U.S. Takes Huge Step Forward in Opening Access to Publicly Funded Research

"During a flurry of announcements over the past 2 weeks, the world has watched as two major developments were launched from the U.S. federal government that will open access to articles produced as a result of grant funding from key U.S. agencies. On Feb. 14, 2013, exactly 11 years after the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) was first signed, representatives from Congress introduced the 'Fair Access to Science and Technology Research' (FASTR) Act, proposed legislation which, if passed, would require public access to publicly funded research from major funding agencies including: Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation. FASTR was introduced as identical bills in both houses of Congress—in the House of Representatives as H.R. 708 by Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), and Kevin Yoder (R-Kansas) and in the Senate as S. 350 by John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). While the introduced legislation for FASTR would present a big step forward for open access (OA) if passed, it is still a long way from becoming a signed bill. Then on Friday, Feb. 22, the White House issued its own directive pushing for OA—a milestone in its own right. FASTR and the White House Directive are similar in focus, but the nuances of their recommendations and requirements include some differences. Both, however, squarely aim to significantly broaden access to peer-reviewed scholarly articles resulting from publicly funded research—access in terms of both cost and re-use rights ..."