Under the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC's) e-rate program, schools and libraries can receive discounts from vendors on the cost of eligible telecommunications services, Internet access, and internal connections (the equipment needed to deliver these services). The discounts range from 20 to 90 percent, with higher discounts given to…

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 has provisions covering telephone service, telecommunications equipment manufacturing, cable television, radio and television broadcasting, and the Internet and on-line computer services. Most critical for rural areas are universal service provisions that ensure reasonably priced services to all regions and…

This summary of report prepared for the 97th Congress presents two conclusions: the information revolution, driven by rapid advances in communication and computer technology, is profoundly affecting American education; and information technology can improve and enrich educational services, distributing education and training into such new…

Discusses reasons why communities and schools should communicate electronically, reviews available technologies, presents goals supporting electronic connections to communications technologies, and examines issues involved in developing those electronic connections. A table lists types of information and appropriate technology to use to obtain…

This report provides information on the educational telecommunications market. Its articles cover a wide array of applications and issues, including online services, funding for the development of statewide telecommunications networks, education-related Internet projects and products. The trends detailed in the report, and the vendors and products…

A pilot telecommunications program for mainstreamed blind and visually impaired students, developed by Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services (Wantagh, New York), is described. Program components include online databases and electronic mail, a central support site, home sites for itinerant teachers, and district sites for students. (JDD)

Videotex is a generic term used to describe computerized two-way information delivery systems designed for simple, mass-market use which provide access to computer-based information via a telecommunications link and an information display, usually a modified home television set. In Canada videotex has become almost synonymous with the name…

Discusses the growing use of telecommunications in the classroom and lists 30 projects and networks currently available to educators. Highlights include general online services; databases; news services; local area projects; worldwide projects; electronic mail projects, including AT&T's Long Distance Learning Network (LDLN); and networks for…

To administer a program to assist schools and libraries in acquiring modern telecommunications services, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) directed the creation of the Schools and Libraries Corporation (the Corporation). Recommendations were made in July 1998 by the General Accounting Office for the Corporation to take certain actions to…

Discusses three school activities--electronic messaging, problem solving, and database searching--that make use of computer telecommunications. Multipurpose services, equipment and software, training and support, low-cost start-up ideas, and the role of the library media center are also covered. Two recommended publications on telecommunication…

This guide provides a framework to help think about, choose, create, and design an electronically networked community. It is written for educators and educational entities involved with the design and implementation of educational projects. The guide will help planners and designers decide what type of networked community to create; what factors…

This study assesses research findings and practical field experiences emerging from electronic text trials and services with emphasis on applications of electronic text that have served the needs of higher education. However, research findings and case studies from commercial applications, as well as secondary and K-8 electronic text projects, are…

This paper considers the possible creation of communications networks for school superintendents, and discusses EdLink, a pilot joint venture among Apple and GEISCO (General Electric Information Services Corporation), the joint developers of AppleLink, and the office of the New Hampshire Governor's Excellence Initiative. Arguing that EdLink…

American rural communities are decaying, the underlying causes being chronic unemployment and inadequate infrastructure. The information age can cause the ultimate demise of rural America by further eroding local institutions or it can be its savior by revitalizing the sense of community. The link between community development and the information…

As a new form of infrastructure is being developed across the vast prairie of Nebraska, electronic pioneers are leading the way to the information age. This paper describes some of those pioneers and their work. The University of Nebraska has been among the leaders in developing the Internet and applications for it. The university established one…