On May 8th, 1997, the Federal Communication’s Commission (FCC) Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 giving schools deep discounts in access charges to the Internet and telecommunications services, including wiring school buildings for the Internet. Funding for this E-rate (for education rate), up to $2.25 billion a year, will be available by the beginning of the 1997 school year. Almost 70 percent of all schools will get at least a 50 percent discount on a wide range of telecommunications services, with discounts of up to 90 percent to schools with the largest numbers of poor children.
The President's Technology Literacy Challenge Fund will make available $2 billion over 5 years to help states and communities purchase computers, wire classrooms to the information superhighway, develop effective educational software, and train teachers to make effective use of educational technology. In FY 1997 Congress appropriated $200 million for the Fund, and the President's budget proposal includes $425 million for FY 1998.
Technology Innovation Challenge Grants also are available to partnerships of local school systems, students, colleges, universities, and private businesses to develop creative new ways to use technology for learning. The program will make an estimated 20 new awards with its $57 million FY 1997 appropriation and 20 more with the $75 million included in the President's FY 1998 budget proposal.
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