ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline Volume 10, Number 16 March 2, 2001 In this issue: E-RATE Supporters: Call House Members to Save the E-rate URGENT ACTION ALERT: 1) Contact members of the House Telecommunications and Internet Subcommittee (list below) and ask them to show their support for the E-rate. Tell them that the E-rate is working and should not be tampered with: the E-rate discounts are local, targeted, and accountable. 2) Contact all members of the House of Representatives to ask them to support the E-rate by signing on to a "dear colleague" letter (deadline and details below.) SIGNATURES NEEDED FOR E-RATE LETTER: Ask your representatives to contact Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) about signing as soon as possible on to a "dear colleague" letter supporting the E-rate. The deadline is close-of-business, Monday, March 5th. Blumenauer's number is: 202-225-4811. MARCH 8th HEARING SCHEDULED: On Thursday, March 8th, the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet has scheduled a hearing entitled: "Technology and Education: A Review of Federal, State, and Private Sector Programs." This hearing will likely focus on the E-rate telecommunications discounts for libraries and schools, which is part of the Universal Service program administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). We do not know who is on the witness list. E-rate supporters are concerned that this hearing could return to some of the old arguments previously used to try to fight the E-rate. This hearing is also held in an environment where the new Bush Administration has indicated they want to drastically change the E-rate and block grant it with other educational technology programs in the U.S. Department of Education (see ALAWON, Volume 10, Number 6 - February 5, 2001.) Meanwhile, Rep. Gene Green (D-TX), a member of the Subcommittee, has introduced H.R.346, the Children's Access to Technology Act. This bill would provide for "the use of unexpended universal service funds in low- income schools, and for other purposes." The bill provides under certain "monetary limits" for schools in low-income areas to acquire information services, including devices necessary to access and use such services", (i.e.: to provide school computer labs with $25,000 grants.) TALKING POINTS AND CONTACT INFORMATION: The U.S. Capitol Switchboard number is: 202-224-3121. Below are proposed "Talking Points." Please contact us if you have any questions. We would also appreciate any feedback you receive from your calls or contacts. The E-rate program is: * local - based on local needs, resources, and requests * accountable - through review of plans and other controls * targeted - with the vast majority of funds targeted to communities with the highest poverty levels. TALKING POINTS FOR THE E-RATE PROGRAM * Our libraries have received $________ over the past 3 years for. . . . * Our state has received $_______ over the past 3 years for. . . . * We have been able to expand public access to the Internet and other related library online services from (example: number of terminals, level of connectivity such as T-1 lines, etc.) in _______ 1997 to ______ in 2001. * Before the E-rate there were only________libraries in our state that had Internet access. Now _______libraries are connected and we are closer to meeting the demands in larger libraries by_______ etc. etc. etc. Additional Background Talking Points * The E-Rate discounts leverage significant new investment in technology in libraries and schools. Savings realized from the discounts are being reinvested into other needs. * The E-rate is a federal initiative that expands and updates this country's long-standing national policy goal of Universal Service to include schools and libraries -- by providing discounts on telecommunications and Internet related technologies. * The E-Rate program is administered by the FCC, where it has prospered under its stewardship by providing a secure, reliable, and equitable source of continual funding to connect libraries and schools to discounted Internet related services. * The E-Rate program was one of the few and very important public interest provisions in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Part of the reason the E-Rate is in the Universal Service program is it was part of the bargain for major deregulation of telecommunications industries that the industries wanted at the time of the passage of the Act. * The E-Rate program specifically targets telecommunications and inside wiring (and NOT software or most equipment) because of the demonstrated need that libraries and schools cited. The ongoing costs of connectivity continue to be a major problem. The E-rate remains a critically needed program * The E-Rate program is locally controlled, community based, and accountable -- allowing each school and library that applies for E- Rate funding to design a system that works best for them. * It has been affirmed in court cases and other analyses that Universal Service funds are NOT a tax. These are not funds that can be summarily adjusted for other types of library and education programs nor can it be moved from the purview of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC * Discounts range from 20 to 90 percent based on the poverty level in the local community, and schools and libraries are required to pay the non-discounted portion of the bill themselves. The FCC funds the program up to a cap of $2.25 billion annually, contingent upon demand. These funds are collected as part of the Universal Service contributions made by the appropriate telecommunications companies. * The E-rate discount program is playing a central role in bridging the Digital Divide by bringing new technologies and the power of the Internet to America's libraries and schools. LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE SUBCOMMITTEE ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND THE INTERNET: ST-DIS PTY Representative Phone Fax (202) Area Code AZ-4 R John B. Shadegg 225-3361 225-3462 CA-14 D Anna G. Eshoo 225-8104 225-8890 CA-36 D Jane Harman 225-8220 CA-47 R Christopher Cox 225-5611 225-9177 CO-1 D Diana DeGette 225-4431 225-5657 FL-6 R Cliff Stearns 225-5744 225-3973 FL-9 R Michael Bilirakis 225-5755 225-4085 GA-9 R Nathan Deal 225-5211 225-8272 IL-1 D Bobby L. Rush 225-4372 226-0333 IL-20 R John M. Shimkus 225-5271 225-5880 LA-3 R Billy Tauzin 225-4031 225-0563 MD-2 R Robert L. Ehrlich 225-3061 225-3094 MA-7 D Edward J. Markey 225-2836 226-0092 MI-1 D Bart Stupak 225-4735 225-4744 MI-6 R Frederick S. Upton 225-3761 225-4986 MI-16 D John D. Dingell 225-4071 226-0371 MN-6 D Bill Luther 225-2271 225-3368 MS-3 R Chip W. Pickering 225-5031 225-5797 MO-5 D Karen McCarthy 225-4535 225-4403 MO-7 R Roy Blunt 225-6536 225-5604 NM-1 R Heather Wilson 25-6316 225-4975 NY-13 R Vito J. Fossella 225-3371 226-1272 NY-17 D Eliot L. Engel 225-2464 225-5513 OH-5 R Paul E. Gillmor 225-6405 225-1985 OH-13 D Sherrod Brown 225-3401 225-2266 OH-14 D Thomas C. Sawyer 225-5231 225-5278 OK-1 R Steve Largent 225-2211 225-9187 TN-6 D Bart Gordon 225-4231 225-6887 TX-6 R Joe Barton 225-2002 225-3052 TX-29 D Gene Green 225-1688 225-9903 VA-9 D Rick Boucher 225-3861 225-0442 VA-11 R Tom Davis 225-1492 225-3071 WY-1 R Barbara Cubin 225-2311 225-3057 ****** 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. 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. Executive Director: Emily Sheketoff. Office of Government Relations: Lynne Bradley, Director; Mary Costabile, Peter Kaplan, Miriam Nisbet and Claudette Tennant. Office for Information Technology Policy: Rick Weingarten, Director; Jennifer Hendrix, Carrie Russell and Saundra Shirley. ALAWON Editor: Bernadette Murphy.