by Rick Boucher

About the author: Rick Boucher, a Democrat from Virginia, has been elected to six terms in the House of Representatives and is the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Science of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

In politics as in sports, Americans are accustomed to a fair amount of exaggeration. Just as the “greatest game ever” seems to be played three or four times a season, leaders in government often speak boldly about ideas that hold the promise of a vastly improved society, a wealthier and better educated public, or a more competitive economy.

Occasionally, history conspires to prove our leaders right. This is precisely the case with the much-heralded information superhighway, a development in technology so remarkable in scope that it could equal the telephone or...