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)