SECRETARY GLICKMAN HAILS RURAL RESPONSE TO TELECOMMUNICATIONS DISCOUNTS FOR SCHOOLS & LIBRARIES
WASHINGTON, April 21, 1998--U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today applauded the massive flood of "tens of thousands" of responses to the first round of requests for the Education Discounts (E-Rate) for telecommunication service. "Technological literacy is a critical skill for America's students to succeed in the 21st Century," Glickman said. "This is an important step to include the schools and libraries as a part of universal service."
"The overwhelming response from rural America illustrates the tremendous interest and need for new technologies. This response to the E-Rate sets the stage for a revolution in rural education and assures that all citizens will have an on ramp to the information superhighway," Glickman said.
The Schools and Libraries Corporation (SLC), which administers the E-Rate, concluded the first round of applications for telecommunications discounts to schools and libraries established by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which was signed into law by President Clinton. Depending on need, the SLC will award E-Rate discounts ranging from 20-90 percent, with rural areas and poverty regions receiving the deepest discounts. SLC officials said the announcement of approved discount recipients from the first round of applications will come this summer.
Glickman noted that USDA, through the Rural Utilities Service's Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant and loan program, has pioneered the use of telecommunications technologies in the classroom. "With the DLT program we have seen the future and the way information technologies changes live," Glickman said. "These technologies allow schools to share teachers and course work, research distant sources of information and prepare students for the information economy."
The deadline for the 1998 DLT program is June 1, 1998 for applications for grants and grant/loan combinations and August 14, 1998 for DLT loans to be made during the 1998 Fiscal Year. Glickman added that together, "the E-RATE and the DLT program add up to a vibrant future for rural communities in the information age."
Information about the E-Rate can be found at www.slcfund.org, or by calling the SLC Client Service Bureau at 888-203-8100. Information about the DLT program can be found at www.usda.gov/rus/dlt/dlml.htm, or by calling the Assistant Administrators office at (202) 720-9554.
Contacts:
Jim Brownlee, (202) 720-2091
Claiborne Crain, (202) 720-1255