III

104TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. RES. 274

To express the sense of the Senate regarding the outstanding achievements

of NetDay96.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JUNE 27, 1996

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mrs. BOXER) submitted the following

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

RESOLUTION

To express the sense of the Senate regarding the outstanding

achievements of NetDay96.

Whereas the children of the United States deserve the finest

preparation possible to face the demands of this Nation’s

changing information-based economy;

Whereas on March 9, 1996, California’s NetDay96 succeeded

in bringing together more than 50,000 volunteers to install the wiring infrastructure necessary to connect classrooms, from kindergarten to the high school level (K–12),

to the Information Superhighway and bring them the

educational benefits of contemporary technology;

Whereas California’s NetDay96 succeeded in wiring 3,500

K–12 schools efficiently and cost-effectively, while establishing and improving classroom information infrastructure;
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Whereas NetDay96 organizers created a World Wide Web

site (http://www.netday96.com/) with an on-line database

of all schools, where individuals with a shared interest in

upgrading technology in their schools can locate each

other and form communities with a lasting interest in

their schools;

Whereas NetDay96 stresses educational opportunity for everyone by reaching out to rural and lower income communities to equalize access to current technology;

Whereas the relationships formed on NetDay96 between

schools and their communities will last well beyond

March 9, 1996, and other states are already planning to

organize future NetDay activities, for this October and

beyond, that build and expand upon the initial achievements of the NetDay96 activities;

Whereas NetDay96 has substantially increased the visibility

of educational technology issues;

Whereas NetDay96 enables schools to move into the information age through community and cyberspace-based action;

Whereas students and schools benefit from significant

NetDay96 corporate sponsorship, including MCI, America Online, Netscape, Netcom, Earthlink, who all agreed

to provide free Internet access to every K–12 school in

California, AT&T, Pacific Bell, Sun Microsystems, and

hundreds of other companies, who contributed by sponsoring individual schools, providing wiring kits, and helping to design and test the networks;

Whereas NetDay96 will help facilitate the placement of educational technology, such as computer hardware, software, Internet and technical services, and teaching aids
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and training material, in the hands of schools through

NetDay96 activities nationwide;

Whereas NetDay96 and future NetDay activities across

America will save schools and taxpayers millions of dollars in technology startup costs;

Whereas President Clinton and Vice President Gore participated in California’s NetDay96 activities and support the

expansion of NetDay96 activities throughout the Nation

in an effort to increase the level of technology in this Nation’s classrooms and to enhance the ability of children

to learn; and

Whereas the Administration plans to work with NetDay96

organizers and corporate sponsors including Sun Microsystems, Cisco Systems, and BellSouth, to organize a national conference to allow States that are planning or

considering NetDay96 activities to learn from each others’ experience: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that—

2 (1) the organizers, coordinators, and volunteers

3 of NetDay96 throughout the Nation should be com4 mended for their actions;

5 (2) NetDay96’s success in California should be

6 used as a positive model in other States throughout

7 the Nation, this year and in future years;

8 (3) NetDay96 should be expanded nationwide

9 to assist students, parents, and schools across the

10 country, so that they may obtain the full benefits of

11 computer equipment and networks, strengthen their
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1 educations, and begin careers with more skills and

2 opportunities in order to help them compete more

3 successfully in the global economy;

4 (4) businesses, students, parents, educators,

5 and unions throughout the country should consider

6 organizing NetDay96 activities in their communities

7 to provide similar opportunities for their schools;

8 and

9 (5) the Senate affirms its support of

10 NetDay96’s commitment to have United States

11 classrooms fitted with the needed technological infra12 structure for the 21st century.

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