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All Alabama Public Schools Now Connected to the Internet

The last 142 schools without access now have connectivity.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Gov. Don Siegelman announced this week that all of the state's public schools are connected to the Internet.

In 2000, the state began work on the Smart Schools K-12 Internet connectivity initiative. The goal was to provide Internet access to all public schools and school systems that had no connection and to provide a common source of Internet connection.

The initiative also called for the maximum utilization of federal e-rate funds to assist schools and libraries in obtaining telecommunications and Internet capabilities at lower costs.

In 2001, the Alabama State Department of Education identified 142 schools that had no or inadequate Internet access. Gov. Siegelman provided $2 million in the state education budget and directed the Alabama Supercomputer Authority (ASA) to connect those schools to the Internet.

The ASA recently reported that it had connected the 142 schools and that every public school now is connected to the Internet.

The ASA is a state-funded corporation founded in 1989 to operate the Alabama Supercomputer Center (ASC) and the Alabama Research and Education Network (AREN). The ASC houses the Cray SV1, Alabama's supercomputer. AREN, the ASA's statewide network, provides Internet connectivity to state government, industry, higher education and K-12 schools and school systems within Alabama.

The successful connection of Alabama schools to the Internet provides the foundation for the expansion other technology initiatives, state officials said, such as the Alabama Virtual Library, the Alabama Online High School and teacher technology training.

Office of Gov. Siegelman