Distance Education Planningone of the most important consequences of distance learning during the 1990s will be the accelerated removal of the traditional barriers to competition among postsecondary institutions for students and institutional resources. Most states are confronted with conflicts between institutions that want to limit this new competition, and hence prevent the growth of distance learning programs, and those institutions that want the removal of all barriers. This will be a problem at the interstate and national levels, where the power of state agencies to regulate the delivery of distance education programs into their states may not exist, and will undoubtedly lead to calls for intervention by the federal government and regional accrediting associations. It is hoped that the Western Governors' University will create a model that will show how educational institutions can collaborate and grow an even larger need for education.