[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 100 (Tuesday, July 9, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S7489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CABLE INDUSTRY OFFERS SCHOOLS FREE INTERNET ACCESS

  Mr. PRESSLER. Mr. President, today, I had the pleasure of 
participating in the launch of Cable's High-Speed Education Connection, 
the cable industry's latest contribution to the American educational 
system and America's children. At the heart of this initiative is a 
commitment by the cable industry to offer every elementary and 
secondary school in the country that is passed by cable, basic high-
speed Internet access via cable modems--free of charge.
  For years, the computer industry has offered greatly discounted 
pricing on hardware and software to schools, universities, teachers, 
and students. This same industry is arguably both the most successful 
and the least regulated in the United States.
  As chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation, one of my primary goals in authoring the 
Telecommunications Act of 1996 was to apply this competitive formula to 
the telecommunications industry. I am convinced it is a formula for 
success. This formula creates a world in which different 
telecommunications companies can compete with each other in the 
delivery of new services to American consumers.
  I was especially interested in breaking up the local exchange 
monopolies and encouraging new entrants to provide alternative 
telephone services and television programming. I congratulate the cable 
industry for rapidly taking the lead in demonstrating how this newly 
competitive environment accelerates the provision to students and 
teachers of access to the latest and best educational technologies.
  What will be the result? Elementary and secondary schools will be 
wired for cable. They also will be equipped with modems maximizing the 
delivery of high-speed digital services. These developments very 
positively impact the future of learning--including the development of 
distance learning--which particularly helps rural States like South 
Dakota. In fact, I understand that among the first cable markets 
targeted for these new services will be Rapid City, SD. These wired 
schools will expose young generations to some of the best of cable 
technology. They will create sophisticated users of the next generation 
of cable information services. They will help create masters of the 
information age.
  So, what we witness here is not the result of Government's decision 
as to which technology should be mandated for low cost delivery to 
schools. We witness instead the initial stages of a competition for the 
loyalty and attention of future adult generations in their decisions 
about which services best accommodate their needs.
  Mr. President, I am pleased that the cable industry is taking the 
initiative today to provide American schools--free of charge--with 
high-speed access to the Internet using cable modems. Cable's High-
Speed Education Connection builds on the foundation established by 
Cable in the Classroom, an ongoing multimillion dollar educational 
project that provides more than 74,000 schools nationwide with free 
access to cable systems and more than 6,000 hours of commercial-free 
educational programming each year. The cable industry is to be 
commended for being a leader in providing educational benefits and 
network access to the communities it serves.
  I encourage other companies and industries to follow the example the 
cable industry announced today and applaud what likely is only the 
first step by the cable industry to improve the quality and 
availability of education technology.

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