ALAWON v6n95 (November 7, 1997) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v6n95 ================================================================= ALAWON Volume 6, Number 95 ISSN 1069-7799 November 7, 1997 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (91 lines) EDLINC COALITION LAUNCHES HOTLINE SERVICE TO RESPOND TO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE E-RATE _________________________________________________________________ EDLINC COALITION LAUNCHES HOTLINE SERVICE TO RESPOND TO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE E-RATE EdLiNC, the Education and Libraries Networks Coalition, launched a new web site and 800 hotline phone number on Wednesday, November 5. The hotline phone number is 1-800-733-6860. The E-Rate Hotline web site is www.eratehotline.org. The E-Rate Hotline has been established to help schools and libraries learn more about how they can receive discounts on telecommunications services and to respond to questions about this new program which was mandated as part of universal service in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The announcement about this new hotline/web site was made this week at the Technology and Learning Conference in Denver, CO, a conference sponsored by the National School Boards Association (NSBA), an active partner in EdLiNC. The American Library Association has also been active in EdLiNC as well as in helping the new hotline service compile information of particular interest to the library community. Over 35 education and library organizations are members of EdLiNC. Nancy Bolt, Colorado State Librarian and a member of the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy Advisory Committee, represented the library community at the Hotline premier. "The e-rate is an important step forward in this process, " Bolt said. "The E-Rate Hotline will provide communities with the information they need to begin this process right away." According to NSBA Executive Director Anne Bryant, "The E-Rate Hotline provides a place where educators can go to find the answers to their questions about the e-rate. Having access to this hotline now, ensures that, when the program begins on January 1, 1998, schools and libraries will have the information they need to receive the full benefit of this new discount program." Bryant also services on the Board of Directors of the Schools and Libraries Corporation (SLC), which is in charge of administering the e-rate discount program. E-Rate Hotline specialists are available to take calls Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. -9 p.m. (EST). Callers will receive basic information about the e-rate program; more complex questions about the program will be referred to members of the EdLiNC coalition or to state and local entities as appropriate. The E-Rate Hotline web site will also allow librarians and educators to send questions to the hotline consultants, who will provide rapid responses via E-mail and the Internet. The E-Rate Hotline, a project of EdLiNC, is made possible with financial support from Bell Atlantic. This service will not replace the "official" hotline to be organized the National Exchange Carriers Association (NECA) on behalf of the SLC. This service may not be available until sometime in December and will be more focused on detailed questions related to completing the application forms, which have not yet been finalized the Federal Communications Commission. Feedback is welcomed from the library community about this new EdLiNC service either through e-mail to the Hotline service or to the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy at 1-800-941-8478. _________________________________________________________________ ALAWON is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. To subscribe, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc @ala.org. To unsubscribe, send the message: unsubscribe ala-wo to listproc@ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/ washoff/alawon. Visit our Web site at http://www.alawash.org. ALA Washington Office 202.628.8410 (V) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #403 202.628.8419 (F) Washington, DC 20004-1701 800.941.8478 (V) Lynne E. Bradley, Editor Deirdre Herman, Managing Editor Contributors: Carol C. Henderson All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================