================================================================= ALAWON Volume 6, Number 11 ISSN 1069-7799 February 26, 1997 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (130 lines) ACTION ALERT: MARCH 12 SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE HEARING ON UNIVERSAL SERVICE - ASK FOR LIBRARY WITNESS DISCOUNTED TELECOM RATES: THE BATTLE CONTINUES - A REPORT ON ALA MIDWINTER LEGISLATIVE UPDATE ON UNIVERSAL SERVICE _________________________________________________________________ ACTION ALERT: MARCH 12 SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE HEARING ON UNIVERSAL SERVICE - ASK FOR LIBRARY WITNESS On March 12 the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee (chaired by John McCain, R-AZ) will conduct an oversight hearing on universal service and related aspects of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. It is expected that a key target at this hearing will be the library/school discounted telecommunications rate provision. ACTION NEEDED: All Senate and House offices should be contacted about the critical need to keep and effectively implement this library/school rate provision. Members on the Senate Commerce Committee (see list below) should be asked to include a library advocate among the witnesses at the March 12 hearing. THE MESSAGE: Senators and Representatives need to hear about the ongoing importance that the library community places on these discounts, and how the principles of universal service will be furthered when libraries and schools are empowered to serve as tools to further universal access. Libraries and schools are counting on the effectiveness of these discounts. Library supporters are encouraged to tell about their local communities and library services; where feasible include information about the costs of advanced telecommunications and the future plans and potential for serving the public. For further background about the issue of discounted telecommunications rates for libraries and schools and other universal service issues, please refer to the ALA website at http://www.ala.org/oitp/univserv.html. This Senate hearing comes at a crucial time since the Federal Communications Commission must make its final rulemaking on universal service by May 1997. Rules could be implemented in time for discounted services to be available in libraries and schools by the start of the 1997-98 school year. U.S. Capitol Switchboard - 202/224-3121 105th Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee St Pty Senator AK R Ted Stevens AZ R John McCain, Chairman HI D Daniel K. Inouye KS R Sam Brownback KY D Wendell H. Ford LA D John B. Breaux MA D John F. Kerry ME R Olympia J. Snowe MI R Spencer Abraham MO R John Ashcroft MS R Trent Lott MT R Conrad Burns ND D Byron L. Dorgan NV D Richard H. Bryan OR D Ron Wyden SC D Ernest F. Hollings, Ranking Minority Member TN R Bill Frist TX R Kay Bailey Hutchison WA R Slade Gorton WV D John D. Rockefeller, IV _________________________________________________________________ DISCOUNTED TELECOM RATES: THE BATTLE CONTINUES "It's not over yet," warned Florida Commissioner Julia Johnson, referring to ongoing efforts to secure discounted telecommunications rates for libraries and schools. Johnson, Chairman of the Florida Public Service Commission and a member of the Federal Communications Committee's (FCC) Federal-State Joint Board, spoke Saturday, February 15 at the Legislative Update organized by the Committee on Legislation, the Chapter Relations Committee, the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) and the Librarians on the Information Superhighway Advocacy Network (LISAN) at the ALA Midwinter Conference in Washington, D.C. The first session of the Legislative Update focused on universal service and the importance of library advocacy during the federal and state regulatory proceedings on discounted telecommunications rates. Commissioner Johnson urged librarians to help regulators understand library telecommunications needs. Library advocates need to continue to help the FCC "touch, feel, see" and hear from the library community how this discount policy will benefit the American public and how it will be used by America's libraries and schools, she added. Debra Kriete, legal counsel to the Pennsylvania State Public Services Commission, said there is still much to be done in every state as state public utility commissions proceed on discounted telecommunications rates for libraries and schools. Kriete, who was also head of the Joint Board staffers from state commissions to the Federal-State Joint Board, outlined the Joint Board's recommendations which include discounts ranging from 20-90 percent and a discount cap worth $2.25 billion per year. Final FCC rules on library discounts are due by May 1997. Other panelists announced the urgent need for clear and loud grassroots efforts because of a March 12 Senate Commerce Committee oversight hearing on universal service. Glenn Miller, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania State Library Association and Charles Parker from the Florida State Division of Library and Information Services described their activities and participation in regulatory proceedings. The program was moderated by Sharon Hogan, Chair of the COL Ad Hoc Subcommittee of Telecommunications and director of libraries at the University of Illinois at Chicago University Library. Staff from the ALA's OITP and Washington Office described ALA's filings, its ongoing efforts and how ALA can be a resource to state library organizations and advocates who are participating in local proceedings. J. Andrew Magpantay, Director of ALA's OITP, thanked the audience for the many state library agencies, associations and other library advocates for their participation in the FCC proceedings. He also encouraged states to forward information to his office to be included in the OITP web page on state-related policies. (ALA is also an endorser of the PBS videoconference, "Maximizing Your E-Rate," to air June 3 from 1-2:30 EST. For more information on this video teleconference contact PBS Customer Service at 800/257-2578.) _________________________________________________________________ ALAWON is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. To subscribe, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc @ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. Visit our Web site at http://www.alawash.org. ALA Washington Office 202.628.8410 (V) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #403 202.628.8419 (F) Washington, DC 20004-1701 800.941.8478 (V) Lynne E. Bradley, Editor Deirdre Herman, Managing Editor Contributors: Claudette Tennant All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================