US:PA-1: Assignment for Week One

Assignment for Week One

Bob Carlitz (bob@hamlet.phyast.pitt.edu)
Tue, 16 Sep 1997 01:01:18 -0400 

Registration for the Universal Service: Pennsylvania has exceeded our
expectations.  There are presently 270 people signed up for the
seminar, largely drawn from Pennsylvania schools and libraries.  It
is a diverse group, both geographically and in terms of individual
talents and interests.  Please take the time to browse through
answers that were given to questions on the registration form.  You
can find this information on the PARTICIPANTS page of the seminar
Web site,

/projects/us-pa/participants.html

which you can also reach by clicking on the PARTICIPANTS oval
on the seminar's home page.  You will find information on
the participants' backgrounds and on what people expect to learn
from the seminar.  

A rough agenda for the entire seminar can be found on the
AGENDA page of the Web site or the page entitled SEMINAR
ACTIVITIES WEEK BY WEEK.  The first week will deal mainly 
with educational issues and the needs of Pennsylvania schools
and libraries.  Week Two will focus upon Universal Service
rules for Pennsylvania, and Week Three will deal with the
structure of the federal Universal Service discount program.

To get this week's online discussion started, let's concentrate 
on the question of the needs of Pennsylvania schools and libraries.
During the week, please try to answer the following questions
in a posting to the mailing list:

	1) What are the one or two most pressing needs of
	   your PA school or library for the implementation
	   of effective and sustainable telecommunications
	   programs?

	2) How do the needs of schools and libraries differ,
	   and how are they complementary?

	3) How do the needs of rural schools and libraries
	   differ from those of schools and libraries in
	   urban areas?  

This information, and the discussion that will result from it,
will help us to establish a framework for discussing specific
implementations of a Universal Service program for Pennsylvania
schools and libraries.

I look forward to a lively discussion in the upcoming days.

Bob Carlitz