FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 24, 1997
CONTACT: Paige Darden
(202) 482-7002
pdarden@ntia.doc.gov

OVER 500 PEOPLE PLAN TO ATTEND THE COMMERCE DEPARTMENT'S

CONFERENCE ON BRINGING THE BENEFITS OF THE

INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY TO UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES

WASHINGTON, DC -- Over 500 community leaders from across the nation will come together next week to discuss the innovative ways their communities are using information technology to bring benefits to their citizens, at a conference hosted by the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The conference, called "Networks for People," will be held in the Commerce Department's auditorium from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 28, with demonstrations throughout the day in the main lobby. On-site registration will begin at 8:00 a.m.

The conference will feature information infrastructure projects funded by TIIAP. The conference is free, and is open to the public. To register to attend, people can fax their name, organization, address, phone and fax number to 202-501-5136 or e-mail this information to tiiap@ntia.doc.gov. In addition, on-line registration is available at NTIA's home page at http://www.ntia.doc.gov.

As part of the conference, Secretary of Commerce William Daley will release a report that will be useful to community leaders planning projects to bring the benefits of the information superhighway to their neighborhoods. "This report illustrates the pivotal role these information and telecommunication technologies can play in equipping American workers and entrepreneurs, students and teachers, doctors and patients, and parents and children with the skills and tools they need to meet the challenges of the Information Age," Daley said.

NTIA has been awarding grants through its Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP), to non-profit organizations, such as schools, libraries, hospitals, public safety entities, and state and local governments since 1994. The grants promote the use of information and telecommunications technology to provide better health care, increase lifelong learning opportunities, and improve government services.

"The Networks for People conference is an opportunity to discuss, in person, the work this grant program has been doing to turn the dream of an information society into a reality," said Larry Irving, assistant secretary of Commerce and administrator of NTIA.

The conference will feature four panels: "Reinventing Services," which will explore innovations in the delivery of health, public safety, and social services; "Bringing Communities Together," a discussion of how networks can strengthen community ties; "Reducing Disparities," an examination of the challenges facing remote rural and inner city communities," and "Building on Success," in which leaders in the non-profit and public sectors will discuss how to extend the benefits of today's innovations to the rest of the nation.

The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration serves as the principal adviser to the President, Vice President and Secretary of Commerce on domestic and international communications and information issues.

For more information about the conference or to request a copy of the "Networks for People" report, visit NTIA's home page at http://www.ntia.doc.gov or call Judy Sparrow, of TIIAP, at 202-482-2048.

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