[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 79 (Wednesday, June 21, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5558-S5559]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DODD:
  S. 2762. A bill to establish SHARE Net grants to support the 
development of a comprehensive, accessible, high-technology 
infrastructure of educational and cultural resources for nonprofit 
institutions, individuals, and others for educational purposes through 
a systematic effort to coordinate, link and enhance, through 
technology, existing specialized resources and expertise in public and 
private cultural and educational institutions; to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.


saving humanities, arts, and resources for education networking act of 
                          2000 (share net act)

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation which 
will help light the way to a stronger educational system with broader 
reach and deeper substance--the SHARE Net (Saving Humanities, Arts, and 
Resources for Education Networking) Act of 2000.
  Education is not just about schools and colleges. Education is 
everything from our very first breath as infants to our last days. We 
learn at work, at school, at home and in our cars. We learn from the 
people around us, from books, newspapers, artwork, radio and 
television, and, more and more, we learn from the Internet and 
computers.
  Our Nation has been rich in learning and education. We have an 
impressive system of public education, with fundamentally strong public 
schools--yes, some need help, but they continue to reach all children 
and open the doors of learning to over 50 million children each year. 
The strength of our post-secondary education system is unmatched in the 
world with an estimated 80 percent of our high school graduates going 
on to some post-secondary education. We have public libraries across 
the country that contribute the building blocks of lifelong learning 
with educational programs and access to books and other educational 
resources for the public--from the youngest to the oldest. We enjoy 
significant cultural institutions--museums, art galleries and other 
centers--that allow us to explore and continue to learn.
  This infrastructure of learning has not been achieved without 
significant effort. From our very first days, leading Americans have 
dedicated time and resources to developing schools, universities and 
other institutions of learning. Thomas Jefferson viewed the creation of 
the University of Virginia as one of his greatest accomplishments. 
Other Americans are well known for their passion and vision for 
learning--from Helen Keller to the Little Rock 9.
  There have been many here in Congress too who have lead on education 
issues. We tend to remember the more recent steps--the creation of the 
Pell Grant program or Head Start. But in fact, our commitment and 
involvement in these issues began much earlier. I believe one of these 
most significant, and overlooked, initiatives was the Morrill Acts of 
1862 and 1890. These initiatives brought about a sea-change in our 
Nation's educational system by allocating the proceeds from the sale of 
federally-held western lands to states for the creation of practical, 
accessible Land Grant Colleges and Universities. These Land-Grant 
institutions sparked a revolution in higher education, which had been 
solely the purview of the wealthy and privileged; Land-Grant 
institutions focused on reaching real people with helpful knowledge. 
They focused on agriculture, teaching and research into other practical 
areas--they encouraged and facilitated broader participation in post-
secondary education with low costs and continuing education programs.
  Today, Land Grant colleges and universities continue to fulfill their 
original missions of research, outreach and teaching. They have grown 
to be the very backbone of post-secondary education--providing access 
to quality, affordable higher education. These institutions have also 
emerged as leaders in

[[Page S5559]]

advanced research--a vital link in our national economy and one of the 
keys to our global competitiveness.
  Morrill's vision was not only hugely successful, it was also simple--
leverage public assets to transform education. Mr. President, I believe 
another such opportunity confronts us today as rapidly-developing 
technology offers new potential to expand the reach of education.
  The 1996 Telecommunications Act and Balanced Budget Act of 1997 
established a framework for the transition from analog to digital 
television and for the auction of publically-owned analog spectrum. 
This auction is expected to produce nearly $6 billion in federal 
revenue; some believe the figure to be as much as $18 billion. This 
valuable publically-owned asset is today's equivalent of the frontier 
lands of a century ago.
  These resources should be tapped to fund the further development of 
our educational system by utilizing today's technologies to expand the 
reach and impact of existing high-quality educational and community 
resources. Advanced Internet, digital spectrum and other 
telecommunications technologies offer new untapped potential to 
increase the quality and reach of educational resources.
  And the educational resources are abundant in our communities. What 
is needed is a systematic effort to link these resources, enhance their 
accessibility and broaden their content. My bill would do just this. It 
would support the work of local and regional partnerships of 
educational and cultural organizations. These partnerships would survey 
existing resources, identify and fill gaps, link these resources 
together through technology and broaden access to them and, ultimately, 
develop a comprehensive, accessible high-tech educational 
infrastructure to benefit all Americans.
  Mr. President, there is no question our educational system is strong. 
But it cannot be neglected. So let's learn from the past success of the 
Morrill Acts and invest today's public resources in our greatest asset 
and the very foundation of our future: education.
                                 ______