For those of you following the forward movement of the Digital Opportunity Investment Trust (www.digitalpromise.org), of which DLF is a supporter as part of their Digital Promise Leadership Coalition, the following announcement and attachments provide an update on the Senate bill re-introduced in the spring.

 

David

 

 

Dear Member of the DO IT Coalition:

 

With major help, hard work and the support from our dedicated friends in the Digital Promise Coalition, the prospects for creating the DO IT Trust Fund grow stronger by the day.  Here is the latest good news from the Hill to keep you informed, up-to-date, and actively involved.  Your efforts are absolutely critical to helping us increase momentum for this landmark legislation in the public interest.

Senate “Dear Colleague” Letter for DO IT Bill Sent to Every Senator Today

 

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Conrad Burns (R-MT) have signed and sent out an impressive “Dear Colleague” letter to their fellow Members of the Senate asking for broad bipartisan co-sponsorship of S. 1023, the Senate DO IT bill reintroduced for the 109^th Congress.  As you can see in the attachment, their “Dear Colleague” letter outlines the basic purposes of the bill and makes the strong connection between DO IT’s proposed investment in R&D for new learning and training technologies and America’s economic competitiveness and national security.  Many of you have already been working on outreach to the House.  The time is now for your targeted help to reinforce the newest “Dear Colleague” letter by reaching out to Members of the Senate and adding a local voice to persuade them to sign on.  A sample letter for your use is also attached to this e-mail and we are standing by to discuss any questions or ideas you may have.  But please send your letters before Congress leaves for August recess! And please keep us informed of your efforts.

 

Testimony at Senate Commerce Committee Hearing Endorses Creation of

DO IT Trust Fund as Part of DTV Bill

 

Two members of the Digital Promise Coalition testified this week about the urgent need for Congress to create DO IT as part of new rules for national policy governing the spectrum used for television. Both John Lawson, President of American Public Television Stations and Michael Calabrese, Vice President of the New America Foundation explained the need for DO IT to create advanced learning technologies for the transformation of education before the Senate Commerce Committee at a daylong hearing on Tuesday, July 12. The hearing was held to discuss the policy implications of a full national transition from analog to digital television signal transmission, also known as the DTV transition. The hearing may have critical implications for passage of DO IT.  DO IT’s Republican sponsors on the Commerce Committee, Senators Snowe and Burns, were on hand as well as other leading Committee Members to hear witnesses from all sectors of the television and spectrum research communities. Lawson and Calabrese pressed on Congress to include the DO IT trust fund in the overall DTV legislation, saying it would be in the best interest of every consumer and the future of television.  Both House and Senate Commerce Committees will be working on DTV bills this fall.  Coalition members with local connections to House and Senate Commerce Committee Members please contact us ASAP so we can talk about how you can add your voice.  We believe we have a major opportunity to get DO IT started here.

 

www.digitalpromise.org