From GALE-SINEX@AE.AGECON.WISC.EDUMon Apr 10 21:32:40 1995 Date: Sun, 10 Apr 1995 19:41:07 GMT -0600 From: Michele Gale-Sinex/CIAS To: sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu, sustag@beta.tricity.wsu.edu Subject: (Fwd) URGENT - Tell Your Stories: Save Community Net Funding Howdy, folks-- Those of you involved in rural community computer networking and rural datafication might find this of interest. Please note the special call for CommNetting stories from rural Maryland and rural Virginia. Peace-- Michele >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1995 23:17:50 -0500 >Sender: cweis@MTN.Org >From: rciville@civicnet.org (Richard Civille) >Subject: URGENT - Tell Your Stories: Save Community Net Funding > TIIAP Funding At Risk > Time to Tell Your Stories > > News is breaking that the Telecommunications Information >Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP) is under fire. With its first >round of grants hardly awarded and results too early to show, this extremely >promising Federal assistance program is in danger. The prospect of TIIAP >losing substantial funding in 1995 -- for this current grant cycle -- is real. > > If this is important to you, please send us your stories -- now. > > While the big fight is over Big Bird and public broadcasting, this >small program that's helping to make the Internet work for everyone may die >on the vine, unnoticed. There are two recission bills. Cuts proposed in >both bills have the prospect of being combined. Until yesterday there was >risk of the entire TIIAP program being killed. What will remain has not >been decided. The range as of April 6 appeared to be between a low of $9M >and a high of $49M. The first grant cycle, awarded in late 1994, was about >$23M. > > >Tell Your Stories > > Do you know a story about a community network, or how the public >Internet was used locally -- and recently -- in a way that: > >* Created a job opportunity >* Helped start a business, especially a very small business >* Saved someone's life >* Diagnosed a disease >* Provided disaster relief and/or coordination - floods, earthquakes, etc. >* Improved literacy >* Created a unique educational opportunity >* Prevented a crime >* Prevented a suicide >* Helped the homeless or critically poor >* Improved the quality of life for the home-bound >* Involved an Enterprise Community or Empowerment Zone >* Involved Americorp National Service Initiative projects >* Involved the Cooperative Extension Service of USDA > > Especially important right now: Stories from rural Virginia and >rural Maryland. But, we need to hear from all over the country. We need to >show -- very, very quickly -- that there is a broadbased constituency for >this program from Congressional districts all over the country. And, that >the program is supported by local public officials, businesses, educators >and citizens. > > Please let us know right away. We will quickly compile these >stories, and get them to the White House and the Hill, fast. We need real >stories about real people. They do NOT need to be about currently funded >TIIAP projects, important as that is. Please send us any leads, whether >they be first hand or second hand. > >Please send your story this way: > >* Be brief. What's your name? How do we contact you? >* What's the application area, such as health, disaster relief, crime >prevention? >* Tell us "who, what, when, where and why". Who benefitted? Was there >press? >* What system or service made this possible? >* What Congressional District do you live in? >* Who is your mayor is, or closest equivalent public official? > > >Concerned Citizen Letters Needed Now > > This could be on a fast track, or it may take several weeks. If the >White House vetoes the recission bills, there may be more time, but there is >no indication this will happen. Predictions at this time are pretty hard to >make. A letter or fax to your Congresscritter or Senator can help. If you >send a letter, please let us know, and send us a copy if you can. > > Use your own words. Be polite and direct. Give a local example if >you can. DO NOT send email. Send a real letter with your signature, or a >fax with your signature. Handwritten letters really get looked at closely. >Say something to the effect: > > "I strongly urge you to support full FY 1995 funding of the TIIAP >program in NTIA/DOC and to oppose any proposed cuts. This program is >helping make the information economy work for everyone, in communities such >as mine. America is at a crossroads. Jobs and opportunity in the future >depend on the information highway. This program is helping build onramps. >I do not believe TIIAP is unnecessary pork barrel government spending. >There are lots of examples of that. TIIAP is not one of them. TIIAP is a >solid example of what government ought to be doing. The more people that >use the net to get useful things done, the more valuable the net becomes for >everyone and the country. TIIAP is creating economic and social value, not >wasting taxpayer money." > > Language couched in economic and community development terms will >likely have the greatest impact. Remember, one well written constituent >letter from a concerned citizen is read as if there were THOUSANDS saying >the same thing. Especially, if you are a USER of a community network, your >letter can have a real impact right now. If you live in a rural community, >your letter will also be very important. > > As we learn more, we will pass specific suggestions along. Stay >tuned, and if you have a WEB browser, stay in touch with daily reports being >posted by the Benton Foundation, http://cdinet.com/benton. Members of the >key committees in the House and Senate are also posted on this Web site. >See anyone who works for you? Send them a letter. > > ================================ > > The Center for Civic Networking has a reputation for independent >research, analysis and promotion of the public use of telecommunications for >community economic development, service delivery and participation in >governance. Two years ago this month, the Center produced a conference in >Washington, DC, sponsored by Apple Computer, Inc. and the National Capital >Area Public Access Network. One hundred public service telecommunication >practitioners from communities around the United States met together for the >first time, and "talked story". Administration officials from the White >House, Department of Commerce, USDA and other agencies attended, as well as >industry. > > From the advisory input of many who attended that conference, the >National Strategy for Civic Networking was produced, which cited dozens of >examples of how these services were being used around the country. This >paper has been circulated worldwide. It is used in college courses and was >directly cited in the Administration's Agenda For Action for the National >Information Infrastructure. > > > We talked story and we made a difference in policy then. > > It's time to talk story again. > > > >Thanks a lot for your help. > > >Richard Civille >Center for Civic Networking > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > Center for Civic Networking Richard Civille > P.O. Box 53152 Executive Director > Washington, D.C. 20009 > (202) 362-3831 rciville@civicnet.org > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > > <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Michele Gale-Sinex Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems Agricultural Technology and Family Farm Institute UW-Madison--Voice: (608) 262-8018 FAX: (608) 265-3020 Baseball must be a great game to survive the fools who run it. --Bill Terry, HOF 1b