Educators have been critized for being unable to develop any firm plans for the use of Australia's Domestic Communications Satellite (AUSSAT). However, conferences, talks, and papers have resulted in some significant achievements. First, it is now possible to raise issues of communications and telecommunications planning at the very highest administrative levels in many state or territory departments of education; second, the glamor and publicity surrounding AUSSAT has led to a re-examination of educational telecommunications in general; and third, AUSSAT'S recent price structure announcement made specific reference to educational users. It now remains for (1) educational planners to realize that they have been encouraged to use AUSSAT; (2) the infrastructure which will result from recent government decisions on access to AUSSAT to be carefully examined; (3) negotiation to be pursued with potential Radiated Subscription Television Services for use of their facility to distribute educational and other non-commercial programming, if such a service is launched; and (4) funding of communication planning studies in the educational and non-profit sectors to be made a priority. AUSSAT's most important benefit might be in encouraging planners to examine their present and future communication system needs rationally. (LMM)