ALAWON v7n64 (June 10, 1998) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v7n64.txt ================================================================= ALAWON Volume 7, Number 64 ISSN 1069-7799 June 10, 1998 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (133 lines) - ALA URGES "PUT KIDS AHEAD OF POLITICS;" PROTECT THE E-RATE - EDUCATION AND LIBRARY COALITION CALLS ON CONGRESS NOT TO BREAK ITS DIGITAL PROMISE TO KIDS - NEWS CONFERENCE SUPPORTING THE E-RATE PROGRAM HELD _________________________________________________________________ Note: The following is a June 10 press release from ALA's Public Information Office. For more information contact Lynne Bradley, ALA Washington Office deputy director, at 202 628-8410. ALA URGES "PUT KIDS AHEAD OF POLITICS;" PROTECT THE E-RATE As a Congressional hearing once again questions the education or e-rate, the American Library Association has called for no further delays or cutbacks in the telecommunications discounts for schools and libraries. "Americans can't afford to wait for the e-rate!" said Barbara J. Ford, president of the American Library Association. "Access to online information is not a luxury, it's a necessity if students are to be technologically literate. Millions of Americans are counting on their schools and libraries to provide online resources they need for their jobs and education." Ford noted that some 30,000 schools and libraries have submitted applications for the discounts since implementation began in January. "Schools and libraries in communities across America have applied for these discounts in good faith," said Ford. "We urge Congress and the FCC to put kids ahead of politics and to keep the promise they have made to the American people." The e-rate was approved with bipartisan support as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Patterned after the universal service program for telephone service, the discounts were intended to promote public access to online information through schools and libraries as part of the 1996 act's universal service provisions. "This deregulatory act was sought by telecommunications carriers who influenced its development and have realized significant profits," Ford said. "The only new public service obligation was to support schools and libraries in providing public access to online information resources by offering discounted rates." She urged members of the public to voice their support to members of the FCC and Congress. _________________________________________________________________ Note: The following is a June 10 press release issued by EdLiNC, of which ALA is a member. For more information, contact Rochelle Lefkowitz at 650-599-9996 or Robyn Stein at 212-245-0510 EDUCATION AND LIBRARY COALITION CALLS ON CONGRESS NOT TO BREAK ITS DIGITAL PROMISE TO KIDS Statement by EdLiNC (The Education and Libraries Networks Coalition) Washington, DC -- "Thirty-thousand schools and libraries in communities all across the country are being held hostage by partisan politicians while corporate telecommunications giants are uniting to kill the e-rate program. Originally there was bipartisan sponsorship and support for the $2.25 billion telecommunications discounts for schools and libraries. But now some Congressional members are wavering under pressure from the long distance companies who want to pass on these and other Universal Service Fund obligations to consumers through their phone bills. The e-rate program was enacted in 1996 to ensure the end of the digital divide between rich and poor, and among urban, rural and suburban schools and libraries. On behalf of the American public, the Nation's school students and library users, and the over 30,000 institutions that have applied for the e-rate, we urge Congress and the FCC to do the right thing. Save the E-rate -- keep this program moving forward." _________________________________________________________________ NEWS CONFERENCE SUPPORTING THE E-RATE PROGRAM HELD On June 10 U.S. Department of Education Secretary Richard Riley spoke in support of the e-rate program and denounced the current assault to stop the program. His remarks were made at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, chaired by Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA), in Washington, D.C. "Through a campaign of misinformation and misrepresentation, the truth about the importance of the e-rate is being obscured and distorted," said Secretary Riley. According to his remarks, the most recent statistics show that wealthy and predominately white schools were more than two and a half times as likely to have Internet access in classrooms than poor and predominantly minority schools -- 37% to 13%. Rep. Becerra stated that Congress made a commitment to America's schools and students to connect classrooms to the Internet and Congress should not break its promise. Others who spoke in support of the e-rate program were Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Harold Ford, Jr. (D-TN), Robert Underwood (D-GU), and Bobby Rush (D-IL). Said Rep. Rush, "If you stand for America's children, there is no way you can be against the e-rate program." _________________________________________________________________ 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. =================================================================