THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, February 26, 1996 TAG: 9602260115
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY CATHERINE KOZAK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
America Online, the biggest computer online service in the country, may be interested in providing unlimited free access for Dare County public schools.
Fine, say county officials. But what's the catch?
``Sounds too good to be true,'' Dare County Commissioner Geneva Perry commented upon hearing about the proposal at a recent board meeting.
The Vienna, Va.-based company recently launched a nationwide initiative in support of President Clinton's goal of connecting every classroom to the ``Information Highway'' by the year 2000. The company announced in September that it plans this year to put the service in 2,000 public schools in California.
``You give away all this access for free. It's tax deductible. And the kids get hooked on it,'' said Ken White, owner of The Computer Group in Kitty Hawk and a member of the county Technology Advisory Board. ``I can see the marketing advantage 100 percent.''
But White added that with the service's built-in parental controls, America Online is one of the easiest and safest ways for children to tap into the internet and a myriad of resource references.
The internet, a worldwide computer network, provides links to millions of people and countless sources of information, including libraries.
If America Online is hooked up in the schools, all area subscribers to the service also would benefit by having a local access phone number, White said. Users now have to link on through Rocky Mount or Norfolk, adding substantial amounts to their telephone bills through long-distance tolls.
Dare County Commissioner Clarence Skinner, also a member of the Technology Board, told the commission that bringing America Online to Dare County could be the ``seed project'' for the entire state, at no cost to county government or the school system.
``This would be just another portal to the world for our students,'' Skinner said.
White said Manteo High School and Cape Hatteras School have a computer link through the state's fiber optic system, at a cost of $90 an hour.
Despite some skepticism, both county and school officials have been receptive to America on Line's proposal and plan to write letters to the company expressing their interest, White said. White, who met with America Online representatives at a computer fair last month, said the Technology Board will go through the steps ``as need be.''
``No one has anything to lose and a lot to gain,'' White said.
But if America Online doesn't work out, White said he will explore other possibilities.
``My ultimate goal is, no matter what, there will be internet access in these schools by fall,'' he said. by CNB