Transparency is a popular word these days. It's on the tongue of every oleaginous politician and beleaguered corporate chieftain. But as for actual instances of transparency--in business, government, the news media--well, those instances are still exceedingly rare.

Two states are taking very different approaches when it comes to managing spending cuts and sustaining education technology budgets. In Pennsylvania, Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell has proposed cutting his signature Classrooms for the Future initiative, which provides laptops and training to the state's schools. Maine, despite economic worries of its own, is expanding its one-to-one laptop initiative to all state high schools. Key words: education technology funding, Maine school technology funding, Pennsylvania technology funding, Maine Learning Technology Initiative, Classrooms for the Future, education, technology

Vice President Joe Biden on July 1 outlined a $4.7 billion loan and grant program to develop the infrastructure needed to deliver broadband, or high-speed, internet access to areas that are underserved or without access. Key words: rural broadband access, rural broadband funding, technology access, K-12 technology access, broadband internet, education, technology

Despite a growing interest in online learning among students, the availability of online classes in K-12 schools and districts hasn't kept pace with the demand, according to a new report from Project Tomorrow and Blackboard Inc. Key words: Online learning, K-12 online learning, Project Tomorrow, Blackboard Inc., online learning trends, Learning in the 21st Century: 2009 Trends Update

The National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind are suing Arizona State University over its use of Amazon's Kindle DX electronic reading device as a means of distributing electronic textbooks to students, because the new eBook reader's menu isn't accessible to the blind, Library Journal reports.

In a big break for online shoppers, web retailers generally don't have to charge sales taxes in states where they lack a store or some other physical presence. But increasingly, states aching under the weight of the recession are seeking a way around that rule, reports the Associated Press -- an effort that could have large implications for state education budgets.

The White House on July 2 said it would hold a high-level meeting next week, bringing together top government officials to prepare for the possibility of a more severe outbreak of A(H1N1) flu, AFP reports.

Companies that track consumer behavior online for advertising purposes are vowing to make their practices more transparent and to give people a way to decline being shadowed, reports the Associated Press.

Facebook is overhauling its privacy controls over the next several weeks in an attempt to simplify its users' ability to control who sees the information they share on the site, reports the Associated Press.