================================================================= ALAWON Volume 6, Number 81 ISSN 1069-7799 September 24, 1997 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (152 lines) LIBRARIAN HEADS TELECOM DISCOUNT FUND; K.G. OUYE ELECTED CHAIR OF SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES CORPORATION USAC BOARD CONVENES FIRST MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 22 ______________________________________________________________________________ LIBRARIAN HEADS TELECOM DISCOUNT FUND; K.G. OUYE ELECTED CHAIR OF SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES CORPORATION Kathleen (K.G.) Ouye, library representative to the new Schools and Libraries Corporation (SLC) board, has been elected its first chairperson. Ouye, city librarian at the San Mateo (Calif.) Public Library, was unanimously elected to lead the SLC board at its first meeting on September 23 in Washington, D.C. Ouye was appointed by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Reed Hundt on September 9 as the library representative to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) board and the SLC board. This is the first time that a librarian has been officially appointed by the FCC to such entities. ALA President Barbara Ford applauded Ouye's appointment to the USAC and SLC boards as well as her election as chair of SLC. "K. G.'s election exemplifies the superb leadership demonstrated by our profession and its recognition by our colleagues from both education and industry involved with universal service." The SLC is one of three companies established by the FCC to administer the new universal service program. USAC, SLC and the Rural Health Care Corporation (RHCC) conducted their first board meetings in Washington, D.C. on September 22 and 23. USAC will be responsible for collecting and disbursing universal service funds. The two separate, unaffiliated corporations -- SLC and RHCC -- will be responsible for receiving applications and committing funds under the universal service provisions for libraries, schools and rural health care providers. "This will go a long way in bridging the gap between the information poor and information rich communities. Some libraries will depend on these funds to get started with essential infrastructure and telecommunications on which to build services. Other libraries will use these funds to leverage existing services and bring a wealth of enhancements in information resources." Ouye said. Ouye comes to serve in this federal role following serving as chair of the California Public Utilities Commission Task Force on Telecommunications Infrastructure for Schools and Public Libraries. She also served on the California Governor's Council on Information Technology. Her publications include California SB 600 Task Force on Telecommunications Infrastructure for K-12 Schools and Public Libraries in 1995, and Linking Bay Area Communities, a Telecommunications Infrastructure Partnership Vision Statement in 1997. The SLC board will soon select the chief executive officer for the SLC and expedite the availability of discount applications forms, currently being reviewed by the FCC. The SLC also approved authorization for the National Exchange Carriers Association (NECA) to continue work to establish the necessary systems for processing library and school discount applications. In addition to Ouye other SLC board members are Ann L. Bryant, executive director of the National School Boards Association; Henry Marockie, West Virginia Superintendent of Education and current president of the Council of Chief State School Officers and Brian L. Talbott, executive director of the American Association of Educational Service Agencies. Ken Brody, managing partner of Winslow Partners was appointed as the independent director to the SLC board. Frank Gumper, vice-president of Federal Regulatory Planning at Bell Atlantic, was elected the provider representative to the SLC. Marockie was elected vice-chairperson of the SLC. All but Brody will also be serving as directors on the USAC board. _________________________________________________________________ USAC BOARD CONVENES FIRST MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 22 The first meeting of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) board of directors on September 22 at the Federal Communication Commission included greetings from FCC Chairman Reed Hundt, FCC Commissioner Susan Ness, and Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), an original sponsor of the provision in the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which mandated the discounts for schools and libraries. Hundt spoke of the importance of USAC's work given that modern telecommunications is on the verge of revolutionizing education, health care, and the way we live. In reference to legal challenges by Southwestern Bell and others, he said that the challenges were "wrong law, wrong for the country, and wrong for kids. Under the FCC's May 7 and July 17 decisions, USAC has responsibility for collecting and disbursing funds for the universal service program, including the telecommunications discount program for libraries and schools. USAC was set up as an independent subsidiary of the National Exchange Carrier's Association by the FCC to be the interim fund administrator. Commissioner Ness noted that USAC is "the next milestone in assuring affordable telecommunications for all Americans." As the only FCC commissioner who will remain on the Federal Communications Commission next year, Ness pledged to "advise, guide, and sometimes nudge" USAC on universal service issues. Sen. Rockefeller recalled his work in implementing the Snowe-Kerrey-Rockefeller-Exon amendment in the 1996 Telecommunications Act as "the largest thing I participated in to help my state and the country." The USAC Board consists of 17 directors--three directors each represent incumbent local exchange carriers and schools; two directors represent long distance companies; and one director each represents libraries, commercial mobile radio services and paging, competitive local exchange carriers, cable operators, information service providers, rural health care providers, low income consumers, state telecommunications regulators, and consumer advocates. Both the USAC Board and the SLC Board will meet monthly, with the next public meetings scheduled for October 20th and 21st in Washington, D.C. _________________________________________________________________ ALAWON is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. 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