ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline Volume 8, Number 18 February 22, 1999 In this issue: [1] Record-breaking E-Rate Funding Wave Released [2] Correction: Filtering Bills Linked to E-Rate Introduced by Rep. Bob Franks [1] Record-breaking E-Rate Funding Wave Released 3,700 applicants receive letters committing $323 million in E- Rate funds for schools and libraries Note: The following is a February 19 news release from the USAC Schools & Libraries Division. WASHINGTON, D.C. - In its largest release to date, the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) announced $323 million in E-rate funding commitment letters to 3,700 applicants. The Wave Nine release pushes the total dollars committed to over $1.4 billion, covers 94% of applicants who filed within the E-rate application window, and, for the first time, extends funding to cover internal connections requests for applicants who qualify for a discount level as low as 70%. "We're sliding into home plate," said SLD President Kate Moore, adding that the final wave of commitment letters is expected next week. With the end of the first-year funding commitment process in sight, the SLD continues to urge schools and libraries to get their applications under way for the second funding year. The application window, which opened December 1, 1998, now closes on April 6; applicants must complete both steps of the Year Two application process by that date and are advised to file their initial requests (FCC Form 470) no later than March 5. Today's wave commits funding for the first time for internal connections requests at a discount level as low as 70%: this means that schools and libraries in rural areas where 35-49% of the children qualify as low income will receive internal connection funding along with higher-poverty rural and urban areas. Wave Nine reflects some, but not all, of such applications. And with 3,700 letters mailed to schools and libraries in Wave Nine, 94% of applicants who filed within the 1998 E-rate application window have now received funding commitment letters covering access to modern information technologies, including telecommunications, Internet access, and internal connections. Wave Nine's $323 million in funding commitments is the largest wave issued to date. The E-rate, established by a bipartisan act of Congress in the Telecommunications Act of 1996 with the Snowe-Rockefeller-Exon- Kerrey amendment, provides 20% to 90% discounts on telecommunications services, Internet access and internal connections for schools and libraries. While the FCC determines the fund level for each funding year, the annual cap on the E-rate fund is $2.25 billion. Schools -- both public and private -- and public libraries can now apply for the 1999/2000 funding period via the SLD web site (www.slcfund.org). [2] Correction: Filtering Bills Linked to E-Rate Introduced by Rep. Bob Franks In ALAWON v8, n15 (February 18, 1999), we erroneously reported that Rep. Gary Franks (R-NJ) introduced two versions of filtering and blocking legislation in the 106th Congress, H.R. 368 and H.R. 543. In fact, it was Rep. Bob Franks(R-NJ) who has introduced the legislation. We regret the error, and thank the alert readers who brought it to our attention. ****** ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. To subscribe to ALAWON, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc@ala.org or go to http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. To unsubscribe to ALAWON, send the message: unsubscribe ala-wo to listproc@ala.org or go to http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. ALA Washington Office, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite 403, Washington, D.C. 20004-1701; phone: 202.628.8410 or 800.941.8478 toll-free; fax: 202.628.8419; e-mail: alawash@alawash.org; Web site: http://www.ala.org/washoff. Editor: Lynne E. Bradley; Managing Editor: Deirdre Herman; Contributors: Phyllis Albritton, Mary Costabile, Adam Eisgrau, Carol Henderson, Peter Kaplan, Claudette Tennant and Rick Weingarten.