[1] In the Matter of Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order Establishing Joint Board (NPRM) CC Docket No. 96-45, released March 8, 1996.

[2] People of the State of California and the California PUC comments, and Texas PUC comments.

[3] US West comments, page 3.

[4] The Commenting States refer to joint comments filed by state commissions of Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia (Commenting States).

[5] Commenting States comments, pages 11 and 12.

[6]The Center for Civic Networking, Inc. and The Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois, Champagne/Urbana at page 1 states "...any federal framework for Universal Service should provide flexibility for states to develop their own priorities and financing mechanisms, and empower local communities to establish their own criteria, programs, and services.", Bell Atlantic's comments at page 6 recognize that the entities best able to ascertain the need within recipient states are the state public service commissions.

[7] Texas PUC comments, page 19.

[8] Michigan PSC comments, page 3.

[9]MFS comments, page 19.

[10] SNET comments, page 5.

[11] MFS comments, page 2.

[12] Tele-Communications, Inc. comments at page 21 state that they have substantial experience in providing educational telecommunications services, and further state that "TCI's success in providing these services at market-based prices demonstrates that even rural schools do not need federal subsidies in order to purchase them," at page 23.

[13] Texas PUC comments, page 15, Oklahoma Corporation Commission comments, page 9.

[14]For example, in Connecticut SNET has committed to participating in the ConneCT `96 initiative that is being administered by a statewide steering committee. SNET has agreed to provide Internet service, free of charge for the 1996-1997 school year, to every school and public library in Connecticut in an effort to help bring Connecticut students, educators and residents further into the Information Age.

[15] USTA comments at Attachment 1 provides on a state basis examples of how local exchange carriers are currently helping to improve educational opportunities.