CoSN March 17-19 Conference and the Telecom Refirm Bill

[Michael Eisenberg <meisenbe@WAHOO.SJSU.EDU>]

How will the telecom reform bill affect schools and libraries?

       On February 1, the Telecommuncations Act of 1996 -- with several
provisions affecting elementary and secondary schools and libraries -- passed
both houses of Congress; on February 8, 1996, it was signed into law by the
President. A Joint-Federal Board, which will determine discounts for schools,
must be in place by March 8th.  CoSN's March 17-19 national conference, will
help you answer such questions as:

* How will schools get discounts to advanced telecommuncations (described in
the Universal Service section of the bill)?

 * Will all schools get the same discount?

*  What services are covered under the discount?

*  How does a school make a "bona fide request"?

*  Will schools be held liable for materials sent over the Internet?
----------

"K-12 School Networking on the Emerging Information Superhighway"

March 17-19, 1996
Sheraton National Hotel
Arlington, Virginia

First Annual Conference
Sponsored by Consortium for School Networking (CoSN)

with AT&T, American Federation of Teachers, Compaq Computer, Houghton Mifflin
Company, NYNEX, National Education Association, Scholastic, Inc., Simon &
Schuster Education Group, Software Publishers Association

The first policy conference to broadly explore current initiatives to promote
educational applications on the information superhighway!

Three days of powerful programs focusing on:
* Community Networks: Examples of Success
* Cyberporn: Addressing Concerns
* Convincing Your Community to Invest in School Networking
* Donations: Managing Hidden Costs
* Falling Through the Net: Underserved Populations



KEYNOTE ADDRESSES
Vice President Al Gore*
The Honorable Reed E. Hundt, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission
Secretary Richard Riley, US Department of Education
Luncheon speaker John Perry Barlow, cofounder and Vice Chairman,
Electronic Frontier Foundation. Considered one of the "Fathers of the
Internet," a respected voice in cyberspace, and a lyricist for the Grateful
Dead.

EXPERT SPEAKERS
Pru Adler, Association of Research Libraries
Louis Gomez, Northwestern University
Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE)*
Prof. Peter Jaszi, The American University
Congressman Bill Orten (D-UT)*
Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME)*
*Invited


WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
District Technology Coordinators, District Superintendents & Administrators,
School Board Members, Media Directors & School Librarians, State Technology
Directors,State Education Network Directors, Governors' Education &
Technology Staffs, Deans & Faculty of Teaching Colleges, Congressional and
White House Officials, State and National Education Associations, Heads of
Foundations and Nonprofit Organizations, Businesses Interested in School
Networking

Endorsed by Alliance for Community Media, American Association of
Colleges for Teacher Education, American Association of School Librarians, A
Division of American Library Association, Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development, Council for American Private Educators, Council of
Chief State School Officers, National School Boards Association, National
Association of Secondary School Principals, Organizations Concerned About
Rural Education, Public Broadcasting Service

Pre-Conference Workshops
Sunday, March 17
9:00 am-12 noon: Internet 101
1:00 pm-4:00 pm: Successful Web Sites, Today and Tomorrow

CONFERENCE AGENDA
Monday, March 18
8:30 am-5:00 pm: Sessions

Tuesday, March 19
8:30 am-5:00 pm: Sessions



REGISTRATION FEES
                         Early Bird         Advance            Late
                         (by 2/16/96)       Registration       (after 3/8/96)

CoSN Member*             $200               $250               $300
Non-member**             $275               $315               $365

Pre-Conference Workshops:
Morning Workshop         $60                $75                $90
Afternoon Workshop       $60                $75                $90
Full Day                 $100               $125               $150


 * CoSN members must be in good-standing.
 ** All non-member rates include a complimentary 1996 CoSN individual
membership.

VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION VIA INTERNET
For those who wish to attend the conference but cannot due to time or other
constraints, CoSN is pleased to offer an Internet Virtual K-12 School
Networking Conference that will run concurrently with the main conference.
Virtual Conference participants will receive all of the conference materials
before the conference via electronic mail or fax, and will be able to become
involved with our conference through live transcripts of the proceedings and
on-line discussions with other Virtual Conference participants. For more
information, please email virtual@cosn.org.

***send e-mail to virtual@cosn.org


TO GET MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTER
Send an e-mail to <conference@cosn.org> and an electronic version of the
complete conference brochure will be sent to you.  If you have additional
questions, call
(202) 466-6296 ext. 56.