US/ND-5: The Power to Change
The Power to Change
John D. Gravelle (gravelle@dwave.net)
Sun, 22 Sep 1996 21:43:00 +0000
Hi all,
I have read others'92 comments daily and appreciate all I have learned
from all of you. The technical as well as the pedagogical posts are
excellent. I wish to enter a more philosophical thread and hope others
will followup.
We, as educators, can lobby the FCC through this and other venues. Yet,
my experience precludes success. Bill Cosh has well represented the
post passage results of Wisconsin's telecommunications bill.
The only group that can change education via telecommunications is the
FCC.
Mr. Hunt, Commissioners, and the many lawyers at the FCC: You have the
power to change the direction of PK-12 education.
You alone have that power.
I am positive that the FCC has the technical advisors who understand the
present technology and who are aware of the different evolving
technologies. I am positive the FCC has the lawyers who can write
regulations that will supply a Universal Service plan to all PK-12 and
libraries that will supply us with the needed resources to change
education.
I wonder, though, if the FCC can withstand the pressures of many large
companies, many lobbyists, and national political pressures.
In the summer of 94, before the Wisconsin Telecom bill was passed, a
major Milwaukee paper had a headline that stated Kids would be the FIRST
on the SuperHighway. I called the reporter and asked him who supplied
him with the facts. His source was a telecommunication company. I
lobbied for the Wisconsin bill and worked with a regional president of
one of the telecommunication companies. After passage, he would no
longer accept calls from me about education issues.
I do not believe our efforts here or efforts from many other sources
will balance out the many who will oppose us. They have the expertise,
the money, and the personnel to interact with the FCC in ways we would
not and could not consider.
Simple put, Mr. Hunt and the Commissioners of the FCC have the power to
change education profoundly. Do they want to see education changed?
--
John D. Gravelle
Merrill Senior High
106 Polk Street
Merrill, WI 54452
715-536-4594
gravelle@dwave.net finger gravelle@dwave.net