ALAWON v7n70 (June 16, 1998) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v7n70.txt ================================================================= ALAWON Volume 7, Number 70 ISSN 1069-7799 June 16, 1998 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (230 lines) - ACTION NEEDED: KEEP IN TOUCH WITH CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORTERS OF THE E-RATE - STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ON FCC DECISION ON THE E-RATE (June 12, 1998) - STATEMENT OF VICE PRESIDENT GORE ON THE E-RATE (June 12, 1998) - SLC NEWSFLASH: FCC REVISES 1998 E-RATE FUNDING AND TIMING -- WHAT CHANGES MEAN FOR SCHOOL AND LIBRARY APPLICANTS _________________________________________________________________ As of press time today, the full text of the Federal Communications Commission's June 12 e-rate restructuring decision was not available. We will report on the full decision as soon as it becomes available. Below is an e-rate action alert, statements from the President and the Vice-President on the FCC decision, and a June 16 Newsflash from the Schools and Libraries Corporation. ACTION NEEDED: KEEP IN TOUCH WITH CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORTERS OF THE E-RATE Congressional threats to the e-rate program still remain. House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) was quoted in the June 8, 1998 Communications Daily as saying that "We will probably block it in the next two weeks." Some in Congress have suggested withholding all or part of the FCC's reauthorization if the program is not halted. ACTION NEEDED: Thank Congressional supporters of the e-rate, and keep in touch with legislators, especially those on Appropriations and Commerce committees, who control FCC funding and authority to operate. The messages remain consistent: 1. URGE LEGISLATORS TO SUPPORT THE E-RATE WITH NO FURTHER CUTS OR DELAYS. 2. PROVIDE DETAILS ON YOUR PLANNED USE OF THE DISCOUNTS. 3. DON'T HOLD SCHOOL KIDS AND LIBRARY USERS HOSTAGE TO POLITICS OR INDUSTRY DISPUTES. _________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ON FCC DECISION ON THE E-RATE (June 12, 1998) I applaud the decision by the Federal Communications Commission to move forward with the "e-rate" -- a critical initiative to connect our schools, libraries, and rural health centers to the Internet. Although I had urged that the e-rate be fully funded, I remain committed to the goal of ensuring that every child has access to the tools they need to compete in the 21st Century. The e-rate will help create opportunity in the Information Age for children and communities all over America. Together with our Technology Literacy Challenge Fund, the e-rate will ensure that for the first time in our Nation's history, a child in the most isolated inner city or rural town will have access to the same universe of knowledge as a child in the most affluent suburb. Parents will be able to communicate more frequently with teachers, and keep up with the progress of their child in school. Our children will be "technologically literate" -- and better prepared for the high-tech, high-wage jobs our economy is creating in record numbers. I call upon all members of Congress to support the FCC's decision. I will steadfastly oppose any effort to pull the plug on the e-rate and our children's future -- or to thwart the FCC's ability to move forward with this initiative. _________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF VICE PRESIDENT GORE ON THE E-RATE (June 12, 1998) Later today, the Federal Communications Commission will cast a critical vote on the E-Rate -- deciding whether to give all our children the tools to succeed in the 21st Century, or shut the door on the future they deserve. I believe the FCC should embrace the E-Rate program. That would be a vote for a 21st Century education, for all our children. Of course, even if the FCC supports this critical initiative, we know that some in Congress will still try to end it -- as soon as next week. That's just wrong. How can we lead in the Information Age with an approach to education that's stuck in the stone age? So let me be clear: we will fight any effort by Congress to end the E-Rate. It's time to put more of our children on-line -- and that means taking politics off-line. Our commitment to this initiative will not end until we put 21st Century educational technology in every classroom and library in America. _________________________________________________________________ Note: The following is June 16 newsflash from the Schools and Libraries Corporation (http://www.slcfund.org). SLC NEWSFLASH: FCC REVISES 1998 E-RATE FUNDING AND TIMING -- WHAT CHANGES MEAN FOR SCHOOL AND LIBRARY APPLICANTS Following several weeks of intense debate in Congress and at the Federal Communications Commission, the FCC last Friday released its decision concerning 1998 funding for the E-rate and a new schedule for deploying those funds. The following questions and answers provide basic information about the FCC's decision. More detailed explanations of each aspect -- including how funds will be allocated and how the new schedule will work -- will be released by the Schools and Libraries Corporation over the coming days. In addition, applicants should be aware that additional Congressional action on the E-rate remains a possibility. 1. WHAT WAS THE FCC'S RECENT DECISION ABOUT THE E-RATE? On Friday, June 12, the Federal Communications Commission voted to set funding for the 1998 E-rate program at $1.925 billion over an 18-month period ending June 30, 1999. 2. WASN'T FUNDING FOR THE E-RATE SUPPOSED TO BE $2.25 BILLION A YEAR? $2.25 billion was the annual cap for the program, the most that could be collected from the telecommunications industry and provided as discounts to schools and libraries. The FCC has stated that it wants to meet the needs of schools and libraries without causing consumer phone bills to rise. It believes that this revised funding level will accomplish this for 1998. 3. IS $1.925 BILLION ENOUGH TO FUND ALL OF THE APPLICATIONS THE SLC HAS RECEIVED? We will not know until all applications are processed and reviewed, but our initial estimates show the total requests for applications received within the 75-day window for 1998 at $2.02 billion. Our goals for allocating funds are now to assure that all approved school and library applicants see benefits of the E-rate; to make certain that greatest benefits go to those in greatest need; and to maximize available funding in most equitable and manageable way. 4. SO HOW WILL THE SLC NOW ALLOCATE THESE FUNDS? The FCC decision also re-ordered our allocation process. Approved requests for telecommunications services and Internet access will be funded first. Remaining funds will then be allocated to approved requests for internal connections beginning with those from neediest applicants (for example, those with 90% discounts, then 80%, and so on). 5. DOES THIS MEAN THAT IF I'M NOT ONE OF THOSE 80-90% APPLICANTS, MY INTERNAL CONNECTIONS PROBABLY WON'T GET FUNDED THIS YEAR? Until all applications are completely reviewed, we won't know precisely how far the funds will stretch, but we are not optimistic about being able to meet many applicants? internal connections needs. Therefore, we encourage all applicants to begin considering alternate or additional sources of funding for internal connections. 6. HOW DOES THE 18-MONTH YEAR WORK? Originally, the 1998 program year was to have ended December 31, 1998. The FCC has now directed the SLC to extend approved 1998 telecommunications and Internet access discounts through June 30, 1999, and to allow those with approved internal connections discounts to take until June 30, 1999 to expend these funds. Applications for the 1999 program year will begin being accepted in late fall 1998, with funding commitments in place before the new program year begins on July 1, 1999. More details about the 18-month transition, including the process for extending contracts through June 30, will be available soon. 7. WHAT ARE THE REASONS FOR ADOPTING THIS 18-MONTH CYCLE? The FCC and SLC want the E-rate program year to more closely reflect applicants' fiscal years, which typically begin July 1. In addition, because of all the uncertainties of this initial application cycle, we wanted to give applicants sufficient time to implement 1998 projects and develop their applications for 1999. This 18-month cycle makes 1998 a transitional year; funding will be annual beginning in 1999. 8. WILL THIS DECISION CHANGE THE RULES REGARDING RETROACTIVITY? WILL DISCOUNTS FOR QUALIFIED PRE-EXISTING CONTRACTS STILL BE RETROACTIVE TO JANUARY 1, 1998, OR THE SERVICE START DATE, WHICHEVER IS LATER? The rules regarding retroactive discounts will not change under this new plan. 9. WHEN WILL WE KNOW WHAT OUR FUNDING COMMITMENT WILL BE FOR 1998? The SLC is moving ahead with processing of all applications. As you know, problem resolution and program integrity review can be time-consuming. In addition, the FCC decision requires SLC to make significant adjustments in our processing and computer systems. We hope to provide an exact schedule for funding commitments in the near future. Meanwhile, we urge applicants to continue monitoring your phone, fax, and e-mail for contacts from our review staff. (If you will not be reachable during some portion of the summer, we will collect alternate contact information for you via the Summer Contact data base available on the SLC Web site within the week.) 10. WHEN WILL APPLICATIONS BEGIN BEING ACCEPTED FOR 1999? The SLC expects to begin accepting applications for 1999 late this fall -- NOT July 1, 1998, as originally planned. Application guidance materials are being revised and updated now and will be made available over the next several months. Application packages will be distributed to school districts, library systems, and non-public schools two to four weeks in advance of the application launch date. _________________________________________________________________ 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. 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