This paper explores the need to adopt legislative and regulatory safeguards to guarantee equal access by people with disabilities to evolving high speed broadband, wireless and Internet-based technologies. Recommendations include: (1) Communications Access--FCC or Congress: Extend the telecommunications accessibility requirements of Section 255 of…

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is becoming a reality in many organizations. The potential for mobility in voice over wi-fi networks will derive demand for the technology. Wireless VoIP is poised to rival VoIP as an alternative telephony tool. Internet has been used to transport data in the form of packet. In the past, Internet did not support…

Small colleges have unique challenges with respect to their information technology environments. It is easy to forget sometimes that small colleges are not simply small big colleges, and that IT needs to be considered in a particular way, especially because of its associated costs. For one thing, the senior administration at a small college may be…

The fifth session of IT@EDU98 consisted of four papers and was chaired by Nguyen Thanh Son (University of Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). "Distance Education at University of Hawaii" (David Lassner) investigates the technologies in use at the University of Hawaii, including: SkyBridge; HITS (Hawaii Interactive Television System);…

There is a whole infrastructure that must support a successful universal student computing requirement. Conventional approaches would have the students plugging into a wired network. That would necessitate network wires and hubs or many ports in each classroom. Students would need access to course-related software. Because the needs would change…

This brief paper describes the computerized mentoring program of Project DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) at the University of Washington. Introductory material notes the origins of the mentoring concept and the value of DO-IT mentors to their proteges. The program centers on providing mentoring via the Internet…

Telecommunications technologies have great potential for linking rural homes, schools, businesses, and government. Experts agree that rural development depends on investment in additional telecommunications infrastructure and on local access to the Internet, but getting advanced telecommunications services to rural areas will take time. This…

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 expanded universal support to eligible schools and libraries. To administer the universal service program for schools and libraries, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) directed the creation of the Schools and Libraries Corporation (Corporation). As a start-up operation, the Corporation has had to develop…

This document contains the enrollment application form and line-by-line instructions for subscribing to LincOn, a statewide network, administered by the Illinois State Board of Education, that allows public K-12 schools to access the Internet. An overview of LincOn and a checklist for implementing LincOn membership are also included. Appendices…

This report discusses the challenges of the Digital Divide. Part I examines the issues concerning access as it relates to schools, communities, free Internet service providers, and broadband. Part II defines technological literacy and how it pertains to the Digital Divide debate. Part III examines those who are affected by the divide and…

The phrase, "digital divide," has been applied to the gap that exists in most countries between those with ready access to the tools of information and communication technologies and the knowledge that they provide access to, and those without such access or skills. This gap may be because of socio-economic, geographical, educational,…

This paper discusses the construction of the infrastructure for libraries' digital document telecommunications. The first section describes the topologies of the library LAN (Local Area Network) cabling system, including the main characteristics of the LAN and three classical topologies typically used with LANs, i.e., the bus, star, and ring…

A look at the ALOHA SYSTEM research project at the University of Hawaii, which developed and built a computer-communication network based upon the use of UHF radio broadcast channels for console to computer and computer to computer communication. (Author)

A description of the current status of television and radio exposure among five to nineteen year-old British children. (Author)

A single computer is used for instruction in data processing and business methods and in such administrative functions as class scheduling and grading. (Author)