RECORD TYPE: PRESIDENTIAL (TRP NOTES MAIL) CREATOR: Jim Kohlenberger ( CN=Jim Kohlenberger/O=OVP [ OVP ] ) CREATION DATE/TIME: 9-DEC-1996 22:44:18.00 SUBJECT: Redstone group update TO: Gregory C. Simon ( CN=Gregory C. Simon/O=OVP @ OVP [ OVP ] ) READ:UNKNOWN TO: Toby Donenfeld ( CN=Toby Donenfeld/O=OVP @ OVP [ OVP ] ) READ:UNKNOWN TEXT: Greg, Toby said you asked for a copy of the lunch memo (below) and an update on the Redstone group. Update on the Empowerment Zone schools: In talking with both Kassie Cantor and Lynn Forrester, Redstone is going to call the RBOC CEOs whose service areas include the 5 or so worst zones that we identified. I think Ray Smith is going to call Notebardt. They are asking for the modems, phone lines installation, and service that we spoke about to finish the job. They believe we will have the commitments this month. They have not said they can guarantee that the modems etc are actually hooked up this month though. Also know that we are talking with Labor leaders about helping out as well. As for the staff to staff meeting, what I talked to Lynn about was doing a meeting in early January. No one thinks that there is any more to gain on the EZs by doing the meeting this month. In fact by completing the zones without a meeting allows us to get together with a win under our collective belts. By not doing the meeting in December, we can keep them entirely focussed on the Zones this month. For the meeting in January we have talked about what amounts to a seminar with three main agenda items. 1) where are we at as a nation on the four pillars i.e 9% of classrooms connected, 30 to 1 computer ratio etc 2) what are the successful programs across the country, i.e. Netdays, succesful summer teacher training programs etc., that could be replicated on a national scale, 3) what are we as an Administration doing and what are they as individual companies doing now and what are they going to do in the future. Since many of the participants have very divergent views of the group, the thought is that such a meeting will allow everyone to get on the same page, allow the companies to brag about what they are already doing, and tie our administration programs together. Its clear that Viacom got three seperate messages when they met with us, when they met with the FCC and when they met with Commerce. We have some homework of our own to get our folks on the same page. Let me know what you think we need to be doing. Jim =========================================================================== ======= December 4, 1996 MEMORANDUM FOR THE VICE PRESIDENT FROM: JIM KOHLENBERGER TOBY DONENFELD SUBJECT: EMPOWERMENT ZONE EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY UPDATE As you know, last February you set a goal of connecting every Empowerment Zone school to the Information Superhighway this year. What has been done. To meet this goal, AT&T and America On-Line have offered free Internet accounts for each of the 450 schools. The President,s Executive Order on computers has helped us to transfer more than 2500 computers from federal agencies to these schools. The CyberEd truck that you launched from the White House last April has now visited each of the 15 large urban and rural zones, travelling more than 25,000 miles and training 4500 teachers administrators and parents from the zones in the use of the Internet while catalyzing local efforts to support your initiative. Completing the goal. As a result of these efforts, 63% of the EZ schools now have an Internet connection somewhere in the school, putting your goals within reach. The remaining job largely involves providing modems and installing phone lines. We are also having luck working through some of the most challenging problems including schools with asbestos problems, inadequate electrical infrastructure, and schools who aren,t interested. To get the remaining schools on-line we are we are working with the group of CEOs led by Sumner Redstone that you and the President recently announced in Tennessee. We are also working with a group of labor unions who want to help us connect the remaining Empowerment Zone schools. The unions include the AFL-CIO, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) , The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Completion Connecting the Empowerment Zone schools is probably the single largest effort in the country to bridge the gap between information have and have nots. Since you announced this initiative at the Empowerment Zone conference last year, the upcoming Empowerment Zone conference might be the perfect venue for announcing the completion of the goal to connect every Empowerment Zone school. Snowe-Rockefeller As an aside, the recent recommendation by the federal state joint board on Snowe-Rockefeller would give 90% discounts on telecommunications services, inside wiring, Internet service and installation to the poorest schools in the country including the Empowerment Zones.