Thought the following announcement about the U.S. Department of Commerce's
Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) [(formerly Telecommunications and
Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP)] would be of interest
to the list.  It contains information about the next grant round and
upcoming workshops around the U.S.  Several museums have benefited from
these highly competitive grants since the program began in 1994.  Please
forgive cross-postings.

Barry Szczesny
AAM Government Affairs
*******************************************

Contact:
U.S. Department of Commerce
Morrie Goodman
(202) 482-4883
Ranjit de Silva
(202) 482-7002

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: [log in to unmask], 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, [log in to unmask] In
addition, many TOP projects have developed their own websites, accessible
through the NTIA web site.



Don Druker
Technology Opportunities Program
(formerly TIIAP)
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
United States Dept. of Commerce
Room 4092
1401 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20230
202-482-2048
202-501-8138 (fax)
[log in to unmask]

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