The following announcement from the Benton Foundation outlines the probable
elimination of the National Telecommunications and Information
Adminstration and its hugely successful TIAAP program. As you may know,
the TIAPP program funds innovative projects designed to promote the use of
the "information superhighway" for public purposes. These funds were a
*new* source of monies for museums and other cultural organizations
interested in developing a colloborative project that used
telecommunications technologies.
Not only is this program slated for elimination, its CURRENT fiscal year
allocation may be rescinded. This means that this year's TIAAP grant
awardees may not receive their awards. (Imagine being told you received an
NEA/NSF/NEH/IMS grant, only to find out later that the award has no money
attached to it....)
Last year, two museum-based organizations received funding from TIAPP: the
Museum Computer Network was awarded funds for a project of the Consortium
for the Computer Interchange of Museum Information (CIMI), and a consortium
of natural history museums received funding for a joint educational
initiative.
This year, many more museum organizations applied for these grants, (the
awardees have not yet been announced), but their efforts may have been for
nought.
Although it may be too late to convince your representatives to block this
latest cut, it is not too late for a Presidential veto of this legislation.
Public interest groups are urging all communities with an interest in the
NTIA and TIAAP to call their congressional representatives and register
your protest.
If you don't know who your Congressional representatives are or how to
contact them, you can find out by pointing your Web browser
http://www.stardot.com/~lukeseem/zip.html - Enter your zip code you will
get complete contact information for your congressperson.
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>Earlier today (Sept. 7), a Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations
>Committee voted to cut the Commerce Department's FY 1996 budget from the
>$4.154 billion the Department had in FY 1995 to $2.899 billion, a 30%
>reduction. As part of those cuts, the Subcommittee voted to eliminate the
>National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), saving
>only NTIA's spectrum allocation function and the Public Telecommunications
>and Facilities Program (PTFP). The move would eliminate the
>Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program
>(TIIAP), the grants program that has supported nonprofit as well as state
>and local government applications of information technology.
>
>In addition, the Subcommittee moved to rescind any money that has yet to be
>spent from TIIAP's current budget (FY 95), which threatens the grants
>process that is now close to completion. While review of the proposals
>submitted earlier this year is finished, final decisions have not yet been
>made and the approximately $35 million slated for grants has not been
>disbursed. The Subcommittee's action, if approved by the full Committee
>and made part of the final bill that goes to the President's desk, would
>eliminate these funds.
>
>Benton will post additional information about full Committee consideration
>and subsequent actions as it becomes available. For additional background
>on TIIAP funding for 1995 and the House 1996 appropriations for the
>Commerce Department, check our web site
>(http://cdinet.com/cgi-bin/lite/Benton/) in the "what's going on" section.
>
><<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>>
>
> Andrew Blau [log in to unmask]
> Director
> Communications Policy Project http://cdinet.com/benton
> Benton Foundation
> 1634 Eye St., NW, 12th Fl. 202.638.5770 (v)
> Washington, DC 20006 202.638.5771 (f)
>
><<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>> <<o>>
>
>
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