The threat of electronic gridlock and the desire to use advanced applications in teaching and research have inspired UC Davis and 33 other research universities to join forces with government and industry to build a new national network for higher education. Dubbed Internet II, the project will focus on developing a computer network that supports new applications that adapt Internet technology to research needs. The explosion of network usage and the subsequent privatization of the current Internet have resulted in frequent network congestion. Consequently, many faculty have been deprived of the network capability needed to support certain research. "The Internet as it now exists does not support the high-level computing needs of research universities," says Carole Barone, associate vice chancellor for information technology at UC Davis and a member of the National Telecommunications Task Force steering committee, which has been the driving force behind Internet II. Internet II would support a new generation of applications that fully exploit the capabilities of broadband networks. Higher transmission speeds and the ability to reserve bandwidth would enhance the ability of faculty throughout the nation to utilize high-performance computing resources and work collaboratively from their desk tops.