================================================================= ALAWON Volume 6, Number 53 ISSN 1069-7799 July 11, 1997 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (184 lines) ACTION ALERT: URGENT ACTION NEEDED TO FIGHT SBC'S LEGAL ATTEMPTS TO KILL LIBRARY TELECOM DISCOUNTS _________________________________________________________________ URGENT ACTION NEEDED TO FIGHT SBC'S LEGAL ATTEMPTS TO KILL LIBRARY TELECOM DISCOUNTS On July 3 SBC Communications, Inc.--the parent corporation of Southwest Bell, Nevada Bell and Pacific Bell--escalated its threat to discounted rates on telecommunications services for libraries and schools by filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)a request to stay (stop) implementation of this new discount program. The FCC will accept responses through Friday, July 18. It is imperative that library advocates and supporters send a message AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to their respective local exchange carriers (LECs), to the FCC, and to promote public attention through letters to the editor, op-ed pieces and other publicity to urge SBC to drop this challenge and to discourage other regional Bell operating companies from joining in the legal battle. THREE IMMEDIATE ACTIONS ARE NEEDED BY LIBRARY ADVOCATES: 1) Write SBC (address below) or your respective local exchange carriers/regional Bell operating companies to discourage them from proceeding with this legal challenge; 2) File a statement with the FCC arguing against granting SBC's request for a stay; the deadline is Friday, July 18. 3) Develop publicity and media responses in SBC service areas (listed below) denouncing their action. Granting a stay would mean the discounts would not be available on January 1, 1998 -- something clearly not in the public interest. Further, the new discounts will promote libraries and schools as important new markets for telecommunications services. Many libraries and schools have begun planning for the services that the discounts will enable and to develop the related infrastructure for new uses of technology. Delay of the discounts will cause irreparable harm to the public by denying access to the information superhighway and the many sources of information and skill-development opportunities that support lifelong learners and students of all ages in obtaining the job skills and the education needed to participate in the world of work and in economic arenas. ALA will submit a response arguing that granting a stay will do irreparable harm by delaying public access to new services through libraries and schools. BACKGROUND: In the July 3 filing, SBC claims "unrecoverable economic losses" as a result of having to contribute to universal service support for libraries and schools. SBC and Pacific Telesis Group reported combined 1996 revenues of $23.5 billion, with SBC posting a 31% return to shareholders, and Pacific Telesis, a 41.8% return, -- twice the national average of 16% for companies in the United States as reported by Business Week (November 18, 1996, p. 146). The request for a complete stay or stoppage of this discount program follows a June 18 filing by SBC to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis, Missouri to overturn parts of the FCC's order on universal service that includes the discounted rate provisions. (See ALAWON, v6, n50, June 29, 1997.) WHAT TO DO NEXT: IF YOU ARE FROM THE FOLLOWING STATES SERVED BY SBC -- Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, California and Nevada: Please write to Edward Whitacre, Chairman/CEO, SBC Communications, Inc., 175 East Houston, Suite 1300, San Antonio, TX 78205 (ph: 210/351-5402) and Thomas M. Barry, Senior Vice President - Federal Relations, SBC Communications, Inc., 1401 I (Eye) St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20005 (ph: 202/326-8800). Express your disappointment that SBC has chosen to challenge the "e-rate" program and describe the impact on your community caused by delay of these discounts. Whenever possible, send copies of your letters to your local newspapers and in other ways seek to bring public attention to discourage SBC's legal challenge. ALL OTHER STATES FALL INTO TWO CATEGORIES FOR SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT RESPONSES: IF YOUR STATE IS SERVED BY BELL ATLANTIC, NYNEX OR U.S. WEST: Bell Atlantic, NYNEX and U.S. West have stipulated that they will NOT challenge the FCC on the library/school discount provision. If your state is served by these three companies, please express your appreciation to their officials for being willing to work with the library and educations communities to determine how best to implement this new discount program. Tell them that you are counting on them to stay out of the legal battle to kill these discounts. Bell Atlantic serves Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Contact: Raymond Smith, Bell Atlantic Corp., Chairman and CEO, 1717 Arch St., Philadelphia, PA., 19103. NYNEX serves Connecticut, Maine Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. Contact: Ivan G. Seidenberg, NYNEX Chairman and CEO, 1095 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10036. U.S. West serves Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Contact: Solomon D. Trujillo, U.S. West, Inc. President and CEO, 7800 East Orchard Rd., Englewood, CO. 80111. ALL OTHER STATES: In all other states library advocates are strongly urged to send a message to their respective regional Bell operating companies and other local telephone companies NOT to challenge the discount rulemaking or join in the SBC lawsuit. Again, always use local examples of how your various communities will benefit from the library and school services that will be deployed once the discounts become a reality. Other key LECs to be contacted are: GTE serves Hawaii and many areas in various states around the country. Contact: Charles R. Lee, CEO, GTE, 1 Stamford Forum, Stamford, CT. 06904 (ph: 203/965-2000) Ameritech serves Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. Contact: Richard C. Notebaert, President and CEO, Ameritech, 30 South Wacker Drive, 38th Floor, Chicago, IL. 60606 (ph: 312/750-5101) BellSouth serves Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Contact: Duane Ackerman, President, BellSouth, 1155 Peachtree Street, NE., Atlanta, GE. 30309 (ph: 404/249-2000) and David Markey, Vice President of Governmental Affairs, BellSouth, 1133 21st St., NW., Suite 900, Washington, D.C. 20036 (ph: 202-463-4101) TO REPEAT: Whenever possible, please forward your letters and related communications about this issue to your local newspapers and other media so that the library community can clearly demonstrate its outrage and disappointment regarding SBC's challenge to this important discount program designed to bring real public benefit to all communities. FOR MORE INFORMATION...please contact the ALA Washington Office or the Office of Information Technology Policy at 800/941-8478. Additional information will also be posted on the ALA OITP web site at http://www.ala.org/oitp/univserv.html. Subsequent ALAWONs will report new information from the FCC clarifying several key points in the FCC's May 7 rulemaking. U.S. Department of Education "working groups"--including educators and library representatives--continue to draft forms and guidelines to be used during the discounts application process. _________________________________________________________________ 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. To unsubscribe, send the message: unsubscribe ala-wo 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: Carol C. Henderson All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================