****Begin File*************Begin File**************Begin File**** ***************************************************************** ISSN 1069-7799 ALAWON ALA Washington Office Newsline An electronic publication of the American Library Association Washington Office Volume 5, Number 1 January 26, 1996 In this issue: (130 lines) HOUSE PASSES CONTINUING RESOLUTION, H.R. 2880 TELECOMMUNICATIONS BILL STALLED; CONFERENCE COMMITTEE COMPLETES PRELIMINARY NEGOTIATIONS ***************************************************************** HOUSE PASSES CONTINUING RESOLUTION, H.R. 2880 For education programs, the latest pending continuing resolution, H.R. 2880, provides for funding through March 15th at a level that is the LOWER of either the House passed, the Senate passed, or FY95 current rate. H.R. 2880 was approved by the House on January 25 and is being debated at this writing in the Senate. Programs that were terminated in the House FY96 Labor, HHS, Education appropriations bill may be funded at a rate not to exceed 75% of the current rate, with a few exceptions. For library programs, the Department of Education is releasing as much funding as each temporary measure allows for LSCA I, II, and III. No funding is being provided at this time for LSCA VI or HEA-II. ***************************************************************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS BILL STALLED; CONFERENCE COMMITTEE COMPLETES PRELIMINARY NEGOTIATIONS The House-Senate conference committee on telecommunications reform legislation, S.652, has completed its preliminary work. An unofficial draft report has been leaked so extensively that it is essentially public. It has good news and bad news. SNOWE-ROCKEFELLER-KERREY-EXON AMENDMENT: The good news is that the SRKE amendment, which would provide discounted telecommunications rates for K-12 schools, libraries and rural health care providers, has been retained in the conference report. Should S.652 pass and be signed by President Clinton, this provision would authorize the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish policies in conjunction with FCC-state joint boards, that determine affordable rates for schools, libraries and rural health care providers as part of universal service policies. INTERNET CONTENT RESTRICTIONS: Unfortunately, the bad news is grave. Internet content restrictions remain in the bill and would cause severe problems for libraries. The latest language regarding content restrictions would still make mere display of "indecent" material over online computer services a criminal offense -- a provision that could seriously threaten libraries as providers and publishers of online information. ALA has argued that no such new restrictions are necessary; existing law on obscenity should be sufficient to address these issues. If Congress "must" pass such new legislation, library advocates argued that it should not be based on the overly-broad "indecency" criteria and that there, at the very least, should be no new criminal penalties. The latest language on Internet content restrictions is based on work by Rep. Rick White (R-WA) to try and find a compromise between the Exon amendment in the Senate version and the Cox-Wyden provision and Hyde amendment in the House bill. PROGNOSIS: The conference committee began its deliberations on S. 652 in mid-November. Their work started with the Senate version of the Telecommunications Competition and Deregulation Act, passed last June. It was conferenced with H.R. 1555 passed by the House passed in August. Conferees or their staff members worked extensively through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. When the final draft was "leaked" there appeared to be a bipartisan agreement in the conference committee. Senator Pressler (R-SD), as chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, repeatedly indicated that a bill would move forward in the first part of 1996. As soon as Vice President Al Gore and some Democrats praised the bi-partisan agreement on S. 652, some House Republicans questioned the validity of the consensus and threatened to delay or kill any such agreements. More recently, Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole (R-KS) proposed helping to balance the budget by revisiting the concept of spectrum auctions for broadcasters to obtain valuable new spectrum space (space that will be especially lucrative with digitization). Some observers wonder whether this bill will be passed in the 104th Congress. There is such a delicate balance between the many complex and competing interests with stakes in the telecommunications bill, that raising questions about any part of it potentially opens up renegotiations on any or all other aspects of the bill. When President Clinton indicated his support for S. 652 during his State of the Union address,(especially the V-chip provision) it seemed passage might be more likely. It is difficult to predict the outcome. More to come on this issue. ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is an irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004. Internet: alawash@alawash.org; Phone: 202-628-8410; Fax: 202-628-8419. Contributing to this issue: Mary Rae Costabile and Carol C. Henderson; Editor: Lynne E. Bradley (leb@alawash.org). 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For other reprinting or redistribution, address requests to the ALA Washington Office (alawash@alawash.org). ****End File****************End File*****************End File**** *****************************************************************