TIIAP briefings

[Doug Schuler]

FYI,

Should SCN send somebody?

-- Doug

Date: Tue, 05 Jan 1999 17:42:01 -0500
From: "Judy Sparrow" <jsparrow at ntia.doc.gov>
To: jsparrow at ntia.doc.gov
Subject: TIIAP Press Announcement; Jan 19 Briefing


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                        
January 5, 1998 

COMMERCE ANNOUNCES $17 MILLION IN GRANTS TO BE AWARDED IN 1999 TO 
HELP EXTEND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BENEFITS TO ALL AMERICANS

Potential Applicants Encouraged to Participate in Regional Workshops

WASHINGTON, DC  Approximately $17 million in grants will be awarded in
1999 by the Commerce Department to state, local, and tribal governments
and non-profit entities as part of the Clinton Administration program
to extend benefits of the Internet and other information technology to
all Americans, especially those in inaccessible, rural and underserved
urban communities, Commerce Secretary William M. Daley announced.

"Across America, communities are recognizing that telecommunications
and information technologies are key to creating economic
opportunities.  The Commerce Department's Telecommunications and
Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP) is playing an
important role, as it focuses on underserved communities, especially
inner cities and rural areas," Secretary of Commerce Daley said.  "The
TIIAP program illustrates how technology equips American workers and
entrepreneurs, students and teachers, doctors and patients, and parents
and children with the skills and tools they need to meet the challenges
of the Information Age.  Projects funded through these grants have
helped forge partnerships in local communities across the country and
have ensured that information technologies live up to their potential
and enhance community services, health care delivery, civic
participation and much more."

TIIAP is a highly-competitive, merit-based grant program, providing
seed money for innovative, practical projects that use advanced
telecommunications and information technology.  Administered by the
Department's National Telecommunications and Information
Administration, the program, since its inception in 1994, has provided
more than $118 million in matching grants.

NTIA said it will launch the 1999 grant award competition and
immediately begin accepting applications, which are due by March 11,
1999.  Grant applicants are encouraged to develop projects of national
significance which demonstrate how telecommunications and information
technologies can be used to extend valuable services and opportunities
to all Americans, especially the underserved.  Projects funded so far
include innovations in education and training, support for the creation
of more responsive public institutions, enhancement of  economic
development in rural and disadvantaged areas, and increased public
access to health care.

In addition, the program is specifically encouraging projects developed
by smaller, locally-based organizations that both serve and represent
technologically underserved communities.  Grant applicants are also
encouraged to consider the use of advanced network technologies to
enhance the quality and efficiency of services delivered through
non-profit entities.  Moreover, TIIAP is interested in cross-cutting
projects involving partnerships among its five application
areas*community networking; education, culture, and lifelong learning;
health; public safety; and public services.

"Our purpose in establishing some specific priorities this year is to
bring new groups and people into the process," said Larry Irving,
Assistant Secretary and Administrator for the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration.  "We hope that by
encouraging organizations that haven't been as involved in the past and
by encouraging new partnerships among different types of organizations,
we'll get an even stronger pool of creative and compelling
applications."

NTIA will hold a series of regional Technical Assistance Workshops to
discuss the TIIAP funding priorities, application requirements, and
lessons learned from previous TIIAP grantees. This is a key opportunity
for interested parties to understand the TIIAP goals and process and
meet representatives of other organizations interested in the TIIAP
program.  The Technical Assistance Workshops will be held on January
21, in Portland, Oregon; January 26, in Albuquerque, New Mexico;
January 29, in Memphis, Tennessee; February 2, in Boston,
Massachusetts; and February 22, in Chicago, Illinois.

Assistant Secretary Irving will hold a special briefing for press,
associations and interested parties in Washington, D.C. on January 19
at the Department of Commerce, Room 4830, at 2 P.M.

Information about the program's regulations and procedures can be found
in the Notice of Availability of Funds, published in the Federal
Register on January 4, 1999.  For more information about TIIAP and the
Technical Assistance Workshops, call (202) 482-2048, or e-mail to
tiiap at ntia.doc.gov, or via the Internet at  http://www.ntia.doc.gov.

TIIAP is administered by the U.S. Commerce Department's National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).  NTIA serves
as the principal adviser to the President, Vice President and Secretary
of Commerce on domestic and international communications and
information issues and represents the Executive Branch before the
Congress, other Federal agencies, foreign governments and international
organizations.

###

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