================================================================= ALAWON Volume 5, Number 74 ISSN 1069-7799 October 10, 1996 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (104 lines) ADMINISTRATION PROPOSES TECHNOLOGY/EDUCATION INITIATIVES _________________________________________________________________ ADMINISTRATION PROPOSES TECHNOLOGY/EDUCATION INITIATIVES President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, and Secretary of Education Richard Riley are announcing today in Tennessee a set of major initiatives on technology in education, Internet access, and discounted telecommunications rates for schools and libraries. Various Administration officials in the Department of Education and the Department of Commerce have been discussing these plans with representatives of the education and library communities, including ALA. Nothing in writing has been available until today; even this morning only partial drafts were available. Here are the broad outlines of what is being released today; more details will be provided as information becomes available. There are three main components of the technology initiative. The first is a technology literacy challenge grant program--a five-year $2 billion investment. The first year is already being put in place with final approval of $200 million in FY97 funds to the states and then to local elementary and secondary schools for technology in the schools, based on the existing Title III technology program. This program can include school library media specialists in technology training, as well as partnerships with community entities such as libraries. The Administration expects to request increased funds in future years--$500 million each year for 3 years, then $300 million in the fifth year. Several high-tech companies are expected to lead an effort to provide private-sector matching funds for the first $200 million. The second component is a proposal being made today to the Federal Communications Commission and Federal State Joint Board on Universal Service by the Secretaries of Education, Commerce, and Agriculture. This plan has many points in common with the recommendations of ALA and the Education and Libraries Networks Coalition (EdLiNC)in which ALA participates. It proposes E-rate discounts, including a basic service designed for Internet access at a 100 percent discount to the school or library, plus competitive rates for other services with discounts for rural/high cost and low income areas. The third component is a five-year investment in the next generation of the Internet, with $100 million to be recommended next year for a leading edge supernet or Internet II type research and development effort. So far, we have seen only a close-to-final draft of the filing to the FCC/Joint Board on the universal service implementation for schools and libraries. Our initial reaction is subject to further analysis of the final filing, the upcoming White House press release, and other materials. There appears to be considerable common ground with the Administration, and it is encouraging to see that a number of provisions of the ALA and EdLiNC filings have been incorporated into the Administration's conceptual framework. So long as this framework provides in total the same significant and meaningful discounts equivalent to or exceeding the ALA/EdLiNC recommendations, the Administration is headed in the right direction. In any regulatory proceeding such as the implementation of discounted rates for schools and libraries, the details are very important. Many details are not spelled out in the Administration's universal service proposal. The goal is the right one--universal access for every school and library to the information superhighway. The Administration plan will be a major factor in further developments on this provision of the Telecommunications Act by regulators. ALA looks forward to continuing its own intensive efforts on this issue, and to working further with the Administration and other key players for meaningful implementation of discounted rates. More information about the ALA filings on the universal service proceeding can be found at . Information about EdLiNC can be found at . _________________________________________________________________ ALAWON is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. To subscribe, send the message "subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname]" to . ALAWON archives gopher.ala.org; select ALA Washington Office Newsline. Visit our Web site at . ALA Washington Office 202.628.8410 (V) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #403 202.628.8419 (F) Washington, DC 20004-1701 Lynne E. Bradley, Editor Contributors: Carol C. Henderson Andrew Magpantay Deirdre A. Herman All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================