the technology changes.

While supporting the computer bill, Menendez complained that the GOP was not acting on broader legislation that would change export restrictions on items such as commercial satellites.

The full committee is expected to consider the bill next Thursday.

LOAD-DATE: April 11, 2000