News for and about the Internet2 community

["Lauren B. Kallens" <>]

Higher Education Asks for Fast and Improved Internet in Telecommunications
Reform

For Release:
Tuesday, May 31, 2005   

Washington, D.C. - America needs a secure, affordable, fast, and improved
Internet so that anyone, anywhere will have access to higher education. This
is the key message that a group of higher education associations* unveiled
today as a part of a campaign they are urging Congress and the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) to consider in the upcoming review of the
Telecommunications Act of 1996.

In supporting the association group's message to Congress, David Ward,
president of the American Council on Education, said, "The Internet
represents the most significant advance in communications technology since
the invention of the printing press and has had a profound impact on the
exchange of ideas at colleges and universities across the country and around
the globe. From recruitment to retention, from teaching to tutoring, from
research to economic development, the Internet has become an integral part
of the modern college and university. An improved Internet, with high-speed
access available to all Americans, will go a long way toward ensuring our
nation's competitiveness in an increasingly global economy."

Because the Telecommunications Act originally made no significant mention of
the Internet or other, newer technologies that facilitate educational
information exchange and communications, Congress needs to amend existing
legislation and enact new measures that will promote the rapid deployment of
advanced Internet services and protect the values of openness and innovation
that are critical to higher education.

Gary Bachula, vice president for external relations at Internet2,
emphasized, "What we hope for from Congress and the FCC is a true
forward-looking telecommunications policy with a 10-to-15-year horizon that
includes a national vision outlining key priorities that will lead us to the
next-generation of the Internet."

The specific goals the higher education group is advancing are:

    * high-speed access that is open to all;
    * a level playing field for competing technologies;
    * support for state and local network deployment; and
    * increased federal funding for research and development that will
enhance the Internet and related technologies.

The advanced networks operating on college campuses today showcase future
benefits for all Americans, particularly in the areas of education, health
care, and public safety. Spreading these capabilities throughout society
will require a visionary telecommunications policy from the nation's
leaders. Mark Luker, vice president of EDUCAUSE, summarized the higher
education group's action plan as "bringing these principles not only to
Congress and the FCC but also to colleges and universities at the
presidential level. The effort is not only altruistic for all citizens but
strategically important for higher education."

For more information on this initiative, see
www.BroadbandForHigherEducation.org.

    *  The higher education group includes the American Council on
Education, Association of American Universities, American Association of
Community Colleges, American Association of State Colleges and Universities,
National Association of College and University Business Officers, National
Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, National Association
of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, United Negro College Fund,
EDUCAUSE, Internet2, and ACUTA-The Association for Communications Technology
Professionals in Higher Education.

About EDUCAUSE
EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher
education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. The
current membership comprises more than 1,900 colleges, universities, and
educational organizations, including 200 corporations, with 15,000 active
members. EDUCAUSE has offices in Boulder, Colorado, and Washington, D.C.
Learn more about EDUCAUSE at www.educause.edu/.

About Internet2
Led by more than 200 U.S. universities working with industry and government,
Internet2 develops and deploys advanced network applications and
technologies for research and higher education, accelerating the creation of
tomorrow's Internet. Internet2 recreates the partnerships among academia,
industry, and government that helped foster today's Internet in its infancy.
For more information, visit: www.internet2.edu.

Contact:
Peter DeBlois
Director, Communications and Publishing
EDUCAUSE

(303) 544-5665

Contact:
Wendy Wigen
Policy Analyst
EDUCAUSE

(202) 331-5372

Contact:
Lauren Kallens
Media Relations
Internet2

(202) 331-5345