Date: Sat, 9 Sep 1995 20:18:04 -0400 (EDT)
From: James Mitchell <jmitche2@email.unc.edu>
Subject: NTIA and TIIAP Program 


Hello Folks, 

The Republicans are at it again, and now they are trying to cut off 
funding to the nations information infrastructure.  THE INTERNET!  I ask 
you to please call, write, fax, and e-mail your Reps. and Senators to ask 
them to PLEASE restore funding for NTIA and TIIPA.  

The following may be used as a template for sending e-mail to Congress.  
Please feel free to reword this letter to your own sytle.  

Thanks, and let's hope that we can win this one, or the Internet may be 
severly limited to only those who are rich enough to afford it.

peace,

----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Dear       ,

I am writing you today to ask you to PLEASE work to preserve the NTIA 
(National Telecommunications Infomation Administration) and TIIAP 
(Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program). 

I believe that these programs are extremely important, and I know that our 
area has directly benefited from the TIIAP helping to fund Charlotte's Web.  
(Charlotte's Web is a participant in Year 1 of the TIIAP grants and 
has applied for a second year of support.)

It is my understanding that a bill was approved on September 7 by the Senate 
Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary 
that funds these departments and related agencies for FY 1996.  Among 
the agencies most drastically affected by the subcommittee action was NTIA.  
The Subcommittee completely zeroed out FY96 funding for many of NTIA's 
programs such as TIIAP.  Further, the $36 million in grants about to be 
awarded to 1995 TIIAP applicants would also be rescinded.  

The TIIAP grants, also called Information Infrastructure Grants, are
intended to promote widespread access to advanced information technologies.
The program supports projects that provide visible examples of how an
information infrastructure can impact local access to services by 
providing information on education and healthcare.

It is also my understanding that the full Senate Appropriations Committee is 
scheduled to consider the bill on Monday, September 11.  Zeroing out a 
modest information infrastructure program when thousands of applicants have 
already, in good faith, devoted time and resources to developing 
applications, securing community partners and matching funds, and when 
the peer review process has already taken place, and awards are about to 
be announced, is not a productive or cost effective action.

I ask you to please contact your colleagues in the both the Senate and 
House and tell them of the importance of full funding for NTIA and TIIAP.  
And when the time comes - PLEASE vote to preserve this statewide resource.

Thank you for you help in this matter.

Sincerely,