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October 1998
News of U.S. Educational Technology Policy and Legislation
provided by the
International Society for Technology in Education.
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Compiled, written, and edited by
Phil Ugelow,
Leslie Harris, and
Adeena
Colbert.
Copyright ISTE, 1998.
If you use excerpts, credit ISTE. |
Contents
SLC Moves Towards Commitment of Funds
In a letter to E-rate participants on September 23rd, acting SLC CEO
Kate
Moore announced that the funding process is headed into the "home
stretch."
Moore explained that the final steps that must be completed before
commitment
letters could be sent, including: detailed reviews of random samples
of applicants
to test the program integrity process; finalization of the post-
commitment
procedures and systems so that invoices for discounts may be
expeditiously handled;
and the obtaining of a report from the independent auditor affirming
the soundness
of internal controls. Moore went on to explain that funding commitment
letters
will be issued in waves with first priority on funding
telecommunications services
and Internet access and then funding for the most needy applicants for
internal
connections.
Over 40 training workshops in 40 states have been scheduled to explain the
final steps of the funding process and review the forms that will be necessary
for processing invoices.
No Increase Expected for Ed Tech Programs This Year
The Senate appropriations committee has recommended no increase in
funding
for the educational technology program for the next fiscal year, and
has rejected
the Administration's request for an additional 75 million for
professional development.
With the Labor-Health and Human Services bill mired in controversy, it
is unlikely
that Congress will adopt the bill before it adjourns. Education
funding will
instead be part of a "continuing resolution" which will extend current
funding
levels until sometime next year. Go to www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/budnews.html
to see the Department of Education press release on the budget issue.
No Congressional Action on E-Rate Expected This Congress
After a summer of turmoil, the political climate in Congress around
the E-rate
appears to have calmed down substantially. The threat by Rep.
Scarborough (R-
FL) to offer an amendment to kill the E-rate failed to materialize
after an
outpouring of opposition from around the country. Sen. McCain (R-AZ) a
leading
critic of the E-rate and Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee
issued a
statement after meeting with Kate Moore, the new acting CEO of the SLC
expressing
his confidence in the new management and suggesting his renewed
support for
the program. Senator McCain stated, "the new leadership causes me to
believe
that this program will be successful and last long into the future. I
look forward
to working with [Ms. Moore and Cheryl Parrino, CEO of the Universal
Service
Administrative Service]. I hope that their ongoing efforts will assure
that
those who receive the funds and those who pay for them will benefit to
the greatest
extent possible."
At the same time, several bills have been introduced that would
significantly
alter both funding for and the structure of the program. The chairs of
both
the House and Senate Telecommunications subcommittees have introduced
legislation
to fund the E-rate out of long-standing federal excise taxes (FET) on
telephone
service. That legislation would transform the E-rate into a state
block grant
program managed by the National Telecommunications Infrastructure
agency (NTIA)
in the Department of Commerce. A narrower bill that would retain the
current
structure and rules but move the funding source to the FET has been
introduced
by Rep. Klink (D-PA).
School and library groups, while stopping short of opposing these
proposals,
have criticized the approach on a number of fronts, most prominently
that the
Burns-Tauzin bill would require the Department of Commerce to start
all over
to determine the rules for participation and service eligibility.
Moreover,
the bill provides no transition for current program participants and
eliminates
much of the local decision-making permitted by the current program.
The switch
to general revenues would also subject the E-rate to the political
uncertainties
of the budget and appropriations process, and would put eligibility in
doubt
for many private schools. No action is expected this Congress.
Opening of E-Rate Window Off Until December
With funding commitments for the first round of E-rate applicants
excepted
shortly, the FCC is expected to issue an order delaying the start of
the next
application period until December first. Under the FCC's fifth order
in June,
the "window" for new applications was set to open October first. But
delays
in the program due largely to new program auditing requirements
ordered by the
GAO have set that schedule back.
Digital Copyright Bill Heads to Conference
The House and Senate have finally convened a conference committee to
work
out differences between S. 2037 and H.R. 2281, different versions of a
digital
copyright bill. Education and library groups have vigorously worked to
ensure
that fair use rights are not impaired by the new legislation,
particularly its
new criminal prohibition against the circumvention of "technological
protection
measures" in order to access copyrighted works. The Senate version of
this sweeping
new crime provides for no exceptions or limitations, even to ensure
that fair
use rights are protected. The House version, however, empowers the
Secretary
of Commerce to consider fair use impairment and waive categories of
copyrighted
materials from the new ban on circumvention if necessary. Over a dozen
school
and library groups including the ISTE urge the conferees to adopt the
House
provision. "While we would have preferred affirmative language that
allowed
educators, librarians and others to raise fair use as an affirmative
defense
to this
The letter also expressed strong opposition to H.R. 2281's inclusion
of a
provision to extend extraordinary legal protection to informational
collections
such as databases. This provision would cover all collections of
information,
even those comprised solely of public domain data and would require
that database
owners prove only that they invested substantial resources in
compiling the
database.
Although the bill appears headed for passage this Congress,
criticism has
been mounting for many who believe the new legislation will have
unforeseen
consequences, particularly for users of copyrighted information. (For
more information,
see www.dfc.org )
Fight on Mandatory Filtering Software for Schools and Libraries
Expected
During the last hectic weeks of the Congressional session,
amendments are
expected to be offered to mandate that schools and libraries that
receive E-
rate discounts or other federal funding for computers or software be
required
to install filtering or blocking software on any computer with
Internet access.
Both the House and Senate have a number of "must pass" bills still to
be considered,
which are prime places to expect mandatory filtering amendments to be
attached.
In July, the Senate adopted S. 1681 sponsored by Sen. McCain (R-AZ)
and Sen.
Murray (D-WA), which would condition E-rate money on the use of such
software.
The bill was adopted as an amendment to the State Justice Commerce
appropriation.
Earlier in the summer, Rep. Istook attached a broader blocking and
filtering
requirement to the Labor HHS bill in the House Appropriations
Committee. Both
measures appear stalled, so sponsors are looking for other places to
offer their
legislation before the end of session.
Kids Internet Privacy
In response to a June 1998 report on privacy issued by the Federal
Trade Commission
at Congress' request, which concluded, among other things, that most
commercial
websites directed at children collect a wide range of personal
information from
the children who visit their site, Sen. McCain (R-AZ) and Bryan (D-NV)
have
introduced the "Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998," S.
2326.
This legislation is intended to give parents a tool they could use to
control
children's personally identifiable information and limit its use in
marketing.
In addition to requiring clear notice of what information is collected
from
a site and how the information is used, the bill requires parental
permission
before children under 13 can give out personally identifiable
information to
commercial website operators that target children, and requires that
parents
be given notice of and the option to curtail any further use of
personal information
given out by older children.
As originally written, many critics charged that the bill was
overbroad and
would sweep every e-mail exchange between a child and a web-site into
the law,
limiting children's effective use of interactive services as well as
their access
to information. The bill as introduced also defined commercial website
in a
manner that would include libraries, museums and any nonprofit that
offered
anything for sale on its site. Significant changes in the bill are
anticipated
before it is marked up by the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on
Telecommunications
in early October.
Nationwide Public Education Campaign Launched
On September 15, 1998, a partnership of education and children's
advocacy
organizations and Internet service and children's programming
providers launched
a multimillion dollar Internet education campaign. The goal of this
campaign
is to make the Internet experience safe and rewarding for children.
Public Service
Announcements, a Safe Surfing' video-featuring kid celebrities like
Taran Smith
from Home Improvement, Irene Ng from The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo,
and Olympic
gold-medallist Kerri Strug-that will be provided for free to every
school in
the country, a user-friendly website, and numerous other educational
tools are
being used to reach and teach anyone who is interested in children and
the Internet.
So far, America Links Up has registered "teach-ins" in over 30
states-these
events are taking place in schools, libraries, cybercafes and computer
stores.
Anyone can organize a teach-in using the grassroots toolkit available
for free
online at www.americalinksup.org
and includes sample curriculum, handouts, and safety tips for both
parents and
children.
Block Grants Proposed for Educational Programs.
The move in Congress to block grant education funds picked up steam
in Congress
in September when the House adopted H.R. 3248, the "Dollars to the
Classroom
Act." This bill was sponsored by the vast majority of the House
Republican leadership,
and passed the whole House by a substantial majority. This bill takes
all of
the funds appropriated to the following programs and, allocates each
state the
aggregate amount that state received in fiscal year 1998, or a
proportionally
smaller amount if the appropriation for education programs is reduced.
The programs
covered include: Title III of the Goals 2000 Act, five sections of the
Elementary
and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and Part B of Title VII of the
Stewart
B. McKinney Homelessness Assistance Act. Additionally, the statutory
and regulatory
requirements of Title I, Part A of Title II, Part A of Title V, Title
VIII,
and Part B of Title IX of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
of 1965,
and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Educati
Innovation Challenge Grants Awarded
A total of $30 million in Innovation Challenge Grants was awarded in
September
to 20 school district partnerships in 17 states. This money is to help
prepare
new teachers and support current teachers in developing their skills
to use
computers and advanced technology in the classroom. The partnerships
include
150 school districts, 100 businesses, and 80 colleges and
universities, for
a total beneficiary population of about one million students.
Posted on behalf of the International Society for Technology in
Education
by Leslie Harris.
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