ALAWON v7n87 (July 24, 1998) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v7n87.txt ================================================================= ALAWON Volume 7, Number 87 ISSN 1069-7799 July 24, 1998 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (226 lines) - ACTION NEEDED: APPROPRIATIONS BILL PASSES SENATE WITH TIIAP, MCCAIN & COATS AMENDMENTS; CALLS TO SENATORS REQUESTED - SEN. BURNS & REP. TAUZIN PROPOSE ALTERNATIVE FUNDING FOR E-RATE; BILL WOULD USE FEDERAL EXCISE TAX FOR DISCOUNTS - CONGRESSIONAL E-RATE RALLY HELD ON CAPITOL HILL _________________________________________________________________ ACTION NEEDED: APPROPRIATIONS BILL PASSES SENATE WITH TIIAP, MCCAIN & COATS AMENDMENTS; CALLS TO SENATORS REQUESTED On July 23 the Senate voted 99-0 to pass the FY99 spending bill for the departments of Commerce, Justice, and State (S. 2260). The bill will now go to conference committee to resolve differences. Included among 93 additional amendments added to the final bill was one offered by Sen. Robert Kerrey (D-NE) to restore $9 million in funding for the Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program. The amendment also would lift prohibitions on E-rate eligible schools and libraries from receiving TIIAP grants (see ALAWON v7, n82, July 13, 1998). Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), John Rockefeller (D-WV), Jim Jeffords (R-VT), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Paul Wellstone (D-MN), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) cosponsored the amendment. More than 50 organizations, including ALA, signed onto a July 21 letter requesting that Senators vote for the amendment to restore TIIAP funding. Two other amendments were: S. 1482 offered by Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN), which would prohibit commercial Web distribution of material that is "harmful to minors," and S. 1619, offered by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), which would require all E-rate eligible schools and libraries to install filtering software on some or all of their computer terminals in order to get the E-rate (see ALAWON v7, n86, July 22, 1998). When the conferees are appointed for S. 2260, ALAWON will report further on this issue. ACTION NEEDED: (A) Please thank Sen. Robert Kerrey (D-NE) for sponsoring the TIIAP amendment to S. 2260. Library supporters should also thank cosponsors Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), John Rockefeller (D-WV), Jim Jeffords (R-VT), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Paul Wellstone (D-MN), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT). The U.S. Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121. (B) Please protest the adoption of Sen. McCain's E-rate filtering amendment (S. 1619) and the Sen. Coats' amendment (S. 1482) to the Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary appropriations bill by contacting your Senators, including Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD). The U.S. Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121. THE MESSAGE: (1) ASK for Senate debate on other approaches to guiding Internet access. (2) EMPHASIZE that local use policies and decisions made by local library and school boards are the best way to serve students and library users. (3) STRESS that federal mandates are not appropriate or necessary for E-rate participation. _________________________________________________________________ SEN. BURNS & REP. TAUZIN TO PROPOSE ALTERNATIVE FUNDING FOR E-RATE; BILL WOULD USE FEDERAL EXCISE TAX FOR DISCOUNTS Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) and Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-LA) announced at a July 23 press conference that they would introduce "The Schools and Libraries Internet Access Act." The legislation proposes to use the federal excise tax (FET) on telephone bills to fund the E-rate telecommunications discounts. The proposal was presented as a way to "ax the Gore Tax" by eliminating the E-rate collections under universal service and cutting the existing federal tax. Under the bill, the Schools and Libraries Corporation -- which presently administers the E-rate program -- would be eliminated and authority for the program would be removed from the Federal Communications Commission. According to the proposal, one percent of the excise tax would be committed to the E-rate and the program would become a block grant program administered by the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The rest of the FET phone tax would be repealed. Burns, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications, said, "I get my phone bill every month and see not only a three percent federal tax listed, but also a new line-item charge to finance what was never intended to be an open-ended entitlement." Tauzin called the SLC "illegal" and the E-rate "a tax and spend program" not consistent with the universal service provisions in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. He separated the E-rate program from universal service, calling the E-rate an "entitlement program." According to Burns' press release, the Burns-Tauzin proposal would: * Cut the current 3 percent excise tax to 1 percent and devote the proceeds to a "Telecommunications Technology Trust Fund" to be administered by the NTIA, which would in turn award grants to states for schools, libraries and health care providers. * Make expenditures explicit in the form of a capped tax that is already appearing on phone bills. * Provide controls on a program that has been criticized for ballooning out of control and for poor implementation under the FCC's authority. * Award grants on the basis of need. * Avoid duplication of expenditures already being made. Burns said the bill is a "rational compromise" adding, "What began with a general and laudable goal in the Telecommunications Act of 1996 inevitably morphed into a political and bureaucratic tool of the vice president, who has spoken continually of reinventing government." ALA and EdLiNC, the Education and Library Networks Coalition of which ALA is a member, are reviewing the proposed legislation and waiting to see the bill's formal language. Some of the questions about the proposal include: how existing applications would be treated, how any required transitions would be handled, and how state block grants would affect the delivery of services. Jeff Burnett, government relations director of the National Association of Independent Schools, said that EdLiNC welcomes all good faith proposals to stabilize the E-rate. "This is clearly a serious attempt to resolve the tenacious arguing over the program and we want to work closely with the members of Congress to find a workable solution. However, we have a number of questions which must be addressed as we analyze this proposal." _________________________________________________________________ CONGRESSIONAL E-RATE RALLY HELD ON CAPITOL HILL Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) led members of Congress, educators and students in a July 23 "E-rate Rally" on Capitol Hill. "Thirty thousand schools and libraries have applied for E-rate funding and now are waiting for the government to honor its commitment," Rush said. "With the ever-growing importance of the Internet in commerce and education, our government should be increasing its efforts to help disadvantaged communities get on line." Rep. Major Owens (D-NY), whom Rush described as the "Education Congressman," spoke against the telecommunications corporations and members of Congress whose actions have brought the E-rate program under controversy. Rep. William Pascrell (D-NJ) quoted from section 254 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that called for the provision of "services to elementary schools, secondary schools, and libraries for educational purposes at rates less than the amounts charged for similar services to other parties...access to advanced telecommunications services for all public and nonprofit elementary and secondary school classrooms, health care providers, and libraries" and called for Congress to fulfill this promise made. Rep. Albert Wynn, (D-MD) cited statistics that only 27 percent of classrooms are linked to the Internet and that 90 percent of the American people believe schools that are well-equipped with technology have a greater advantage over poorly equipped schools. "The E-rate represents an enormous step towards closing the technology gap that exists among our communities and creating full and fair opportunities for all students, " Wyn said. "It is important that we keep this vital initiative." Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) spoke of a company that wired an elementary school in Santa Bonita as an example of benefits to business in her district. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) stated that society will pay a larger price if we neglect to bring everyone along into the digital age. "Economic competitors," she warned, "will soon overtake the U.S. if our workforce is not trained and educated to deal with the new information economy." Other members of Congress who participated in the rally included Reps. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Donald Payne (D-NJ), and Edolphus Towns (D-NY). "Access to the Internet not only provides me with access to more information, but the computer skills learned in using the Internet will be important for me and my classmates as they seek jobs in the 21st century," said Karen Hauptman. Hauptman, an entering 9th grader from Bethesda, Maryland, has organized People for Internet Education, a student activist group. Chicago actor Suzanne Douglas, star of WBN's "The Parent Hood," said that just as it was important for her growing up that teachers and schools kept their promise to provide books and to educate her, "now Congress must keep its promise and provide children with tools they need to be educated today." "I want to encourage you to continue to send letters, make calls and pay visits to your members of Congress," Rush concluded. "Let them know the E-rate program and its full funding is and must continue!" _________________________________________________________________ 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: Andrew Magpantay All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================