November 27, 1997 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Schools and libraries will be able to seek help from two new groups as they try to find cheap Internet access and advice for ways to deal with long-term technology challenges:
* The Schools & Libraries Corporation is a non-profit organization that was created last month by the Federal Communications Commission. The organization will help schools and libraries take advantage of $9-billion in subsidies that, under a new federal law, telecommunications companies must provide to such institutions as they seek to incorporate computer use into their educational efforts.
* The National Educational Technology & Telecommunications Center — or NETT Center — has been set up by more than 50 grant makers, business executives, government officials, and charity leaders. The group plans to serve as a national clearinghouse to help libraries, schools, and other educational groups find innovative ways to combine technology and education.
The Federal Communications Commission decided to set up the Schools & Libraries Corporation after the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was passed. The act includes a requirement that beginning in 1998, telecommunications companies must provide $2.25-billion each year through 2001 to help schools and libraries obtain their services at a lower cost than that charged to businesses and others.
The new organization will help schools and libraries figure out how they can receive the subsidies, and will act as a watchdog to insure that the subsidies are used for legitimate educational efforts.
The other new group, the NETT Center, hopes to identify sources of financial support for states, regional educational agencies, schools, libraries, and other groups that are trying to update technology for educational purposes. The center also helps to provide technology advice and to maintain a searchable on-line data base of school districts that have successfully integrated technology into their daily work.
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation in Los Altos, Cal., gave $100,000 to get the NETT Center off the ground.
The center is now seeking charity status from the Internal Revenue Service.
For more information: The Schools & Libraries Corporation can be reached at 2300 N Street, N.W., Suite 600, Washington 20037; World-Wide Web site: http://www.fcc.gov/learnnet.
The NETT Center is being organized by Gordon Ambach, Executive Director, Council of Chief State School Officers, 1 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington 20001; (202) 408-5505; fax (202) 408-8076.
