The Information Age is transforming our economy and our lives. In its pathbreaking 1999 report to President Clinton, the Presidential Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) outlined the ten crucial ways that new technologies are transforming society in the U.S. It is clear that the Federal government will need to provide the critical R&D investments that will help retain and bolster the U.S. technological lead in the 21st century. These investments will also support efforts to make new technologies and their benefits available to all U.S. citizens. ©2001 American Institute of Physics.