Founded in 1974 to introduce community service organizations to the medium of half-inch video, today NTR continues to bridge the gap between low-income people and the communication technologies they can not afford. Working closely with the community organizations it serves, NTR envisions the transformation of whole neighborhoods in Philadelphia into havens for technology-based learning by distributing tens of thousands of used computers to individuals and families and equipping dozens of community-based learning centers with computers. NTR's programs are based on the observation that, once whetted, the appetite for "computer consumerism" fosters an interest in learning that will help to stimulate neighborhood economies and help children gain access to computers at home.