Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2010 10:03 AM
To: NIMAS General Interest Group
Subject: [Nimas.ig] Congress wants an e-book reader for low-income kids
http://arstechnica.com/telecom/news/2010/02/congress-wants-an-e-book-reader-for-low-income-kids.ars
By Matthew Lasar | Last updated February 10, 2010 4:04 PM
The holidays have come and gone, but it looks like Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) has yet to take off his Santa suit. He's submitted a new bill that would update the Federal Communications Commission's E-Rate program, which subsidizes computer equipment and Internet connectivity for schools. Markey's proposed E-Rate 2.0 act (H.R. 4619) would, among other provisions, set up a pilot program allowing low-income school kids to apply for "significantly discounted services and technologies for the use of e-books."