• Stimulate job creation and economic development, including the development of a skilled technical workforce.

• Examine policy implications of the use of shared network assets.
   
• Make it easier to access information resources in Nebraska through a knowledge management system.
   
• Use high bandwidth flexible use circuits as community aggregation points and create a statewide, high bandwidth digital content delivery system using satellite, terrestrial and wireless technology.
   
• Improve disaster recovery and business continuity procedures for all public entities, including homeland security preparedness measures.

If you are interested in participating in the workgroups being formed to further develop these action items,  please contact  Lori Lopez Urdiales at 471-3560 or e-mail llopezur@notes.state.ne.us. 

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Communities

Education

State Government

NITC Technology Innovation Grants for Economic Development (TIGER) due Sept. 1
TIGER mini grants target the use of information technology to enhance economic development in Nebraska communities. The range of grant awards is expected to be $1,000 to $5,000. Applications are due September 1, 2005. Guidelines and application materials are available at http://www.nitc.state.ne.us/cc/grants/.

Teens forge forward with the Internet and other new technologies
Teens are heavier users of instant messaging and Internet games than adults. 

Over half of Nebraska farmers have Internet access
Nebraska farmers are above the national average in use of computers for farming business, but about average in Internet access.

PSC opens proceedings on adding four counties to United Way's 2-1-1 service in Nebraska
If pending applications are approved,  36 of Nebraska’s 93 counties will be able to dial 2-1-1 to access free referrals to health and human services agencies.

Lawmakers begin drafting telecom legislation
As expected, Congress has begun drafting telecom legislation which would significantly update the Telecommunications Act of 1996.   Sources of information on telecommunications policy include the Benton Foundation daily Headlines newsletter and the National Journal's Insider Update:  The Telecom Act. 

Conferences and Meetings
Telehealth Subcommittee, Sept. 27, 1:30, Lincoln and video sites
Nebraska Rural Institute, Sept. 20-22, York
Rural Telecommunications Congress, Oct. 9-12, Lexington, KY

Susan Patrick steps down from top ed tech post

You simply must test drive GoogleEarth and MS Virtual Earth

NSF puts $150M into Teragrid

Arizona high school goes totally digital; no printed textbooks

Details of USF Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM)

The next regularly scheduled Education Council Meeting will be a joint meeting with the NITC on Friday, September 16, 2005, 9:00aam-12:00pm in Lincoln.

Upcoming Conferences

EDUCAUSE, Orlando, FL, October 18-21, 2005
NSBA T+L2, Denver, CO, October 26-28, 2005
CoSN, Washington, D.C., March 6-8, 2006
NETA, Omaha, NE, April 27-28, 2006
NDLA, TBA, 2006
NECC, San Diego, CA, July 4-7, 2006
Syllabus, TBA, 2006
MII, Lincoln, NE, July 24-25, 2006

Other Conference Information: http://www.nitc.state.ne.us/itc/education/IT_conferences.htm