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This final report describes the activities and outcomes of OPTICA (Our Path Together Initiating Cultural Access) programs. For each program an information sheet indicates the goal, total participation, status of the goal, and activities of the program. Programs included: (1) Hands On: ASL Creative Story Telling, a program that used children's books to introduce translating, to develop visual locations, and to show usage of classifiers, role shifting, visual description, gesture, mime, visual vernacular, and poetry; (2) Kids ASL Theater Camp, a program in which three teachers worked with children with and without deafness to teach them juggling, mime, body sox movement, and a skit; (3) media classes that developed a televised community forum called Ear News and produced programs on how to use an interpreter, accessible community events, and self help; (4) $1 Movie Nights that showed movies relating to individuals with deafness and empowerment; (5) ASL Performers, a program that showcased storytellers using American Sign Language; (6) Total Accommodations Cultural Access Tapes, a program in which students were assigned to produce one 30-second public service announcement; (7) the Opening Doors to Art/Culture/Heritage Options; and (8) the television show: Using an Interpreter: A Consumers Perspective," which reached approximately 280,000 households. (CR)

The Lifetime Television Network has established itself within the cable industry as the only network that explicitly gendercasts its programming. Lifetime specifically markets itself as "Television for Women"; however, what that means exactly is not clear. On the one hand, Lifetime does not want to be noted as the "feminist network." Yet, former President and CEO, Douglas McCormick claims that Lifetime is "more responsive to women's interests" because it "[tries] to portray women in ways that move us all forward to a greater sense of enlightenment and understanding." A discourse analysis is used to examine the major themes in Lifetime's made-for-cable movies--success, psyche, sexuality, and standardized beauty. The analysis reveals that Lifetime portrays white, upper/middle class, young/middle aged, heterosexual, physically beautiful, strong-willed, emotionally charged, sexual objects and procreators in its original movies. While Lifetime's movies do address some women's issues, they concurrently contain and undermine feminism by consistently reasserting that women cannot "have it all." Contains 22 references; an appendix lists 19 movie titles and premier dates. (Author/RS)

This cable television industry report provides a sampling of case studies and overviews which describe cable operator, multiple system operator (MSO), and program networks' initiatives, resources, and support for education and the communities they serve. The information focuses on the following categories: Cable in the Classroom; cable's high speed education connection; distance learning; school/home connections; professional development; the Universal Service Fund; programming and online curriculum; media literacy/anti-violence efforts; student/teacher training in news writing and production; community events/outreach; and contests/grants/scholarships. (MES)

Since 1996, the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) has tracked and reported the availability and the quality of programming specifically designed for children. This report evaluates the availability and quality of children's programming in the 1998-99 season and examines factors that may have influenced the quality and quantity of programming. The first part reviews a decade of significant changes in children's television and the influence of those changes on the current state of programming, including the regulatory environment, economic environment, industry structure, and internal constraints. An analysis of the current state of children's programming in the Philadelphia market is presented in the second part. Factors examined include venue, time, audience, educational content, character diversity, violence, language, sexual innuendo/provocative dress, and quality. The third part summarizes the findings and discusses the implications of this research for children's television in the next millennium. Appendices include a table of APPC high quality programs, intercoder reliability coefficients, programming venues, and an outline of programming features for children of different ages. (Contains 38 references and 38 endnotes.) (AEF)

This paper describes the state of interactive distance learning in Connecticut, particularly the current and future provision of these services by the telecommunications and cable television industries. The overview examines questions of where obligation and responsibility lie (with schools, local exchange companies, cable franchises, etc.) in situations that require money and equipment. It also discusses Connecticut's approach to other social and economic questions of providing distance learning necessities, including essential classroom equipment, personnel, and in-school support services. This paper takes the position that the state's Department of Public Utility Control's most appropriate regulatory function is to balance the degree of support provided by the telecommunications and cable industries while still providing for the public good. Further highlights include the role of distance learning in expanding classroom education at various levels, the impact of deregulation on distance learning in Connecticut, and Connecticut's Educational Technology Plan guidelines. Appendices provide a list of distance learning classroom equipment; a map indicating distance learning projects in the state; and diagrams of the distance learning classroom. (Author/AEF)

The Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) surveyed 119 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) members to gather information about current distance education and distance learning initiatives in ARL libraries. The objectives of the survey were to: (1) identify libraries involved in distance education activities and determine the extent or level of involvement; (2) determine library services delivered to remote patrons; and (3) ascertain the management and support provided by libraries for distance learning (interactive video) programs. The survey had a response rate of 62% (n=74), with 62% of the respondents (n=46) indicating that their institution participates in distance education programs. Types of distance education programs identified included interactive video distance learning, instructors traveling to remote sites, videotaped courses, as well as communication by Internet, correspondence, satellite, and cable TV. Only seven of the libraries at institutions participating in distance education have responsibility for administering the campus program. Very few of the libraries are involved in the technical aspects of distance learning, but approximately half of the respondents are involved in instructional support for faculty. Survey results are followed by general information, library services, and course-related materials from a variety of university distance learning programs. (SWC)

Many American schools use the televised news programs Channel One and CNN Newsroom. Channel One has received considerable scrutiny, some of it highly unfavorable, while attention to CNN Newsroom has been less extensive and mostly benign. This study compares the two programs within seven school districts in Wisconsin. The study addresses three basic areas: (1) how each district chose and implemented CNN Newsroom and Channel One; (2) how schools delivered the programs to students; and (3) how students and staff perceived the impact of a specific program on students' learning. The seven-district region examined included 22 high schools. All teachers, principals, and students received survey forms. Administrators were queried on how they made decisions, on options they took for implementation, on their familiarity with state guidelines, on whether they followed a written material selection policy, and on the rationale for their choice. Questionnaires for teachers elicited responses on their evaluation of television as a learning tool, whether they would recommend it to colleagues, on whether they required students to pay attention, on whether they used it as a basis of classroom discussion about current events, and on how they integrated the program into the curriculum. Questionnaires requested students to respond to items concerning their attention to the programs, their assessment of their learning, the integration of the programs into classroom discussions, their non-classroom sources of news, and their attention to commercials. Schools using CNN Newsroom and those using Channel One differed considerably: CNN schools had active teacher involvement in choice and administrators' strong belief in quality; Channel One schools' decisions rested with the administration and board with teacher requests playing no obvious part. For neither program did state requirements seem to carry much importance. Seven tables present study results. (Contains 37 references.) (Author/AEF)

A study profiled college radio stations and explored the feasibility of a college radio network. A mail survey was sent in April 1995 to 1,469 college radio stations (including broadcast stations, carrier current stations, closed-circuit campus stations, radiating cable FM, and cable television access stations). A total of 228 surveys were returned for a response rate of 16%. Results indicated that 66% of the stations had done some type of audience research, with 34.7% of those using the Arbitron ratings or some other industry standard; 64% had done a station survey themselves and 26.7% had had a non-station survey conducted for them. Regarding respondents' interest in carrying out an audience survey, 21% said it was a top priority and 47% are considering it. Among other results: 68% of respondents were restricted by their licenses from running commercials, which compared with nearly 13% who had no restrictions whatsoever on running commercials; only about 4% reported that they were restricted by institutional policy from running any underwriting, and 61% reported no restrictions on underwriting. Results also indicated that over 21% of respondents were extremely interested and 49% had some interest in professional quality made available to them through a satellite network. Findings suggest that over 70% of the respondents were FCC licensed, operating in the 100 to 3,000 watt range, and over half of the broadcast stations operated at least 12 hours per day, 365 days a year. (CR)

A university teacher of English as a Second Language describes the use of CNN Newsroom materials to teach listening skills. The basic news broadcast materials, including video and audio tapes, are provided by CNN, and have been developed by the teacher into instructional units. A classroom guide is available on the Internet. The instruction is designed for middle- to high-advanced students of English. Further development of the course is expected to lead to several types of classes, one using a standard video/audiocassette procedure, one using school-produced taped questions and answers, and one involving note-taking and question-and answer followup discussion. A step-by-step classroom procedure currently used with the video and audio tapes is described. The rationale and pedagogical basis for conducting this class, based on a review of literature, are also explained. Three principles in developing tests based on the materials are outlined: test questions should constitute a communicative interchange between test writer and test-taker; test questions should be easy to process; and it is the test writer's responsibility to define, identify, and subsequently remove any potential difficulties in the test. Some considerations in developing materials are offered. (Contains 20 references.) (MSE)

Franchise fees are a tax imposed on a private entity to compensate a municipality for use of a public property for private gain. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 grants municipalities the right to assess a 5% franchise fee to both cable companies and competitors of cable companies, such as operators of open video systems. The Minnesota State Department of Public Service surveyed all municipalities, telephone companies, telecommunication carriers, investor-owned natural gas utilities, investor-owned electric utilities, and cable communications companies in the state of Minnesota to collect data on franchise fee collection and use. The survey identified 209 municipalities that access franchise fees on cable communication companies. Franchise fee collection is the most prevalent with cable companies, which are also required by state law to provide access channels for public, educational, and government (PEG) access. The four technologies capable of delivering subscription video services are standard cable television, open video systems, wireless cable, and direct broadcast satellite. Only standard cable television is both subject to a franchise fee on all gross revenues and is also a technology which is fully compatible with local PEG access requirements. The government must regulate its fee and requirement policy to prevent increased consumer subscription costs and loss of competition among competing technologies, and to maintain current franchise fee revenue and PEG access. The document includes the following sections: (1) Background on Franchise Fees and Public, Educational and Government Fees; (2) Franchise Fees (amount collected, use of franchise fees); (3) PEG Access (PEG programming and viewership); (4) Video Technologies, Franchise Fees, and PEG Access; (5) Recommendations for a State Policy Regarding Franchise Fees and Related Compensation; and (6) Conclusion. (Author/SWC)

This paper presents an overview of the regulatory, technological, and economic status of interactive distance learning in Connecticut as it relates to the current and future provisioning of services by the telecommunications and cable television industries. The review is predicated upon the following questions: (1) What obligations should the company assume regarding educational equipment and what costs commensurate with outside distribution plant should be the operator's responsibility? (2) What equipment and distribution plant should schools and municipalities themselves be responsible for providing? (3) To what extent and in what manner should the various educational programming costs be allocated? (4) How can both local exchange companies, interexchange carriers, and cable franchise operators best serve the state's educational technology needs, particularly in a newly competitive telecommunications environment? Connecticut has a unique approach to the social question of provisioning the distance learning equipment necessary for educational programming, production, and origination, including essential classroom equipment, personnel, and in-school support services in terms of responsibility of both the local educational entities and the concomitant responsibility of a government agency such as the state's Department of Public Utility Control. The Department's most appropriate function is to balance both the degree of support provided by the telecommunications and cable industries to avoid effectuating monopolist control over educational services so as best to provide for the public good. Maps and diagrams are appended. (Author/BEW)

Each of New Mexico's public higher education institutions was asked to provide information on their extended learning activities in 1994-95, their planned activities for 1995-96, their funding needs and priorities, and preliminary extended learning cost information. Twenty of 24 institutions were able to provide the requested information. For this survey, extended learning was defined as the full range of available and developing modes for bringing instruction to learners and includes all off-campus courses offered within New Mexico for resident academic credit by the postsecondary educational institutions. Seventeen institutions reported extended learning activities, offering a total of 983 courses to students (51 percent of whom were at the undergraduate level). Two-thirds of the courses were provided by four-year institutions. Ten institutions used technological delivery of instruction; 13 institutions sent faculty to remote sites; and six institutions did both. The number of extended learning courses increased 45 percent over 1993-94 and the courses were available in 71 communities, primarily through the growing statewide Extended Learning Initiative. To insure the development of coordinated and interconnected regional and statewide extended learning programs, it is imperative that the state of New Mexico provide adequate financial support. (JLS)

Primary research (in-depth telephone interviews) was conducted among elementary and secondary school educators in Spring 1995 to determine usage, attitudes, and barriers to usage for five electronic in-school services: Cable in the Classroom; computers, laserdisc or CD-ROM; Internet; online computer services such as America Online and Prodigy; and Channel One. A total of 1,000 educators with cable in schools were interviewed: 600 teachers and media coordinators, 300 principals, and 100 school district administrators. Survey data are analyzed for teachers and media coordinators separately from principals and administrators. Results show that: (1) in schools connected to cable, 85% of teachers and media coordinators used computers, laserdisc or CD-ROM, 58% used Cable in the Classroom programming, Internet and online services were used by 16% and 13% of teachers and media coordinators, respectively, and Channel One was used by 19%; (2) administrators and principals tended to underestimate the extent to which teachers and media coordinators were using electronic services; (3) factors such as lack of knowledge about the service, workshops or training, time to learn how to use, and access to cable, telephone or data lines were significant barriers; (4) well over half the respondents felt that online services and the Internet prepare young people for the information age, facilitate exchange of information between schools and learning centers, support schools and teachers through community services, and assist teachers' professional development; (5) educators' perceptions of each electronic service seemed to be influenced by the extent of their training; (6) Cable in the Classroom programming was considered much easier to use and more effective in teaching whole classes of students than either the Internet or online services, and was considered somewhat easier and more effective than computers, laserdisc, or CD-ROM; and (7) the most frequently used in-school television programming was provided by PBS (Public Broadcast System), the Discovery Channel, and CNN (Cable News Network). Eleven figures and one table illustrate data. (MAS)

The Connecticut State Legislature enacted telecommunications legislation on July 1, 1994 that will, among other things, enhance distance education in the state. The legislation requires that the state's regulatory utility agency, the Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) begin dismantling the monopolistic configuration of the existing local exchange network and the individualized components of various subscriber services. Remote educational opportunities in both the cable television and telecommunications technologies are enhanced through the elimination of prior restrictions on two-way cable transmissions, allowing expansion for educational programming purposes. On July 1, 1995, the state adopted a bill that will establish a communications grant program for all public schools and libraries, and established the Connecticut Library Network, a networked expansion of the State Library's existing state-wide database. The following are offered as examples of the state's initiatives in distance education: Telecommunications Incentive Grant (TIG) funding by the Southern New England Telephone Company (SNET), Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES), SNET's electronic information network, I-SNET, and classroom reconfigurations. Additional legislation established a committee on shared information technology and an educational grant program dedicated to funding projects tied to Connecticut's electronic superhighway, and approved a proposal for a distance learning pilot program and educational information highway which would link 14 New Haven area towns to an interactive video network to be shared among 15 school districts. The influence of telecommunications legislation on remote education and jobs, urban versus rural learning, and multimedia teleconferencing is discussed. Connecticut's communications network infrastructure, always lagging behind the concomitant regulatory and legislative framework, is beginning to develop the broadband capabilities necessary for distance learning, and ultimately will be capable of supporting multiple types of data use and transfer. Five tables illustrate data. (Contains 56 references.) (MAS)

Connecticut has proposed legislation to augment the remote education infrastructure which includes public libraries, public schools, and institutions of higher learning. The purpose of one bill is to explore the possibilities of transmitting interactive distance education to all schools intrastate and to classify public libraries at a cheaper government rate for telephone and online computer services. A second bill seeks to establish a joint standing committee to implement a program that would give grants to public libraries in towns where per capita income is below the state average. Connecticut's distance education protocols are being driven by the state's various technological initiatives, such as the I-SNET (Southern New England Telephone Company), a fiber-optic infrastructure for the transmission of voice, video, data, and for interactive television; approximately half of Connecticut's cable operators have functioning remote education protocols. The proposed legislation intends to supply Internet on-ramps in many small Connecticut towns and to effectuate the use of satellite and cable television technology. Pending legislation called the "School Construction Grant Program" seeks to reimburse schools from 40 to 100 percent of technology construction costs, based on the district's wealth. Senior learning, advanced foreign language programs, and cultural awareness can all benefit from interactive distance learning. Most of the state's public schools are not equipped to accommodate new technologies, many computers are archaic, and the majority of teachers have not been adequately trained in the use of educational technology. Opponents of electronic classrooms cite the lack of a human element and high installation and access costs. Tables and figures provide information on Connecticut cable franchise areas; SNET links to learning; cable classroom equipment costs; two-way interactive classroom set-up; and Connecticut's proposed educational technology infrastructure. (Contains 48 notes, all containing references.) (AEF)

Much of the debate over interactive television has focused on immediate push-button access to a wide range of high quality, full motion video programs. Public broadcasters need to position themselves for the coming age of digital transmission; they can do this by concentrating on transition services that offer increased interaction with less risk than do the most complex and high bandwidth on-demand services. While the total vision of interactive television is still some years away, the delivery of data services along with television programs is not a new idea. Audio-subcarrier and various vertical blanking interval (VBI) text services using closed captioning decoders have been tested. Although they were discarded for the most part, datacasting is beginning to make a comeback as decoding devices are becoming affordable. Two commercial projects, StarSight Telecast and the Interactive Network, illustrate services possible now with low-cost datacasters in the home. Spread-spectrum digital radio will soon offer an alternative upstream response channel for future interactive applications. Coupling this with a datacast channel and receiving devices of sufficient memory can mimic a direct online connection. Stations should be considering what they can deliver when datacasting really takes off. Two figures illustrate the discussion. (SLD)

In a recent study of the Tampa (Florida) market, TRAC Media Services acquired some interesting information about the market's response to its two public television stations. WEDU is a VHF-signal community station that reaches about 745,000 households in a week, and WUSF is a university-licensed UHF station that reaches about 547,000. Month-long metered viewing data from the Tampa area were purchased from the Nielsen rating service. Of the metered homes in the market, 86% had viewed 1 or both of the public stations in the past 28 days. In fact, 48% of households had watched on 14 days or more, and 21% had watched on 21 days. Only 10% of the homes viewed only 1 genre on public television. In addition, 75% of the core audience for public television consisted of households without children. There were no significant differences in terms of education, age, sex of household head, or cable status for the core viewing households. Nature/travel and how-to shows accounted for the largest share of the viewing (73% and 57%, respectively) on both stations. Unique programs telecast on WUSF did not demonstrate much viewer appeal. The relationship between the two stations in terms of competing for viewers and the use of two stations for time shifting of programs viewed will be the subjects of further research. (SLD)

A wide variety of media subjects are discussed in an introductory mass communication course at Southern Arkansas University, and one of the most popular instructional sections with students is "infomercials." This paper acquaints students with the history, scope, and controversy surrounding the infomercial genre. It first explains that infomercials are 30-minute program-length advertisements seen on cable television networks and broadcast affiliates. It then examines infomercials as a genre seeking legitimacy, looking at them from a number of perspectives. The new trend of mainstream corporations producing infomercials is also considered. Some of the questions the paper addresses are: how much money the infomercial business generates; what the cost of producing an infomercial is; who the major producers are; what are the types of products for which they are most effective; and what the cost of buying 30 minutes on cable television is. Elements in the paper are discussed as an instructional unit, interspersed with viewing segments or edited clips of infomercials in class. As a result, the paper states, students better understand how advertising, marketing, demographics, psychology, self-esteem, and emotional appeals are just some of the factors that can lead to the success or failure of infomercials. Contains 30 references. (NKA)

This study analyzes court records of a county-level trial in Austin, Texas, in which erotized AIDS-HIV safer-sex information shown on a public access cable television program was claimed by the State of Texas to be obscene. This trial raised questions regarding such issues as: free access to information, especially through new technological devices advanced by the information superhighway concept; the need for life-saving health information; and the impact of culture and social norms on how people are allowed to receive and encouraged to process information. The nature of the sexual value controversy in American society is outlined, and it is explained how erotic materials, although defended and used by many as a legitimate form of safer-sex information, often conflict with broad-based sexual and community values. The study considers how the provision of erotized, HIV-AIDS information products can be a form of radical political actions designed to force societal change. Legal literature related to First Amendment issues is examined; and legal reviews are used to highlight major issues which emerged during the trial and appeal process, and which seem important to broadly defined First Amendment rights and the dissemination of HIV-AIDS and safer-sex information through libraries, information centers, and emerging electronic information systems. Court record analysis includes statements from the defendants, opening final arguments for the state and the defendants, closing final arguments of the state, and the appeal of the convictions. (Contains 41 references.) (MAS)

This paper synthesizes speculation in the professional literature about the future impact of multimedia. Many experts believe that multimedia will soon become the major focus of entertainment dollars and time because its versatility gives it the potential to be a very powerful way to communicate ideas and search for information. In its current state multimedia's quality cannot always measure up to individual media at their best, but it does allow information to be experienced with the senses and emotions as well as the intellect. Multimedia is causing a revolution in instructional methods by making learning interactive and self-paced. The video game and entertainment industry is being changed by multimedia, too, albeit more slowly. Film history stretches back for a century, but only recently have there appeared a variety of ways to access films: in the cinema, on videotapes, on premium cable, or on broadcast television. Even though the financial market for multimedia seems poised to explode, this paper suggests that computer multimedia may not emerge as another significant choice in visual entertainment because the computer screen is not large enough to captivate large groups or offer social events in the same way that television and movie screens do. (Contains 12 references.) (BEW)

This paper is concerned with the recent developments in federal and state legislation regarding cable franchises and their effect on the establishment of a statewide distance learning network. It begins with an overview of recent legislation regarding cable regulations and presents issues regarding distance education. These include linking cable franchises with new trunking cable, allowing single signals to be received by single towns; remote educational protocols; and developing educational programming agreements. Regulatory enhancements and their effects on educational programming are examined. Video dial tone trials which allow video programming over traditional copper lines are introduced. Remote educational protocols for distance networks are discussed. Federal initiatives have given money and legislation to be used in developing regional educational networks. The changes that advances in technology have made in distance education are examined. Finally, the implications of these new developments for Connecticut are identified. (JLB)

The Connecticut State Legislature has adopted sweeping telecommunications legislation that will enhance distance education in the state through cable television and telecommunications technologies. This legislation eradicates the delimitation on cable operators of one-way transmission of cable signals and removes the primary statutory restriction on two-way instructional programming broadcasts. Connecticut's educational telecommunications innovations are funded through sources that include grants from the Southern New England Telephone Company (SNET). SNET's electronic information network, I-SNET, is a network that will be constructed over 15 years to facilitate a mixture of entertainment options and business applications. Distance education will be a major beneficiary of network services. The state's evolving information infrastructure is enabling the state to narrow the educational gap between its rural and urban areas in elementary, secondary, and higher education. A pilot program, "Knowledge Plus," is being established as a testing ground for research and development in remote education. Background information on this program and other initiatives is outlined. Four tables present information about program development. (SLD)

Remote education has arrived in Connecticut and is promising to expand, as this discussion of its development, progress, and difficulties demonstrates. In June 1993, state legislation mandated a feasibility study of ways to bring about bidirectional educational programming among Connecticut's 26 cable-franchise operators. Cost allocation for the remote educational architecture remains an undefined area with the question of what franchisers and the state should pay, undecided. Another issue is that of the legal implications of local access. Connecticut has not yet adopted a regulatory stance for these issues but is suggesting a focus on community needs. Equipment provisioning is another area that is not yet defined, although 14 of the 26 operators have begun some distance-education efforts. Of additional interest are the role of national organizations and companies and questions of ensuring the quality of programming. Connecticut franchise operators are poised to fit into developing systems and are beginning to replace unidirectional coaxial cable with bidirectional fiber-optic cable to facilitate development. A map locates the state's cable operators. (SLD)

Connecticut has adopted a moderate approach to communications infrastructure modernization, covering a 4-year implementation period from 1993 to 1996. The state's remote educational framework, with regulatory enhancements, will allow the state to be technologically competitive with neighboring states as it allows subscribers to use evolving technologies. The Connecticut State Department of Public Utility Control has recently embarked on this regulatory structure to facilitate quality of instructional programming for the state's 26 cable franchise operators (CATV) and other telecommunications (TELCO) operators. The state has progressed from having no regulatory policy on remote educational policy to adopting regulations compelling implementation of quality standards and making information available on the extent and magnitude of instructional programming, as well as assessing the significance of interconnecting institutions across the state. What remains unclear in Connecticut is the cost allocation for the remote educational programs. It remains to be seen how operators will allocate costs corresponding to distance learning. Formation of the statewide informational distance learning network will produce positive outcomes that include increased teacher professionalism, expanded understanding among members of the educational community, and overcoming barriers to learning. Three tables illustrate the discussion. (SLD)

This paper describes the installation of a data network in the community of Glenview, Illinois, which uses broadband cable equipment to connect schools, libraries, and governmental agencies to each other and to the Internet via a high speed Ethernet network. The history of the project is outlined followed by a discussion of the implementation of the network. It is noted that a strong effort was made to provide the same services to all users of the network. The services available include electronic mail, telnet, file transfer protocol (FTP), Gopher, World Wide Web (WWW), the online public access catalogs (OPACs) of local libraries, and, to a limited audience, USENET news. The technical aspects, site setups, equipment used, and the operation and maintenance of the network are examined. Finally, several lessons learned from the implementation of the project are presented: (1) the cable plant was old, unused, and untested, and required more time to make it operational; (2) initial lack of expertise to make the broadband cable equipment operational in an outdoor, public television cable environment caused conflict between two of the installers of the system; (3) the equipment is both temperature and signal level sensitive; (4) users anticipated problems where there were none, hesitated to try new things, or failed to realize what was available; and (5) political realities kept some sites from connecting. A system to deliver Internet connectivity to the home via the public cable is currently being explored. (JLB)