<div dir="ltr"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Emily Sheketoff</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:esheketoff@alawash.org">esheketoff@alawash.org</a>></span><br>
Date: Tue, Sep 17, 2013 at 6:20 AM<br>Subject: [alacoun] Filed!<br>To: "ALA Council (<a href="mailto:alacoun@ala.org">alacoun@ala.org</a>)" <<a href="mailto:alacoun@ala.org">alacoun@ala.org</a>><br><br><br>
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<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:14pt">ALA calls for leap forward in E-rate goals; streamlined program<u></u><u></u></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt">September 16 the American Library Association (ALA) filed comments that asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to accelerate deployment of the high-capacity
broadband needed to serve students and learners of all ages through our nation’s libraries and schools. ALA calls for new strategic investments in telecommunications and broadband infrastructure, as well as program changes to improve cost-effectiveness and
streamline processes to enable greater participation.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt">America’s 16,417 public libraries serve more than 77 million computer users each year, yet only half of these multi-user outlets offer Internet speeds above the FCC’s
<i>home</i> broadband recommendation of 4 Mbps. Through these Internet connections, libraries support the education, employment and e-government resources and services all increasingly moving to “the cloud.”<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt">“The nation is facing a sea change in what robust technology infrastructure can enable, and libraries are perfectly positioned to light the way forward and ensure no one
is excluded from digital opportunity,” said ALA President Barbara Stripling. “America’s libraries must move from basic connectivity to high-capacity broadband so our students and our communities can compete globally The E-rate program is essential for fulfilling
this digital promise.”<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt">Culminating two months of intensive review and research, the ALA’s response to the FCC’s most comprehensive E-rate proceeding since the program’s 1997 inception acknowledges
this enormous opportunity for advancing the E-rate program. Today’s filing also aligns with President Obama’s ConnectED goal to connect America’s students through libraries and schools to the internet through high-speed broadband and high-speed wireless within
five years. <u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt">The ALA calls for new E-rate funding to jumpstart and sustain high-capacity and high-speed internet connections that support digital learning and economic development
through libraries and schools. The current funding cap on the program consistently falls far short of meeting basic demand for internet-enabled education and learning services, and technology trends clearly show needs and future capabilities only are growing.
To address this, ALA supports a two-pronged approach: 1) New temporary funding is needed to support the build-out of high-capacity broadband networks and especially provide increased support for libraries with the lowest levels of broadband connectivity. 2)
A permanent increase in funding is not only justified but is a sound investment for the country.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt">“Current funding does not reflect the economic reality faced by libraries and schools as they try to upgrade their broadband services,” said Emily Sheketoff, director
of the ALA Washington Office. “This FCC proceeding provides an important opportunity to add more funding to the program and increase the value of the program to libraries, schools and our communities.”<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt">ALA’s comments also encourage the FCC to:<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p><u></u><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font:7pt/normal "Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-stretch:normal">
</span></span></span><u></u>Provide additional E-rate discounts for remote rural libraries that often confront the greatest broadband costs;
<u></u><u></u></p>
<p><u></u><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font:7pt/normal "Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-stretch:normal">
</span></span></span><u></u>Streamline the E-rate’s application review process to incent consortium purchasing and replace E-rate program procurement rules with those of the applicable locality or state;
<u></u><u></u></p>
<p><u></u><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font:7pt/normal "Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-stretch:normal">
</span></span></span><u></u>Lower barriers to deployment of dark and lit fiber and ownership of wide area networks when they are the most cost-effective ways to deliver high-capacity broadband to libraries and schools;<u></u><u></u></p>
<p><u></u><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font:7pt/normal "Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-stretch:normal">
</span></span></span><u></u>Work in cooperation with the library and schools communities to develop scalable bandwidth targets and benchmarks for measuring progress against these targets; and<u></u><u></u></p>
<p><u></u><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font:7pt/normal "Times New Roman";font-size-adjust:none;font-stretch:normal">
</span></span></span><u></u>Eliminate the Form 470 and allow applicants to file an “evergreen” Form 471 for multi-year contracts.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt">“We c</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt">ommend the FCC Commissioners on their thoughtful and thorough invitation to improve the
effectiveness and efficiency of the E-rate program,” said Marijke Visser, assistant director of the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy. “Today’s filing is clearly only the first step to an E-rate 2.0, and we look forward to engaging in the process
over the coming months.”<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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</div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div><em><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";font-size:10pt">Diedre Conkling</span></em><i><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";font-size:10pt"><br><em><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS"">Lincoln County Library District</span></em><br>
<em><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS"">P.O. Box 2027</span></em><br><em><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS"">Newport, OR 97365</span></em><br><em><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS"">Phone & Fax: 541-265-3066</span></em><br>
<em><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS"">Work email</span></em></span></i><em><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";font-size:10pt;font-style:normal">: </span></em><a href="mailto:diedre@lincolncolibrarydist.org" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";font-size:10pt"><font color="#0000ff">diedre@lincolncolibrarydist.org</font></span></i></a><i><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";font-size:10pt"><br>
<em><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS"">Home email: </span></em></span></i><a href="mailto:diedre08@gmail.com" target="_blank"><em><span style="color:blue;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";font-size:10pt">diedre08@gmail.com</span></em></a></div>
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<span>“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.”―Maya Angelou</span><span></span></h6><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";font-size:10pt"></span></div>
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