Letter to the Biden-Harris Transition Agency Review Team for the FCC on E-rate Funding to Address the Connectivity Gap, E-rate Eligibility of Network Security, and Tribal Library E-rate Eligibility

Abstract

The American Library Association (ALA) thanks you for your public service to the Biden-Harris Transition and the nation. Unfortunately, the outlook for libraries to help the nation’s communities has grown dimmer since we talked with you. While the Bipartisan Emergency Covid Relief Act of 2020 (enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act) included some desperately needed relief for Americans, the provisions for library broadband were removed in the 24 hours before the bill was finalized. Meanwhile, the pandemic grows more severe with a new daily record high of 4,112 deaths just yesterday, the health projections for the next months dire, and the economy lost 140,000 jobs in December. Therefore, we are asking for imminent actions that the FCC may take without new legislation. There is over a billion dollars of unused annual spending authority in the E-rate program. ALA is hopeful that the incoming FCC administration will be less bureaucratic and more responsive to the national emergency than the current one.