In October, representatives from the University of California, the California State University system, Stanford, and the University of Southern California agreed to form a California organization to support the development of Internet II protocols.

"The purpose of this agreement is to build a California network that allows colleges and universities in California to connect to other universities participating in Internet II," says Information Technology's Russ Hobby, an active participant in the development of new Internet standards to meet the needs of higher education.

Members of the educational community have been discussing the need to provide better Internet services for the University of California and other California campuses for many months. This summer, the UC Office of the President negotiated a new agreement to expand network capacity to the Internet for all nine UC campuses.

If the newly formed California organization is successful in its mission, Hobby says, network services for California campuses may be consolidated into a single network.

"A consolidated approach would contribute to ongoing improvements by giving higher education institutions in California an opportunity to share resources and knowledge," says Hobby.