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THE CLINTON-GORE ADMINISTRATION RECORD
TO HELP CLOSE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
April 17, 2000
President Clinton and Vice President Gore Have a Strong Record of
Working to Bridge the Digital Divide By Ensuring That Every Child is
Technologically Literate. In 1994, President Clinton and Vice President
Gore set the goal of connecting every classroom and library to the
Internet. In 1996, President Clinton unveiled his Technology Literacy
Challenge -- and has made a major commitment of resources to connect
every classroom to the Internet, expand access to modern, multimedia
computers; make high-quality educational software an integral part of
the curriculum; and enable teachers to effectively integrate technology
into their instruction
President Clinton Succeeded in Increasing Educational Technology Funding
by Over 3,000 Percent -- From $23 Million in FY94 to $766 million in
FY2000. This includes:
$425 million for the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund, first
launched by President Clinton and Vice President Gore in 1996, which
helps states and local communities meet all four "pillars" of the
President's educational technology initiative (computers, Internet
access, teacher training, educational software).
$197 million for partnerships between local school districts and
the private sector to develop innovative approaches to using technology
in the classroom, including the Administration's Technology Innovation
Challenge Grants launched in 1995.
$75 million for the first stage in the Administration's effort to
train all new teachers to use technology, computers and the Internet in
the classroom.
$32.5 million for the new Clinton-Gore Administration's Community
Technology Center Initiative.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore Also Fought for the $2.25
billion "E-rate" to Connect Schools and Libraries to the Internet.
The e-rate is providing 20 percent - 90 percent discounts to
connect schools and libraries to the Internet, with the deepest
discounts going to the poorest schools that need it most.
By the end of 2000, the e-rate will have funded $6.25 billion of
telecommunications infrastructure and services to schools and libraries.
In 1999, 82 percent of public schools (over 78,000) and 51 percent of
public libraries received public funding.
Major progress has been made in reaching the goals of the President's
Educational Technology Initiative.
The number of classrooms connected to the Internet has increased
from 3 percent in 1994 to 63 percent in 1999 (Fall 1999 data, Dept of
Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Internet Access in
U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms," February 2000).
The number of schools connected to the Internet has increased from
35 percent in 1994 to 95 percent in 1999 (Fall 1999 data, Dept of
Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Internet Access in
U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms," February 2000).
Grants supported by the Department of Education are training
400,000 new teachers to use technology effectively in the classroom.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore are Building on Their Past
Achievements Through a Number of New and Expanded Proposals this Year.
Earlier this year, the President and Vice President announced specific
proposals in their FY2001 budget to help create digital opportunity for
more Americans, including:
$2 billion over 10 years in tax incentives to encourage private
sector donation of computers, sponsorship of community technology
centers, and technology training for workers.
$150 million to help train all new teachers entering the workforce
to use technology effectively.
$100 million to create 1,000 Community Technology Centers in
low-income urban and rural neighborhoods.
$50 million for a public/private partnership to expand home access
to computers and the Internet for low-income families.
$45 million to promote innovative applications of information and
communications technology for under-served communities.
$25 million to accelerate private sector deployment of broadband
networks in underserved urban and rural communities.
$10 million to prepare Native Americans for careers in Information
Technology and other technical fields.
In addition, President Clinton and Vice-President Gore have worked to:
Expand access to technology for people with disabilities.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore have been strong supporters of
efforts to make technology more accessible for people with disabilities.
Recent actions by the Federal Communications Commission will help ensure
that telecommunications equipment, such as cellular phones, is designed
to be accessible for people with disabilities.
Expand access to technology in under-served communities. In
addition to the Department of Education's Community Technology Center
program, which provides computer access and educational services to
communities around the country, the Department of Housing and Urban
Development has created approximately 500 Neighborhood Network learning
centers that bring state of the art technology to publicly-assisted
housing across America. HUD's Neighborhood Networks are innovative
private/public partnerships that establish computer-based multi-service
centers to help people in publicly-assisted housing learn critical
computer skills and prepare for 21st Century jobs.
Ensure that the Administration makes closing the Digital Divide a
top priority. In December, 1999, President Clinton directed members of
his Cabinet (Secretaries of Commerce, Education, Health and Human
Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Labor) to take specific
steps to close the Digital Divide, including:
Continuing to measure the nature and extent of the digital divide
by examining the importance of income, education, race, gender,
geography and age to Americans' access to Information Age tools;
Expanding the network of Community Technology Centers to provide
access to technology for those American who can't afford it;
Promoting applications of the Internet that will empower low-income
families, such as the ability to start their own business; and
Upgrading the IT skills of workers in low-income communities.