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CNI-ANNOUNCE subscribers:
The former TIAPP grant program, now called TOP, is
announcing deadlines for applications. This has
been an important program for developing applications
of the Internet for a variety of user communities.
Joan Lippincott
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COMMERCE ANNOUNCES $12.5 MILLION IN GRANTS TO BE AWARDED TO HELP CLOSE
THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Secretary Daley to launch 12-city tour next month to highlight efforts
to close digital gap
WASHINGTON * Approximately $12.5 million will be awarded in a new
round of grants by the Commerce Department this year as part of the
Clinton-Gore Administration's on-going efforts to close the gap between
Americans with access and those without access to new technologies,
tools critical to economic success and advancement, Commerce Secretary
William M. Daley announced today.
"New technologies are now the major driving force of our country's
economic growth," Daley said, noting that more than one-third of U.S.
growth stems from the nation's burgeoning information technology
industries. "Access and training, therefore, become even more essential
so that all Americans have the ability to participate and benefit from
the new economy," Daley added.
Daley also announced that the grant program, formerly known as the
Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program
(TIIAP), has been renamed the Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) to
better reflect opportunities the many new technologies provide for
economic advancement.
The grants announced today are being awarded to state, local and tribal
governments and non-profit entities as part of the Administration's
program to extend the benefits of the Internet and other information
technologies to all Americans, especially those in underserved rural and
urban communities.
"There are still many Americans who do not receive the benefits of our
nation's digital economy," said Gregory L. Rohde, assistance secretary
of Commerce for communications and information and head of National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which
administers the grant program. "These grants play a vital role in the
Administration's efforts to provide otherwise disadvantaged populations,
low-income persons and the less educated with access to information
sources," Rohde said.
"Since 1994, the TOP program has helped close the digital divide for
minorities, low-income and rural populations, and explored useful
applications of new technologies that deliver the dividends of the
digital era," Rohde said.
Last July, NTIA released the findings of a major study that reported the
gap between American information "haves" and "have nots" has widened
significantly. On Dec. 9 Daley hosted a Digital Divide Summit at the
Commerce Department, which Rohde said was a critical step in bringing
together the public and private sectors to expand collectively
initiatives that promote technology and economic development in
underserved communities. Next month Daley is scheduled to launch a
12-city tour to raise public awareness of the need to improve access to
new technologies by all Americans and to highlight initiatives aimed at
closing the digital divide.
TOP is a highly-competitive, merit-based program that provides start-up
money for innovative, practical projects that use advanced
telecommunications and information technology. The program has provided
more than $135 million in matching grants since its inception in 1994.
This year, 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, TOP is interested in cross-cutting
projects involving partnerships among its four application
areas--community networking and services; lifelong learning and the
arts; health; and public safety.
NTIA will hold a series free regional Technical Assistance Workshops to
discuss the TOP funding priorities, application requirements, and
lessons learned from previous TOP grantees. This is a key opportunity
for interested parties to understand the TOP goals and process, and meet
representatives of other organizations interested in the TOP program.
The Technical Assistance Workshops will be held on January 31, in New
York, New York; February 2, in Houston, Texas; and February 4, in Los
Angeles, California. Online registration for the workshops is now
available at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/
Assistant Secretary Rohde will hold a special briefing for interested
parties in Washington, D.C. on January 19, 2000, at the Department of
Commerce, Room 4830, at 2:00 p.m. The press is invited to attend.
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 5, 2000. The deadline for receiving applications
is March 16, 2000. For more information about TOP and the Technical
Assistance Workshops, call (202) 482-2048, or e-mail to:
top@ntia.doc.gov, or access NTIA's website at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/
NTIA serves as the principal adviser to the President, Vice President
and Secretary of Commerce on domestic and international communications
and information issues.
Note to Editors: A fact sheet on the TOP program is attached. Press may
also visit TOP's readable database (http://www.ntia.doc.gov/) to review
TOP projects in their respective areas and follow pointers to grants and
search funded projects.
FACT SHEET: TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM (TOP)
Objectives: The Department of Commerce's Technology Opportunities
Program (TOP) promotes the widespread availability and use of advanced
telecommunications technologies in the public and non-profit sectors.
As part of the Department's National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA), TOP gives grants for model projects demonstrating
innovative uses of network technology. TOP evaluates and actively
shares the lessons learned from these projects to ensure the benefits
are broadly distributed across the country, especially in rural and
underserved communities.
Grants: Since 1994, TOP has made matching grants to state, local and
tribal governments, health care providers, schools, libraries, police
departments, and community-based non-profit organizations. TOP projects
demonstrate how networks support lifelong learning for all Americans,
help public safety officials protect the public, assist in the delivery
of health care and public health services, and foster communication,
resource-sharing, and economic development within rural and urban
communities. To date, TOP has awarded 421 grants, in all 50 states,
the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, totaling
$135.8 million and leveraging $203 million in local matching funds.
TOP projects are nationally significant demonstrations of how
telecommunications and information technologies can be used to extend
and improve the delivery of valuable services and opportunities to all
Americans, especially the underserved. By serving as models that can
be replicated in similar communities across the country, TOP projects
extend their benefits far beyond the communities in which they take
place, and provide economic and social benefits to the nation as a
whole.
Evaluation & Dissemination: By working closely with its grantees, TOP
has accumulated a significant body of knowledge about the creation and
management of information technology applications. For example, in
February, 1999, TOP released the first report evaluating the program's
impact and synthesizing the lessons learned by early TOP grant
recipients. This initial TOP Evaluation Report (and the accompanying
24 Case Studies) focuses on the 1994 and 1995 TOP grantees. Since
then, TOP has evaluated grants made in 1996, and an additional 12 case
studies are now available online.
In addition, TOP continuously disseminates the results and insights
learned from the projects it supports by providing technical assistance,
creating publications, newsletters and online resources, and hosting
conferences.
TOP is administered by the United States Department of Commerce's
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). For
more information on the 1999 TOP grant round and a complete list of TOP
grants, including project descriptions and contact information, as well
as TOP publications and case studies, see NTIA's Home Page on the Web
at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/
or contact TOP at (202) 482-2048.
To be added to the TOP mailing list, call or email, TOP@ntia.doc.gov.
In addition, many TOP projects have developed their own websites,
accessible through the NTIA web site.
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