ALAWON v6n27 (April 21, 1997) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v6n27.txt ------------------- ALWN627.TXT follows -------------------- ================================================================= ALAWON Volume 6, Number 27 ISSN 1069-7799 April 21, 1997 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (77 lines) PRESIDENT'S RADIO ADDRESS HIGHLIGHTS: NETDAY, TELECOM DISCOUNTS FOR LIBRARIES AND TECHNOLOGY LITERACY CHALLENGE GRANTEES _________________________________________________________________ PRESIDENT'S RADIO ADDRESS HIGHLIGHTS: NETDAY, TELECOM DISCOUNTS FOR LIBRARIES AND TECHNOLOGY LITERACY CHALLENGE GRANTEES In their April 19 radio address, President Clinton and Vice-President Gore highlighted the second national NetDay, during which more than 30,000 volunteers established or upgraded their school, classroom or library's connection to the Internet. "Once we reach our goal of linking our schools to the Internet, for the first time in history, children in the most isolated rural schools, the most comfortable suburbs, the poorest inner-city schools, all of them will have the same access to the same universe of knowledge," said Clinton. Since the first NetDay just over a year ago, nearly a quarter million volunteers have wired 50,000 classrooms around our country. Over the weekend NetDay activities occurred in more than 40 states. The President also referred to the upcoming, eagerly anticipated ruling from the Federal Communications Commission to give libraries and schools a discount to help them connect classrooms to the Internet and to stay on line. According to the President's radio address, "On May 6, the FCC will vote on a plan to provide more than $2 billion in yearly E-rate discounts for schools and libraries. This can make all the difference for communities struggling to make sure their students are ready for the 21st century. So today, again, I call on the FCC to approve this plan and give our children access to this new world of knowledge. Now, more than ever, we can't afford for our children to be priced out of cyberspace." Also announced were an additional $11.8 million in Technology Literacy Challenge grants to seven states -- Alaska, Connecticut, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, and Tennessee. Awards are also being made to two territories and to the schools of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Already this year, the Technology Literacy Initiative has awarded states $57 million. For approximately the next week the full text of the radio address will be located at http://library.whitehouse.gov/ThisWeek.cgi; select April 19, 1997, RADIO ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT AND THE VICE PRESIDENT. _______________________________________________________________ ALAWON is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. To subscribe, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc @ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. Visit our Web site at http://www.alawash.org. ALA Washington Office 202.628.8410 (V) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #403 202.628.8419 (F) Washington, DC 20004-1701 800.941.8478 (V) Lynne E. Bradley, Editor Deirdre Herman, Managing Editor Contributors: Claudette Tennant All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================