An Annotated Bibliography

Cameron M. Otopalik, Ph.D., October 2000

National Exchange Carrier Association (December 1999). URL: www.neca.org/ams/index.htm

Purpose: This report is based upon the NECA’s sixth biennial Access Market Survey conducted in April 1999 and describes the current and planned technical capabilities of these pool members (numbering over 1,000) and illustrates their continuing efforts to bring advanced services to rural America.

The results find that small companies have higher risk resulting from: 1) the need to recover higher deployment costs associated with larger geographic areas and sparser populations; 2) changing network standards; and 3) continuing regulatory uncertainty.

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Purpose: This report is a response to a request by ten U.S. Senators on the status of broadband deployment in rural versus non-rural areas, reasons for variance, and recommendations for action.

The report finds that rural areas are lagging far behind urban areas in broadband availability. Only two technologies, cable modem and digital subscriber line (DSL), are being deployed at a high rate, but the deployment is occurring in primarily urban markets. The primary reason for the slower deployment rate in rural areas is economic since the cost to serve a customer increases the greater the distance among customers.

Advanced service to rural areas is likely to be provided through new technologies which are still in the early stages of deployment or are in testing and trial phase. Satellite broadband has particular potential for rural areas as location of the customer has virtually no effect on the cost of providing service. Wireless broadband services also may provide a solution. In as little as five years third generation mobile wireless services providing data rates as high as two megabytes/second may become operational.

The recommendations found in the report include:

1) Promotion of competition by policymakers utilizing pro-competitive provisions of the Telecommunications Act and reforming universal service policies.

2) Continues support and expansion of those government programs that ensure access to new technologies - such as the E-rate program.

3) Urging the Federal Communications Commission to consider a definition of universal service and new funding mechanisms to ensure that residents in rural areas have access to telecommunications and information services comparable to those available to residents of urban areas.

4) Support for alternative technologies by the Administration and commitment to increasing investment in research and development to promote the next generation of broadband technologies.

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Purpose: This report focuses on regulatory changes stemming from the passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act as well as current and emerging issues of concern to Rural Development Councils, land-grant institutions, and other rural development entities located in the Southern-States of the U.S.

With the adoption of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, most states have taken measures to provide a more competitive environment for telecommunications companies. "Two items of particular importance to Southern rural areas are the selection of a proxy model or other cost support mechanism for universal service to rural areas and the ongoing evolution of the definition of ‘advanced telecommunications.’" The authors advise that rural residents "should pay close attention to which model is adopted in their state to reduce the possibility of limiting universal service dollars for development of instruction in local communities." Community, county and state leaders will have to work and plan the future together in order to assure that the positive impacts of telecommunications technology (such as expanding business market regions and increasing profitability) are maximized.

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Purpose: This report analyzes a number of factors bearing on the government’s role in science and technology and summarizes six studies and presents their perspectives.

Two of the reports and their summarized findings/conclusions are particularly pertinent to the purpose at hand. The first is the product of a university conference concerned with revitalizing the "government-university partnership," especially in regard to federal support of academic research and the training of scientific and technical personnel. The other is an analysis by an economist of the "price" that the U.S. might have to pay for long-term downsizing of the federal investment in research and development.

The major theme emerging from the conference on "The Future of the Government-University Partnership" was that the research partnership between the federal government and universities must be maintained for the benefit of the nation. Other conclusions are: 1) that federal funding of fundamental research should continue and the primary recipient of those funds should be universities; 2) the government role in the partnership should not be too restrictive; 3) public support is critical to the partnership; 4) the public must be made aware of the importance of science and technology to national well-being and universities and the federal government must pay more attention to public concerns; and 5) universities must give higher priority to education, not just research.

Regarding the report on downsizing the federal role in research and development, the conclusion derived is that while reductions in federal science funding "would not cause immediate measurable slowdowns in productivity growth" ... "the biggest impact would be on the nation’s universities, which ‘will be noticeably different after ten years of diminished federal funding." The author warns that fewer Ph.D.’s will be trained and more U.S. students will have to study abroad to find expertise in certain fields and that as U.S. universities obtain more funds from the private sector, the "wide-spread social benefits of freely available research may be compromised."

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URL: www.adec.edu/admin/papers/knowledge-marketplace.html

Purpose: This article emphasizes the need for continuing education for postgraduates and the commitment the Land-Grant system must make if it is to continue to be a viable resource in the marketplace.

In order to continue to be competitive in the work force, graduates increasingly find on-going education necessary to augment their knowledge base in face of rapid change in their speciality and the technology they need to use. "This intensified educational environment is creating a new kind of student, a true life-long learner, a knowledge customer." The Land-Grant system must serve this expanded customer base if it is to compete in this new knowledge marketplace. This new environment requires that the information they need must be accessed immediately and regardless of location. The article points out that the strengths of the Land-Grant system and the Cooperative Extension Service possess the objective analysis and accuracy needed to bring relevant education to local issues. However, convenience and ease of access are increasingly important to consumers - along with price. This presents a challenge to these education providers. Meeting this challenge will require: 1) repackaging content into learning modules, 2) retooling faculty in the use of technology necessary to effectively reach people, 3) developing a clear understanding of the instructional design required to effectively mesh the content and the technology.

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Purpose: This website provides links to articles related to the digital divide as well as federal administrative initiatives.

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URL: www.digitaldivide.gov/

Purpose: This article focuses on the North Carolina Justice and Community Development Center’s NCexChange project whose mission is to promote and support the effective use of electronic networking technologies by nonprofit organizations and low income communities throughout North Carolina as a part of the larger Community NETworker Project - a national demonstration project which provides technology champions for nonprofits and small businesses in four North Carolina communities.

Getting connected is viewed as only the initial step in enabling groups to fully utilize telecommunication technology. This article emphasizes that most groups need extensive consultation, troubleshooting, and encouragement before they can effectively integrate these technologies into their operations. It is maintained that NETworker help organizations can significantly reduce the cost of learning to network.

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Purpose: Daley’s visit coincided with President Clinton’s announcement of further Administration efforts to close the digital divide.

Daley’s visit to Harlem, an example of an inner-city area which has traditionally lacked access to information technology, highlighted significant new public/private partnerships that are helping connect the school district and surrounding community. Classrooms in Central Harlem are being connected through the efforts of such organizations as Making Opportunities for Upgrading Schools and Education (MOUSE) in partnership with Oracle and Alta Vista and through the Next Day partnership with Cisco Systems and the 3M Corporation. PowerUP and American Online also announced the establishment of a new community technology center in a nearby Boys and Girls Club.

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Purpose: The mission of the Community Technology Centers (CTC’s) program is to promote the development of model programs that demonstrate the educational effectiveness of technology in urban and rural areas and economically distressed communities.

These CTC’s would provide access to information technology and related learning services to children and adults.

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Purpose: To provide an overview of the digital divide and list of related websites, articles, etc.

"As computer networking becomes increasingly important to economic and social success, many people in urban and isolated rural areas are failing to acquire the new technology as rapidly as their more affluent neighbors." It is contended that much is at stake - the skills individuals need for success in the current job market; whether disadvantaged communities obtain the tools they need to survive; and ensuring that society benefits from contributions of diverse communities can make to our economy and future.

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URL: www.childrenspartnership.org/pub/low_income/executivesummary.html

Purpose: The stated purposes of this report are: 1) to describe who is underserved by Internet content, what they want and the barriers they face; 2) to analyze the online content currently available for low-income and underserved; and 3) to provide a roadmap for action - identifying ways in which the public and private sectors working with underserved communities can ensure rich and relevant online content.

This piece identifies four significant barriers that affect large numbers of Americans. A conservative estimate is that about 50 million Americans (about 20%) face one or more of the following content-related barriers which stand between them and the benefits offered by the Internet: 1) lack of local information about their community, 2) the vast majority of information on the net is written for an audience with an advanced literacy level, 3) an estimated 87% of documents on the Internet are in English while at least 32 million Americans speak a language other than English as their primary language, and 4) a lack of cultural diversity stemming from a deficiency of Internet content generated by ethnic communities themselves or organized around their unique cultural interests and practices.

The strategies proposed in this report to promote inclusion of the underserved today include the following three goals and some of their specific recommendations: 1) Starting with what can be done immediately by communities (find out what the community values; build new online community resources; use search, translation, and multimedia tools to reach the underserved: offer essential public information at a limited-literacy reading level); 2) Institute a national strategy that leads and supports communities as they use the new online tools to tackle real community concerns and ensure that no one is left out (convene an online content strategy group; provide community-based information technology preparation and training in underserved communities: offer incentives for content developed by and for the underserved; and 3) Carry out the R&D that creates the knowledge base for community and national efforts to be effective (undertake market research about the underserved; collect, evaluate, and disseminate information about what works; develop standards to guide online content development).

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Purpose: To determine the educational needs of the local community.

The set of analyses, charts and tables contained within this report pertain to West Central Nebraska. The data was divided into North Rural and South Rural Districts as well as any urban area in excess of 1,000 residents was reported separately. As such, the rural reports do not include urban areas.

The majority of survey responses were from the groups within the 35-54 age range and this is therefore identified as the target market. The key obstacles to education are time, money and distance. Some of the recommendations include: heavy investment in marketing distance learning and classes across the district; working with local businesses and institutions in providing targeted job related training that is specific for the area of need; bringing an MBA to the area as well as a four-year business degree and; offering repeat classes on a regular schedule at a variety of times and places.

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Purpose: This piece offers a concise background on the issues, a balanced pro and con discussion of subsidization for the underserved and proposed solutions regarding the "digital divide."

On the question of whether or not we should worry about the digital divide we find a broad range of assessments ranging from "don’t worry, the market will take care of it" to "this is unlike any kind of problem of division between ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ and requires federal regulatory intervention." Harris N. Miller, president of the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), contends that all new technologies have a time lag in some locations and that is just a matter of a short time until the divide will be closed because the information technology has spread faster than any other in history. David Boaz, executive vice president of the Cato Institute, claims that telecommunications companies have strong incentives to make sure the Internet is accessible to as many as possible. Pointing to the youth of inner cities, he states that these are some of the largest consumers of most music, movies and videos and that Internet companies "would be crazy to just forget about 30-40 percent of the market."

Larry Irving, a former secretary of Commerce strongly disagrees with Miller and others that policymakers shouldn’t be concerned about the digital divide and that it shouldn’t be equated with previous technology divides regarding televisions and telephones. He argues that lacking computer access and skills can much more adversely affect one’s life than these older technologies since "millions of jobs are available only on-line...College applications are increasingly being provided only on-line, and you can buy things more cheaply on-line." Tom Daschle (D-SD), says that small towns and small entrepreneurs bypassed by broadband technology cannot afford to take a wait-and-see approach. "We have no time to waste...Markets are being tapped now. Companies are making decisions now about where to move. Rural communities need the tools to compete for these companies on a level playing field."

In the U.S. Senate, Farm Team senators are seeking administrative rather than legislative solutions. Among other things, they suggested that the FCC: 1) raise the minimum standard for basic voice telephone service eligible for universal service subsidies; 2) explore how universal service subsidies could be used to stimulate rural broadband investment; 3) encourage satellite and wireless companies to deploy more broadband , and consider extending universal service subsidies to wireless services in underserved areas; and 4) redefine universal service so rural customers can obtain subsidies for upgrading to broadband.

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Purpose: Presents new policy approaches generated at a an April 2000 conference of over 250 rural leaders in Kansas City who discussed rural America’s future.

U.S. rural policy was described as a "motley" collection of many different policies focusing primarily on farm policy and lacking any unifying mechanism. The participants identified two challenges as especially important as essential in assisting rural communities to attract/grow knowledge-based companies - education and worker training. Amid mounting evidence that investments in rural communications networks can spawn new economic development, the challenge will be in determining whether rural areas merit separate treatment in the regulatory approaches that will govern improvements in the telecommunication infrastructure.

A new rural policy should focus not only on agriculture but should also foster an environment which encourages the growth of companies "that stress learning, productivity, and global competitiveness." Additionally, rural policy should also possess "safety nets" for businesses and farms to survive changes in conditions over which they have little or no control.

Specific suggestions for redirecting rural policy include aligning policy decisions with emerging "economic regions" - a territorial policy which takes advantage of local rural features. Concentration on "bottom-up" development initiatives where the administration and design of sectoral policies devolves from the national government to these "new regions" - which often cut across traditional political and administrative boundaries (such as adopted in many OECD countries) may prove effective. Another suggestion would be to better coordinate policies affecting rural areas. At the federal level, the creation of new inter-ministerial working groups (such as those now found in Canada) and at the local level, forming new partnerships among various public departments and agencies as well as the private and nonprofit sectors.

In sum, recurrent themes at the conference were technology, lifting the skills and training of rural workers and leaders, and the need to extend rural policy beyond a focus on agriculture alone.

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Purpose: Discusses the importance of entrepreneurship on the part of citizens and local governments for communities to gain a competitive edge in the new information age economy.

As more responsibility is being transferred to local governments from federal and state authorities, the ability of local governments to provide services depends increasingly on mobilizing public support and mobilizing volunteers. This piece discusses an approach to government and civic action. Recognizing that the continued health and endurance of smaller communities will be less reliant upon natural resource extraction for their economic well-being, it promotes adaptation to the new realities and innovations of today’s global, technology-driven economy where "smart" people create the bulk of the new wealth. It’s people and their attitudes toward change that increasingly leads to success - not location, physical resources or business mix. Local and county governments must look beyond their traditional sources of attraction for business - reliance on factors such as lower labor costs and cheap land. They must be creative and responsive - in a word, "entrepreneurial" - being innovative, anticipating change and opportunities.

Creating an e-City requires a creative leadership committed to engaging the community in the entrepreneurial process. What follows are just a few of the suggestions contained in the report.

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URL: www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Cable/news_Release/1999/nrcb9017.html

Purpose: This report is the result of Cable Services Bureau monitoring sessions with key industry stakeholders such as Internet service providers, online service providers, local exchange carriers, long distance telephone companies, cable operators, community organizations, financial analysts, academics and local franchising authorities and offers some preliminary findings about the broadband industry to date.

This report concludes the broadband industry is in its infancy on that regulation or threat of regulation ultimately slows deployment of broadband. However, if market forces fail and cable becomes the dominant means of Internet access, regulation might then become necessary to promote competition. Other findings conclude that cable modem deployment has spurred alternative broadband technologies, like DSL. Finally, rapid nationwide broadband deployment depends on a national policy.

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URL: www.nitc.stae.ne.us/news/0009/fccrprt2.htm

Purpose: This article summarizes those pertinent practices for advanced telecommunications provision in Nebraska as derived from the FCC’s second report on the deployment of advanced telecommunications capability.

Demand aggregation, anchor tenancy, and strategic planning are identified as particularly applicable to the needs of Nebraska. Demand aggregation involves "pooling" consumer demand and articulating needs and information to their telecommunications provider. The article cites Auburn, NE as a location which has managed to accelerate the deployment of DSL in this manner.

Anchor tenancy involves utilization of a public entity or other large customer to attract telecommunications infrastructure development. The state of Nebraska has take steps in this regard through the Telecommunications Infrastructure Needs Assessment (TINA) Study as a means of leveraging the state’s investment in telecommunications services.

Through strategic planning, community leaders can understand the potential uses and demand for high-speed services. Communities can strategize how to obtain the services they need and how to promote their effective utilization.

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Purpose: This report, the National Telecommunications & Information Administration’s (NTIA’s) third in the Falling Through the Net series, relies on December 1998 U.S. Department of Commerce Census Bureau data to provide an updated snapshot of the digital divide.

The data contained in this study reveals that while more Americans than ever have access to telephones, computers and the Internet, it also finds that there is still a significant "digital divide" separating American information "haves" and "have nots." In many instances the divide has widened from the previous year. The following discrepancies in access are representative of the study’s findings:

That the gap has widened in terms of access is represented by the following findings:

However, there are also hopeful signs in that for those Americans with incomes of $75,000 and higher, the digital divide between Whites and Blacks has considerably narrowed in the last year. This finding suggests that the most affluent American families, irrespective of race, are getting connected. If prices for computers and Internet access decline further, the divide between the information "haves" and "have-nots" may continue to narrow.

Community Access Centers (CAC’s) — such as schools, libraries, and other public access points will play an important role. The data in this report demonstrate that these access centers are particularly well used by those groups who lack access at home or work for purposes of job searches and furthering their education. Establishing and supporting community access centers , among other steps, will help ensure that all Americans can access new technologies.

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Purpose: This reports on the Colorado Public Utilities Commission’s plans to establish rural technology enterprise zones where companies could receive income tax credits of up to $100,000 for investing in high-speed Internet access.

The Utilities Commission issued a study showing that residents across the state had Internet access - contrary to earlier belief that rural communities were limited in access. However, the study did show that rural residents lacked the speed with that urban Internet users enjoyed due to their limited access to advanced technology such as cable-television modems or DSL service.

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Purpose: The Gartner Group surveyed a group of its analysts from a cross-section of technology and business areas to create a list of emerging and embryonic technologies which will be of highest impact in the next ten years.

Some of these technologies include: Wireless Web Technologies, Biometric Identification, Content-Based Retrieval, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Bluetooth (short-range wireless transmission), Speech Recognition, Webtops (Web-based personal portals), and E-Cash (an alternative to hard currency).

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URL: www.civic.com/civic/archive.asp

Purpose: To inform the public as to the programs American Online, Inc. has launched to increase accessibility in rural and low-income areas.

AOL has launched a new program called Power Up which involves a private-public partnership to build community technology centers in schools or community centers nationwide. "Through the AOL Rural Telecommunications Awards, communities using IT to revitalize towns with less than 10,000 residents may be eligible for a $10,000 grant." Some examples of successful strategies used by communities to win these grants last year included a Rural Business and Technology center that provides a shared telecommunication infrastructure; a Wireless Demonstration Project which provided wireless telecommunication services to rural mountain areas; and an Internet provider project launched and maintained by a group of high school students.

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Purpose: This report takes issue with the assumption that the demographics of those areas served by rural telephone companies are synonymous with the demographics of rural America and offers substantive statistical evidence which challenge this.

A disjuncture is revealed in this report. Seven percent of the U.S. population served by rural telephone companies may not typify the twenty-five percent of all persons classified as rural in the 1990 U.S. Census. In addition to highlighting the significant differences between those areas served by rural and non-rural telephone companies, differences within telephone company service areas are also examined at the state level. The data provided in the report enables a better understanding of local demographic circumstances as they relate to the provision of telecommunications services and of the potential local impact of changes in universal service support mechanisms.

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Purpose: This piece provides an overview explaining Universal Service history and the problems of advanced telecommunications access and quality of service.

Hudson’s prescriptions involve Extended Area Service (EAS) with discounted or flat-rate calling options within a zone, toll-free access to government services and local access to information services. Policy options and strategies involve either regulator and/or policy maker instigated incentives to achieve certain goals where the marketplace is insufficient or a management-by-objectives approach where carriers would be rewarded for achieving them.

Hudson cautions that Universal Service should be viewed as a dynamic process and not tied to a narrow set of telecommunication provision goals. "With the almost daily arrival of new products and new industry alliances, it is obvious that both the technology and the industry itself are changing dramatically, the that policy makers and regulators must expect and allow for change in telecommunications. Universal service, then, must be a moving target."

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Purpose: This summary list provides an itemization of the counties, community contacts and indications of whether or not a particular community has a technology committee, completed a survey or identified needs.

Some of the identified needs include:

1) additional technical support*

2) stronger connections, improve infrastructure*

3) DSL (as offered by Alltel)*

4) high-speed Internet access*

5) distance learning environment/facility

6) training in computer literacy and elevate current user competency*

7) hire teachers to be like "Master Navigators" in specific applications (such as e-commerce)*

8) training for senior citizens in the use of the Internet - esp. e-mail

9) local telephone fees for placing calls to towns in the immediate area

10) design and launch a community website & calendar*

11) public access points*

12) two-way video conferencing facilities connecting school districts and other educational institutions*

13) a system which reduces the cost of on-line access to the Internet*

* - indicates especially recurrent themes

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URL: www.nebraska.statepaper.com/texis/scri...news/newspaper/+/ART/2000/07/19/397653ca7

Purpose: The Nebraska Democrat, chairman of the Web-based Education Commission, promotes a policy goal of affordable, full and equal access to web capabilities.

Because of the web, more people can be exposed to the excitement of higher learning but the web also forces a re-examination of the apparatus once thought necessary to the learning process. Kerrey said the commission, meeting for the fourth time, is charged with forging a comprehensive policy road map for use of the Internet in education. The senator said educators would help the commission make recommendations leading toward that policy. "Most of all we want these experts to suggest possible policy changes that will enable the Internet to reach its full education potential."

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Purpose: This study contends that granting the demands for access to cable networks by Internet service providers, content providers, and local phone companies would endanger future investments in broadband systems by cable companies toward residential broadband access.

This study asserts that cable’s competitors are not making a similar magnitude of investment yet they are demanding access to cable’s customers through new broadband networks. Furthermore, since cable networks are "shared pipelines" it is difficult to control the actual speed any user will enjoy when multiple users are on-line. Forced access will only aggravate the problem and the technology needed to compensate is presently unavailable. Only "continued reliance on markets, not new regulations, will insure the freedom and growth of the Internet."

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URL: www.americasnetwork,com/issues20...sues/20000501/20000501_digitaldivide.htm

Purpose: This article challenges the contention that rural areas are at a disadvantage when it comes to advanced telecommunications service.

Levine contends that, "The whole subject of the digital divide is completely nothing but smoke and mirrors." Steve Mossbrook, president of Wyoming.com, claims that a recent study called "Breaking the Backbone" which identifies twelve states at the highest risk of falling by the digital wayside (Nebraska not included), as less than credible since it was funded by a group counting Bell Atlantic and SBC Communications among its members. He goes on to say that the regional Bells have lobbied federal politicians very hard in order to scare them into believing that rural markets will become "wastelands" unless they receive relief.

Some of the stumbling blocks to getting connected do involve uncertainties about universal service funding and the hesitancy of rural incumbent carriers, who wield much power with state commissions, to allow-in new competitors.

Levine concludes that despite these stumbling blocks, rural America is surprisingly "undivided" when it comes to telecommunications services and are lowly but surely connecting their customers through DSL, cable modems or even wireless technology.

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Purpose: This report defines e-commerce and charts its growth and development.

E-commerce refers to electronic commercial transactions which take place over the Internet. Such transactions have multiplied so fast over the last five years that many experts continue to underestimate its growth and development. Furthermore, these types of transactions show no sign of slowing down. Policymakers in the U.S. and abroad are likely to face "increasingly complex issues of security, privacy, taxation, infrastructure development and other issues in 200 and beyond."

The report charts the policies and principles of the Clinton Administration as well as the World Trade Organization and European Union.

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URL: www.rural telecom.org/janfeb00/broadband.html

Purpose: This article highlights some of the efforts made by rural telecommunications companies to overcome challenges of distance, cost and technology.

According to the General Manager of Curtis Telephone Company (Curtis, NE) his company is responding not so much out of interest in meeting customer demand but rather in anticipation of it.

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Purpose: This assessment will provide analysis regarding the potential uses of information technology by individuals and institutions delivering health care services in rural Nebraska.

The analysis will be based on: the self-reported needs of health care providers; the distribution of resources currently; the capacity of health care providers to use new technologies; and the cost of new technologies. The assessment will focus on the demand for enhanced telecommunications.

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Purpose: To familiarize interested parties as to the history and charge of the Nebraska Public Service Commission (NPSC).

Among other regulatory responsibilities, the NPSC is responsible for regulating Nebraska’s telecommunications companies and the placement of electric transmission lines. The Commission

has formed separate departments (the Communications and Transmission Power Lines Departments) to accommodate its increasing workload.

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Purpose: This report reviews the bills introduced in the 106^th Congress involving taxation of the Internet.

The Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA), enacted in 1998,, placed a three-year moratorium on the ability of state and local governments to impose new taxes on Internet access, of to impose and multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce and is scheduled to expire on October 21, 2001. "Internet sales are currently taxed like mail order sales" - sellers are obligated to collect the sales taxes from the customer and remit it to the buyer’s home state only if the seller has a "physical presence" in the buyer’s state. However, the "buyer otherwise remains legally obligated to pay the use tax to his home state." In practice however, individuals seldom voluntarily remit use taxes to their home state on out-of-state purchases.

Congress has approved two measures opposing international taxation of the Internet. H.R, 3709 extends the current moratorium for five more years but removes the grandfathering protection the ITFA provided for state and local taxes on Internet access that were already in place in ten states in 1998. It also expresses a sense of Congress listing qualities that a state tax relating to e-commerce should contain to avoid being subject to the moratorium.

The House approved H.R. 1291 which prohibits the FCC from imposing per-minute-of-use access charges on providers of Internet data service.

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Purpose: Olbeter and Robison employ Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) multiple regression techniques to determine the economic and regulatory incentives for Internet backbone hub deployment and whether changes in government policy can effect that deployment.

This study identifies twelve states (of which Nebraska is not included) that are falling behind in deployment of Internet backbone "hubs" - those network stations which connect communities. They conclude that "interLATA data regulations have slowed the growth and diffusion of the high-speed Internet backbone, specifically Internet backbone hubs." Two economic indicators are positively associated with higher numbers of backbone hubs being deployed. Greater per capita income per state is positively associated as are the number of cities with populations over 100,000. Also, the states identified as the "Disconnected Dozen" are those most noticeably affected by regulatory barriers. Olbeter and Robison conclude that "lifting the restriction on transfer of data across interLATA boundaries would promote investment and increase the deployment of backbone hubs, not just in the ‘Disconnected Dozen, but in all regions of the country."

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URL: www.tpeditor.com?contents/2000/parker.htm

Purpose: This report investigates why advanced telecommunications are important to rural America, why competitive providers can’t be depended upon to meet rural needs, as well as community action and federal policy options.

This report contends that "Rural communities not connected to our emerging broadband network will suffer the same economic fate as many communities that were bypassed by the telephone network, the railroad or the Interstate highway system...as the global economy convert to a highly interconnected information-intensive economy, communities left off the new broadband network will inevitably suffer economic decline." The main obstacle is that the return on investment to those installing new rural infrastructure is often too small to justify the initial investment - the users of advanced services, not the providers, capture the bulk of the economic benefits of improved telecommunications. Mr. Parker claims that telecommunications providers currently can’t keep up with the demand from urban businesses and wealthy urban residents for high speed Internet access. Therefore, rural residents will remain underserved. Parker contends that, "until other policies are put in place to compensate, that competitive policy will have a harmful effect on rural America...Competition, or a credible threat of competition, may be the only realistic way to get advanced services to many rural communities."

The kinds of services rural communities need are the same services that are available to urban communities and more. According to Parker, the best rural service is provided by rural telephone cooperatives and small independent telephone companies which are eligible for Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and cost reimbursement from the FCC high-cost fund.

With regard to community action options, Parker states that, "There is no singly "magic bullet" solution to rural needs. No single top-down solution is going to work in all rural locations. The solutions need to emerge from local communities themselves with supporting help from state and Federal governments." This is why it is important to ask local communities about their needs first.

Parker suggests various community actions. Parker suggests to first start with the local telephone service provider to find out what evidence of demand or other inducement they would require to make the needed investments. If the telephone service provider is unresponsive, the next contact to be made may be the local cable television company. Another source for potential rural broadband solutions is the local electrical utility as they have inherent needs for data communications within their power network, access rights of way to all businesses and residents. In some areas, competitive services providers may be found to offer service. Finally, pre-existing or newly created government entities as well as local people organizing themselves may be a potential solution in some rural communities.

Various Federal policy options are addressed by Parker. The RUS is uniquely suited for the task of providing construction loans and technical support services for those communities seeking broadband. He also advocates expansion of the Universal Service Fund to include support for broadband data communications networks. Government networks should be the "anchor tenant" in multi-purpose rural broadband networks. Finally, he observes that it is not possible to force private sector providers to make investments they don’t want to. Therefore, it will be more important to remove regulatory barriers and create incentives.

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Purpose: This report is an effort to converge basic research information with existing sources of secondary data in order to bring information to bear on the implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Four issue areas are addressed: 1) What is the effect of the proposed discount methodology on schools in various localities?; 2) Is the use of free/reduced lunch percentages at the school building level an equitable means of determining relative school (or district) wealth, i.e., ability to pay?; 3) Should ‘school’ or ‘district’ be the unit of analysis in determining discount percentages?; and 4) What data should be used to determine the ‘Cost of Service’ factor in the proposed discount matrix?

With regard to question #1, the report finds that those school districts with high telecommunications rates are unfairly penalized. Even though the affordability of telecommunications services is enhanced the proposed discount program for schools and libraries, the extent to which poorer schools or libraries located in high cost areas can afford advanced telecommunications will be dependent on the ultimate price paid, not the level of discount awarded.

With regard to Question #2, the report finds that even though its use may be merited, multiple problems exist with the use of percentage of free/reduced lunch participation as a measure of school wealth. Alternative methods for determination of school wealth utilizing free/reduced lunch participation as a base measure are offered.

Regarding #3, "school" seems to be the preferable unit of analysis.

Finally, according to the findings, the "unseparated loop costs of incumbent local exchange carriers can be used as the criteria for determining cost of service area...as determined by the National Exchange Carriers Association." Ranges are provided.

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URL: http://204.193.246.62/public.nsf/docs/C2FBD7F21674706D852568CD0058CB56

Purpose: The administration’s response to a request by 10 U.S. Senators on the status of broadband deployment in rural versus non-rural areas of the nation and the potential for new technologies to serve rural areas which generated a series of reports by the Commerce Department titled, "Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide."

"The primary reason for slower deployment of advanced services in rural areas is economic...The cost to serve a customer increases the greater the distance among customers." President Clinton has stated that, "the government also has a special obligation to ensure that all Americans, including Americans living in rural communities, have the opportunity to be full participants in the information age."

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URL: www.das.state.ne.us/das_doc/doc/NETIPall.htm

Purpose: The objectives of this project are to perform a telecommunications infrastructure assessment and to create a comprehensive statewide telecommunications planning document for Nebraska.

Needs assessed include: 1) greater network bandwidth; 2) affordable high-speed access to the Internet and other government information sources; and 3) new funding mechanisms. Also expressed is the need for additional trained technical personnel and for training existing personnel at all levels of state, university, college, K-12 districts and others. The shortfall of training, technical personnel and technology is generally greater in rural areas. In many instances, some cost savings may be reaped through consolidation of multiple networks serving the same community.

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URL: www.nal.usda.gov/ric/

Purpose: To inform interested parties as to the information and referral services for rural communities which RIC provides.

RIC provides information and referral services to local, state, and federal government officials; community organization; health professional and organizations; rural electric and telephone cooperatives; libraries; businesses; and, rural citizens working to maintain the vitality of America’s rural areas. A suggestive but not exhaustive list of RIC services includes: customized information products to inquiries pertaining to economic revitalization issues; local government planning projects; rural health topics; funding resources; technical assistance programs; research studies, etc. It also performs literature searches and identifies current USDA and Department of Health and Human Services research.

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Purpose: This report assesses the current state of technology infrastructure in Native communities, describes the challenges and barriers to technology infrastructure development and proposes solutions for overcoming them.

The survey associated with the study reveals that: 1) only 39% of rural households in Native communities have telephones compared to 94% for non-Native rural communities; 2) approximately 26% of tribes report that they do not have 911 service; 3) of rural Native households, only 22% have cable television, 9% have PC’s, and of those, only 8% have Internet access; and 4) nearly 90% of Native schools and libraries have both computers and Internet access.

Obstacles to delivering distance education to tribal schools and community centers include insufficient access to advanced technologies, lack of tribal ownership of services, insufficient funding, and a shortage of education and training that are culturally relevant and acceptable to tribal leadership.

Observing that poor economic capacity is both a cause and a result of weak infrastructure development, the authors contend that without "affordable access to the Internet, distance learning and similar technologies, Native Americans will find it difficult to obtain the capital and skills they need to compete effectively."

Noting that the federal government needs to improve efficiency with which it delivers its own programs to Native Americans, agencies find complex issues involved. For example, until 1998, Universal Service Funds were administered exclusively by the states, and since states do not negotiate directly with tribes because of sovereignty issues, this caused tribes much frustration in gaining access to these funds. Due to more recent legislation tribes may now apply directly to the FCC for funds.

With regard to education programs and facilities, the Department of Education has several programs such as the Technology Innovation Challenge Grant under which the Native American Technology Consortium will train almost 3,000 teachers serving 45,000 students on the Navajo Reservation in the innovative use of educational technology. Also, there is the Star Schools program which is providing $2 million to the Mountain Plains Distance Learning Partnership (CO, MT, WY, UT) for development of an electronic, virtual campus.

The authors conclude that what is needed for the long-term is a "coherent and sustained commitment to improving the situation" which requires "significant public and private investments in both physical structures and people." Contributors to this study agree that "immediate and committed federal help in funding, and facilitating private sector partnerships can make a difference."

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Purpose: This study is an attempt to outline a set of policy steps that the U.S. government should take in order to ensure that the broadband Internet fulfills its potential for all Americans.

Robison contends that Internet applications are not being deployed as rapidly as the technology permits because of the lack of inexpensive bandwidth connectivity. Robison claims that E-tailers and Web-based retailers "will lose nearly half a billion dollars in the year 2000 because of speed limitations." He cites a study by the Economic Strategy Institute which claims that, "a dramatic shift to broadband networks could add an additional $616 to $721 billion to the U.S. GDP by 2005. Additionally, the economy could add another 4.4 to 5.1 million new jobs."

The problem according to Robison is that not a single bandwidth access provider is investing in non-MSA’s (metropolitan statistical areas). According to cited Wall Street growth projections, the gap between rural and urban Americans will increase by 2002. For every 1 rural resident with high-speed access to the Internet, there will be 20 urban residents with the same.

According to this study, regulation is the major barrier to access provision - particularly those which prohibit several large incumbent common carriers from owning Internet facilities an providing services. Another regulatory barrier is that stemming from the 1996 Telecommunications Act which prohibits RBOC’s from providing interLATA data service. The result is that the former barrier reduces the attractiveness of investing in rural areas while eliminating the latter would relieve congestion pressures, according to the author.

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URL: www.civic.com/civic/articles/2000/0717/web-1county-07-18-00.asp

Purpose: To present findings from a survey conducted by the National Association of Counties.

Twenty-three percent (714) of the nation’s counties responded to the survey. Of these, 22 percent of counties without World Wide Web sites said that they had no plans to develop one. Costis Toregas, president of Public Technology, Inc., a nonprofit technology organization for cities and counties in the U.S. responded to this finding by saying, "That’s a disturbing statistic...There is no county [that] e-government is not [appropriate] for." Nearly 61 percent of counties have Web sites - of those that don’t, 15 percent plan to develop one. The survey found that how much a county uses technology often depends on the size of the county. In larger counties, PC’s are available to most employees, in smaller counties the number drops off. 89 percent of those counties responding having populations of 50,000 or more people have Web sites.

The survey found that the main obstacle preventing counties from embracing the Internet is money. Other problems included issues such as staffing, security, implementation/maintenance, keeping up with new technology and a lack of a technology infrastructure.

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Purpose: An examination of the obstacles rural areas face in getting on the information superhighway and strategies for overcoming these obstacles.

According to Rowley, obstacles to rural telecommunications service provision fall under four categories: market, regulatory, physical/technical and end-user. Market obstacles to getting rural areas connected result from low population densities which translates into the absence of a competitive market. Simply put, "fewer users means less demand." On the supply side, with relatively little demand, telecommunications providers seek out more lucrative urban markets and this results in fewer providers willing to serve rural areas.

With regard to regulatory obstacles, "most experts agree that deregulation of the telecommunications industry does not bode well for rural areas." As the discussion of the problems associated with lower population densities suggests, the assumption that market competition will lead to adequate and appropriate telecommunications services in rural areas is brought into question. Second, without a concise and agreed upon definition of "universal service," it raises questions of parameters. "Does such service include local access to the Internet for every person wanting it? Does it include broadband capacity to every community?" Some regulations have unintended consequences. For example, only non-profit rural health care providers are eligible for telecommunications service discounts. Many rural areas are serviced by a single physician or small group practice which are not recognized as non-profit.

Physical/technical obstacles involve another set of problems for telecommunications service provision. The typical rural telephone switch and the number of square miles served is twice as large as a typical urban switch and serves far fewer people. This translates into higher costs and service deterioration (the longer the distance, the weaker the signal). Also, terrain covered becomes a cost factor - especially if cable must be laid over rugged terrain.

End-user obstacles involve people and how fully the services are utilized. "People who lack advanced telecommunications services cannot utilize and benefit from them. People who have not who have not utilized and benefitted from them are less likely to demand them. People who do not demand them are not going to get them - certainly not from the market and perhaps not even from the regulators."

While approaches to overcoming these obstacles are available, they will vary greatly from community to community. Local governments do have roles to play, they can: do nothing and hope that the market provides the necessary services (which will in all likelihood fail); use regulatory and property management procedures to improve access to advanced telecommunications (franchise ordinances, lease agreements and rights-of-way usage rules all offer opportunities to ensure that a community gets a better deal from providers); use government purchasing power to create a buyer’s market; develop a publicly owned infrastructure. Also suggested are: using Rural Area Networks (which pool users)); interconnecting to urban networks ("piggybacking"); using wireless technologies; working with alternative providers.

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Purpose: This report discusses the digital divide which exists between metropolitan and rural areas of Nebraska as well as the impact of the federal Universal Service Fund.

Rural Nebraskans are less likely to own a home computer (46%) than metropolitan Nebraskans (60%) and those that do (49%) are less likely to have a subscription to an Internet provider than are metropolitan Nebraskans (65%). Rural communities in Nebraska are also less likely to have access to high-speed services. As population density declines, so does the availability of advances services. Large telecommunications providers have invested in urban areas where fixed costs are spread over more customers so that the return on investment is greater. "In short, rural communities face a two-fold challenge: In order to remain competitive in the emerging digital economy, they must 1) increase utilization of the telecommunications services in their communities and 2) improve access to telecommunications infrastructure and services. Only when market forces equal or exceed the cost of providing advanced services, will these services be available in rural areas."

UNITED 2000, the State of Nebraska’s statewide technology plan, presents a number of strategies which address a two-fold challenge to Information Technology access. Some of these include: 1) having the State of Nebraska aggregate demand for telecommunications services so that the state can contract with private telecommunications companies to consolidate statewide communications services, 2) utilize the State of Nebraska as an anchor tenant in each of the communities which will accelerate the deployment of advanced services, 3) establishing and supporting public access centers so those that do not have access to IT at home, work or school have alternative public terminal sites, 4) promoting IT training programs, 5) working to include telemedicine consultations as an insurance-reimbursable service, 6) streamlining the cumbersome and lengthy application and filing process associated with the Universal Service Fund’s (USF’s) discounts for schools, libraries, and hospitals.

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URL: www.wutc.wa.gov/rtf

Purpose: This study offers a descriptive overview of the broad operational and market differences distinguishing Rural Carriers from non-Rural Carriers.

What follows is a suggestive list of the study’s findings:

• Nationwide, Rural Carriers (RC’s) serve about 8% of the nation’s access lines, 38% of the nation’s land area, and 93% of the study areas.
• The average population density is only 13% per square mile for areas served by RC’s compared with 105 persons per square mile in areas served by non-RC’s.
• RC’s serve 70% of the modeled serving areas with less than 5 lines, but only 10% of the modeled serving areas with over 100 lines.
• RC’s have relatively high loop costs because of the lack of economies of scale and density.
• RC’s experience difficulty and high cost in moving personnel, equipment an supplies to remote and insular communities.
• More resources, including duplicate facilities and backup equipment are required to protect network reliability.
• On average, multi-line business customers represent about 13% of total business lines served by RC’s compared to over 21% of the lines served by non-RC’s.
• On average, local minutes comprise 85% of total intrastate minutes for non-RC’s, but only 69% of total intrastate minutes for RC"s
• 70-80% of customers of smaller RC’s can reach less than 5,000 other customers with a local call. Only 10% of smaller RC’s have local calling capability to as many as 25,000 other subscribers.
• On average, RC’s have only 1,254 customers per switch compared to over 7,000 customers per switch for non-RC’s.
• On average, total plant investment per loop is over $5,000 for RC’s compared to less than $3,000 for non-RC’s.
• The range of values for total plant investment per loop for RC’s ($1,400 to $40,500) is far greater than the range for non-RC’s ($1,570 to $4,350).
• On average, plant specific expenses per loop are $180 for RC’s compared to $97 per loop for non-RC’s.
• 1990 U.S. Census data indicates the average annual household income for customers in RC Service areas was $31,211, 20% percent lower than that of non-RC Carrier customers ($38,983).
• Native Americans are disproportionately represented among those without phone service.
• The K-12 Grade school is the point of Internet access for 30% of students in rural areas, compared to only 21.8% for students in non-rural areas.

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45.Schools and Libraries Division, URL: www.sl.universalservice.org

Purpose: The Schools and Libraries Division of the Universal Service Administrative Company provides affordable access to all eligible schools and libraries in the U.S.

Funded at up to $2.25 billion annually, the program provides discounts on telecommunications services, Internet access and internal connections.

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URL: www.congress.gov/cgi-lisweb_fetch_doc?dataset=erp_prd.dst&db=rs&doc_id=x96- 4028/15/2000

Purpose: This report describes the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

The SBIR was originally mandated to increase the participation of small (under 500 employees), high technology firms in the federal R&D endeavor. Ten federal departments have SBIR programs. Some of these include the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Transportation, Health and Human Services, NASA, EPA, and NSF. Current authorization for the SBIR endeavor terminates on October 1, 2000.

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Purpose: This report focuses on developments in recent Congresses dealing with the government’s role in promoting government-industry collaboration.

The author reports that there were several attempts in the 104^th and 105^th Congresses to terminate government programs that provide direct and indirect federal assistance to facilitate the commercialization of technology by the private sector. One of those programs has been the Small Business Technology Transfer pilot program which provides federal support for research proposals that are developed and executed cooperatively between a small firm and a scientist in a university, government laboratory, or non-profit institution.

The 104^th Congress marked the beginning of a challenge to a significant part of this approach and the role of government in partnerships was called into question. Opponents to such programs charged that financing applied technology development resulted in "picking winners and losers" for the business sector.

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Purpose: This report contends that open, market competition is the only way to assure widespread deployment of broadband and advanced services technology and that appeasement of RBOC’s would be counterproductive to this end.

This study contends that there is no real digital divide and that the fiction of its existence is simply an effort perpetuated by the RBOC’s and GTE to reverse US telecom policy and further extend their monopolization into adjacent long distance and Internet services. "While the RBOC’s threat is directed specifically at rural America, the exemptions they seek would apply in rural and non-rural areas alike and to voice as well as data communications that utilize advanced facilities." The study further charges that the aforementioned companies have created the "Digital Divide" campaign to promote themselves as the only solution "to a misrepresented problem" and coerce the nation not to trust competition.

The study concludes that competition is the only way to assure widespread market development of broadband connectivity in all parts of the country. According to the authors, the evidence provided in the study "demonstrates that non-RBOC’s are better able and more likely to bring advanced telecommunications to rural communities than the RBOC’s, provided that the competitive safeguards in the Act are fully enforced."

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Purpose: The findings of this report challenge those reported by Peter Huber in "Local Exchange Competition Under the 1996 Telecom Act" which posits that allowing the Bell Operating Companies (BOC’s) to begin providing interLATA services in combination with their existing local exchange offerings will spur competition in both the long distance and local exchange markets.

The authors claim that Huber’s work "teaches volumes about the dangers of premature BOC long distance entry before local competition is given a chance to take root. Furthermore, they claim that Connecticut does not provide an appropriate model for achieving effective and sustainable competition throughout the telecommunications industry toward the end of producing enduring lower rates for any telecommunication service.

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URL: Benton@benton.org

Purpose: In-part, this piece discusses multi-platform programming in Nebraska projects such as Communications, Learning and Assessment (CLASS), Wonderwise Science Education, Grass roots, the National Center for Information Technology in Nebraska (NCITE), and Native American Public Telecommunications (NAPT).

CLASS makes available on the World Wide Web a complete accredited Nebraska high school diploma sequence aimed at the geographically isolated, the housebound and homeschooled as well as for those wishing to accelerate their high school education. Wonderwise Science Education features interactive CD-ROM’s and videotapes which feature the role of women researchers in the history of science in an effort to encourage more young women to pursue a career in science. Grassroots is an interactive media project in development aimed at improving efficiencies in rural life on the plains. The purpose of NCITE is to create a national laboratory to conduct basic and applied research into how we learn, and how technology can be used to enhance learning. NAPT is designed to ensure a Native American voice in public broadcasting. Among other mediums, NAPT develops, promotes and manages interactive media such as the Internet.

With regard to public policy, this piece promotes the belief that government policy can influence positive telecommunications deployment by creating an environment in which communities, and all the elements within them, are positively encouraged to participate. U.S. telecommunications policy is embedded in two principles: Universal Service and broadcasting in the public interest. The first is interpreted here as being the right of everyone to be connected. The second is that commercial broadcasters can make a significant contribution to community alliances to affect positive changes.

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URL: www.businessweek.com 1999 99 40 b3649027.htm scriptFramed

Purpose: This article illustrates the gap between technology "haves" and "have-nots" in Appalachia with emphasis on the Blacksburg, VA. area.

Andrew Cohill, director of the Blacksburg Electronic Village (BEV) recognizes the shortage of outreach to the rural areas surrounding Blacksburg. Stressing the importance of education, Cohill emphasizes the problem by saying, "We could pick any county in Southwest Virginia and dump $50,000 of equipment on them and say, boom — here’s an electronic village, but unless people out there have an understanding of what this technology is and why it might be important to them, the stuff is not going to make a bit of difference...Folks don’t even know they’re disconnected and they mistrust people who are."

The piece concludes with the observation that people must be given reasons why the Internet is relevant to them and this requires training, computer literacy, and community outreach.

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Purpose: This article explains broadband and its advantages for distance learning, e-commerce and telemedicine as well as obstacles to its provision in rural America.

Staihr identifies the primary challenge to rural advanced telecommunications provision as one of a limited market. "Unlike basic utilities, companies that provide broadband services are not obligated to offer services to all regions, or even to all customers in a region." The piece goes on to discuss obstacles such as distance problems. Positive developments in the legislative and regulatory arenas are taking place however. The FCC is re-examining the definition of universal service and whether it should include broadband service. Congress is discussing market-based incentives to spur broadband deployment. One impediment however may be the exemption of smaller, independent telephone companies from the requirement of having to make their infrastructure available to competitors as the big companies must do. The effect of this policy built into the 1996 Telecom Act actually creates a barrier to entry.

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Purpose: Provides an overview of several key telecom issues facing rural regions.

While high-speed data has the potential to make rural areas less isolated and improve rural quality of life, barriers to deployment include: widely dispersed customers, physical obstacles, and the fact that rural areas seldom represent the most attractive markets. The quality of life issues include access to education and healthcare. In passing the 1996 Telecom Act, Congress laid the foundation to provide financial assistance to healthcare providers and to schools and libraries in rural America through two mechanisms: 1) E-rate which provided funds for schools and libraries in the form of discounts on various telecom services, and 2) a system of discounts to rural healthcare providers to ensure that prices paid for advanced services were equivalent to those paid by healthcare providers in urban and suburban areas.

The effect of e-commerce on rural America and agriculture is expected to flourish with estimates of the value of e-commerce in the range of $70 billion by 2003. Products, produce and livestock are already advertised and sold on-line. Financing is expected to follow soon.

The greatest obstacle is economic. The 1996 Telecom Act established a framework for circumventing the "last-mile" problem. The first approach allows a competitor to lease a portion of the existing network (such as the last-mile) from the incumbent telephone company. The second approach allows a competitor to re-sell the existing telephone company’s service. Both of these face serious hurdles however. Leasing may be financially infeasible due to a "complex system of cross-subsidies among telecom services, and re-selling may be unprofitable because there are few potential customers."

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Purpose: This report investigates Internet connectivity in the rural regions of four states (Iowa, Louisiana, Texas and West Virginia).

Urban regions are favored in the deployment of the types of networks and points of presence that can deliver toll-free Internet due to the "distance penalty" resulting from slower, weaker commercial investment in the telecommunications infrastructure. Inclusion of rural areas face several obstacles. First, the 1996 Communications Act defines an exemption for incumbent rural telephone companies from the requirement to unbundle their networks to would-be competitors - giving them a virtual monopoly in their area. Second, federal policy creates rural telephone monopolies wherein no competitor can interconnect and no customer can dial out at a toll-free rate. Finally, federal deregulation of the telecommunications sector currently creates an environment of uncertainty. On one side, regulators and industry wrangle over the dismantling of old regulatory regimes while at the same time deregulatory rulings may erode traditional universal service supports.

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Purpose: This report discusses the inherent complexities of estimating Internet and electric commerce growth and describes various types of Internet statistics, discussing how to evaluate them and providing Web Addresses for locating them.

Estimates of Internet usage are made difficult due to the fact that analysts use different survey methods and different definitions of "Internet access." Measuring e-commerce differs according to which companies/organizations are involved in collecting the data. There is great debate over which Web measurement company’s methods are more accurate.

Also included in this report are websites involving e-commerce, demographic and digital divide statistics.

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Purpose: This report highlights Tennessee’s plan to create a "premier" provider for it’s state network capitalizing on existing assets.

By leveraging assets within it’s current telecommunications infrastructure (consisting of primarily three large, stand-alone data and video networks for state government and higher education), Tennessee has planned to create an infrastructure for delivering essential social services (e.g. education, libraries, community information and healthcare.

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URL: www.Benton.org/DigitalBeat/db051100.html

Purpose: The article discusses the barriers to telecommunication provision for rural Native Americans, the Lifeline proposal, and other suggestions for service provision.

According to the author, sixty-one percent of rural American Indian households are without telephone service which further isolates them from emergency and critical health services. Even from "the point of entry" telephone line, American Indians have been excluded from the emerging digital economy.

Some of the barriers to telephone penetration of Indian country include: 1) the cost of hook-up charges, 2) the size of calling areas and the effect this has on toll charges, and 3) the eligibility of wireless and satellite phone carriers for universal service funding.

The Lifeline Proposal calls for an additional $17 million - funded by a .4 percent fee charged on long distance bills — for the 500 million federal Lifeline program that will increase the current discount for basic, local telephone service for income-eligible members of federally recognized Indian Nations. The proposal is designed to overcome affordability as a barrier to local phone service, by making it available to approximately 300,000 Indian people for as low as one dollar per month.

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URL: ianrtemp.unl.edu/seward/ears/masternavigator.htm

Purpose: To introduce the Master Navigator’s program and assess its impact and outcome.

Launched in 1997, the Master Navigator program is a community Internet program designed to build upon local capacity in Nebraska’s rural communities. The aim is to not only train and improve Internet usage skills but also to build a commitment to the provision of technology leadership in the community. Since 1999 the Master Navigator program has directly impacted 483 people through their participation in the six week course where they learn how to utilize e-mail, search for information and more advanced skills such as chat rooms, discussion groups and listserves.

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Purpose: This report details the process and procedures by which the NITC addresses the statutory requirements of LB294, Section 86-1506(1), tasking the NITC to prepare and annually update a statewide technology plan.

This plan is intended to be dynamic by "keeping current with changing requirements and technology" and serves as a "voluntary guideline that enables independent jurisdictions to achieve common goals." Some of these goals may include: 1) Expanding access to lifelong educational and training opportunities so that Nebraska’s citizens and work force can function in the emerging information society; 2) Stimulating and supporting information-based economic development that improves economic opportunity; and 3) Expanding citizen access to government information.

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Purpose: This report offers results of a national survey and statistically compares education-related use of technology on a state-by-state basis and offers an overview of Nebraska’s future technology goals.

The report finds that Nebraska consistently ranks near the top in a number of education-related technology usage areas. Nebraska is found to be a national leader in the number of computers available to students, the percentage of high-tech schools statewide and the percentage of teachers who use the Internet for instruction.

Among other pursuits, what follows is suggestive of future goals. The Nebraska Information Technology Commission (NITC) will develop a comprehensive technology infrastructure plan to address the needs of K-12 education, higher education, communities and state government. Interactive distance learning classrooms will be established in each school to deliver interactive audio and visual instruction to students. The Nebraska Department of Education will develop a plan and provide the training needed to promote home and community networking.

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URL: www.hpcnet.org/cgi-bin/global/a_bus_card.cgi?SiteID=154797

Purpose: To familiarize the reader with the mission and objectives of the Web-based education Commission.

The web-based Education Commission was established by Congress to develop specific policy recommendations aimed at fully utilizing the Internet educationally for pre-Kindergarten, elementary, and post secondary education learners. The Commission is charged with conducting a full and thorough study of the critical pedagogical and policy issues affecting the development and use of Web-based content and learning strategies to improve educational achievement in the aforementioned levels of education. Furthermore, the Commission will review the need for changes in applicable regulatory authority and quality assurance processes - including standards and accreditation. It will also review programs to support equality in both the availability of training and access to the Web that are required to promote individualized learning. The Chair of the Commission is Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska and the objective is to submit a comprehensive report to Congress and the President by the end of November 2000.

The three principle objectives of the Commission are:

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URL: web4.infotrac.galegroup.com/

Purpose: This article discusses MIRA (Managing Information with Rural America).

MIRA (sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation) is a grassroots grant program designed to help rural communities help themselves when it comes to technology by forming "community clusters" in order to receive grant monies. The article cites the Warren County Economic Development Corporation in Indianola, Iowa as a grant recipient having one year to identify technology, resources and develop a network of support.

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