Prepare for the Event with Videos and Issue Briefs from Policy Experts
From May 7–8, 2013, hundreds of library supporters from across the country will meet in Washington, D.C., to discuss key library issues with their members of Congress. In preparation for next week’s 39th Annual National Library Legislative Day, the American Library Association today released new briefs on policies, legislation and issues impacting libraries.
For the first time, library advocates will have the option to learn about library issues through a series of videos prepared by the ALA Washington Office.
Jeffrey Kratz gives a briefing on the Library Services & Technology Act and Innovative Approaches to Literacy for National Library Legislative Day 2013:
Jessica McGilvray gives a briefing on the Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act for National Library Legislative Day 2013:
Marijke Visser gives a briefing on the E-rate for National Library Legislative Day 2013:
Last week, Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel called for (pdf) a thorough review of the E-rate program to ensure the program meets the future connectivity needs of libraries and schools. The Commissioner boldly outlined her vision for E-rate 2.0, building on earlier statements from Senate Commerce Committee Chair Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) during a recent FCC oversight hearing.
Knowing that the demand from libraries and schools for internet access and telecommunications is only going to increase in the coming years (given the more complex applications and services these entities provide), the Commissioner challenged her audience to “work with the Federal Communications Commission and reboot, reinvigorate, and recharge the nation’s largest education technology program.” Though she was speaking to leaders in the ed tech community, the Commissioner’s challenge is directed at the library community, as well. Rosenworcel is a staunch supporter of libraries stemming from her days as counsel to the Senate Commerce Committee under the leadership of Senator Rockefeller.
What does E-rate 2.0 mean to Commissioner Rosenworcel?
“We need to protect what we have already done, build on it, and put this program on a course to provide higher speeds and greater opportunities in the days ahead.”
The Commissioner identified five points as part of her E-rate 2.0 plan. The American Library Association (ALA) was pleased to hear that infusing more funding into the program was her number one point. She suggested the Commission do some of its own “housekeeping” in other Universal Service programs that could yield savings that could be invested in the E-rate program. With demand for priority one services alone exceeding the total funds available in fiscal year 2012, ALA and our members have been very concerned about the demand estimate for 2013.
Point two of the plan deals with identifying concrete goals for the “right” capacity for libraries and schools. ALA has always said that the amount and the quality of the bandwidth available to a library should not be a limiting factor in the services it can provide its patrons. Commissioner Rosenworcel proposes that providing gigabit service to libraries and other anchor institutions is the right path to follow. We concur—knowing that libraries need to be on par with schools looking to future capacity needs.
The Commissioner also acknowledged the impact of the complex application process on potential participants in the E-rate program, particularly for small and rural applicants. Among her suggestions were looking at the benefits of multi-year contracts and consortia applications. Many libraries are involved in multi-year contracts and consortia, and ALA supports further improvements that would make the process less burdensome while still ensuring accountability.
In addition to these three points that speak directly to library concerns, the Commissioner proposed investigating how public-private partnerships could support workforce development by investing in education-enhancing technologies for classrooms and communities across the country. Clearly, this should apply to not only the future workforce, but those that already are out of school and turning to our nation’s public libraries. Finally, the Commissioner recommended studying the impact of the recent School Spots program that allows schools to open their doors to the public after hours for public broadband access. ALA supports the idea that before going further with this program that it would serve the Commission well to understand its impact to date in light of the current demand on the fund and the need to build its base.
The ALA Office for Information Technology Policy, with the E-rate Taskforce and our network of state E-rate coordinators, continues to build our vision for E-rate 2.0. As part of this work, we must also amplify the successful elements of the program that have allowed libraries across the country to provide their communities with critical services. We have been gathering stories from library applicants about the services libraries provide today that they did not or could not without E-rate support. The examples we have are too numerous to list here but range from a father receiving X-rays of his son in another country to give to his doctor in the U.S., to students taking a virtual fieldtrip at a museum across the country in a rural library, to recently unemployed people learning new technology skills in a library class. ALA is committed to strengthening the already successful E-rate program so that services such as these and ones we have yet to identify can continue regardless of library size or geographical location.
We appreciate the forward thinking of Commissioner Rosenworcel and her clear challenge to the library and school communities. We have a job ahead, but are rolling up our sleeves and are ready to work with the Commission to ensure a robust and sustainable E-rate program that meets the future needs of our libraries and schools so we can meet the future needs of our communities.
As Assistant Director of OITP, Marijke’s responsibilities include primary management of OITP’s E-rate activities, working in collaboration with Larra Clark and Alan Inouye. In addition, Marijke’s policy portfolio includes projects focused at the intersection of children and youth and information technology policy as well as broadband adoption issues including digital literacy and challenges for diverse populations. As Assistant Director, Marijke also has responsibility for OITP communications and other office-wide activities.
While it’s a tradition that many top administration posts will turn over in a president’s second term, the American Library Association (ALA) is sorry to hear that FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski will step down (pdf) in the coming weeks. From the National Broadband Plan to Universal Service Fund reform to digital literacy, the Chairman, FCC Commissioners and FCC staff have engaged ALA and libraries in a wide range of important proceedings. Among the most significant highlights are the Chairman’s work around E-rate reforms, broadband adoption, and network neutrality.
Most recently, Chairman Genachowski sent video greetings to attendees at the 2013 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle. In the video (below), he thanks librarians for their vital role in supporting digital literacy. The ALA and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) have worked closely with the FCC to support broadband adoption–with a focus on digital literacy training through our nation’s 16,400 public library locations.
“The digital divide has an impact on every aspect of society: our economy, education, health care, and civic engagement,” said ALA President Maureen Sullivan. “The ALA is proud to work with the FCC, IMLS and others to support our state and local libraries in making sure everyone in our communities can fully participate in the digital age.”
Last week, Connect2Compete and the Ad Council launched EveryoneOn–a three-year national campaign to empower people by giving them the tools and confidence they need to improve their lives through the Internet. Worcester (Mass.) Public Library and St. Paul Public Library were among the libraries that helped launch the effort (and shared their photos!) on 3.21.13. The journey to this launch stretches back to the FCC’s announcement of the Connect2Compete public-private partnership, which included IMLS, in October 2011.
“From the time of the National Broadband Plan, Chairman Genachowski has highlighted the need for broadband adoption as well as access as a national priority,” said Larra Clark, director of the ALA Program on Networks. “Through the bully pulpit and the Public-Private Initiative on Broadband, he has recognized and worked to address the barriers to broadband adoption, including digital literacy, relevancy and cost.”
The Chairman spearheaded the first National Broadband Plan, which recently marked its third anniversary and serves as the foundation for much of the FCC’s work since its release. The ALA appreciated the opportunity to work with FCC staff to provide input into the plan’s development, and support research related to broadband adoption in low-income communities. (The ALA District Dispatch provides an ongoing archive of blog posts related to the broadband plan.)
Even more ambitiously, Chairman Genachowski undertook network neutrality and reform of the Universal Service Fund, which touched on each of the four programs that make up the fund, including E-rate. As part of E-rate modernization in fall 2010, the FCC simplified the application process, increased the cap slightly by indexing it to inflation, and expanded access to low-cost fiber–all changes that benefit libraries and schools. The E-rate program has played a pivotal role in helping libraries connect their users to the Internet, and it continues to be a critical program for supporting library connectivity and information service needs.
The FCC also negotiated a difficult decision on network neutrality that protects the openness of wired broadband networks. An open and neutral Internet is necessary to ensure that the public’s
access to library content and services will receive the same priority as their access to entertainment and other commercial offerings. Congressional challenges to overturn the Open Internet Order were unsuccessful, but a legal challenge from Verizon/MetroPCS will be heard in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals sometime this year.
“ALA thanks Chairman Genachowski for his leadership on these issues of vital importance to libraries and the communities we serve,” Clark added. “As with any policy engagement, we didn’t get everything we wanted from every conversation, but, under Genachowski, the FCC actively sought out ALA and libraries as part of the solution to many of the challenges this country faces in ensuring digital opportunity through broadband access and adoption.”
On behalf of America’s libraries, we wish Chairman Genachowski the very best in his future endeavors–and hope they include libraries and our mission to improve the public’s access to information and technology.
As Director of OITP's Program on Networks, and Associate Director of OITP's Program on America’s Libraries for the 21st Century, Larra’s responsibilities include overall management of OITP’s telecommunications portfolio and day-to-day management of our projects in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Previously, she served as the project manager in the ALA Office for Research & Statistics for three years.
Yesterday, Representatives Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Doris Matsui (D-CA) along with six of their colleagues introduced a resolution (H. Res. 81) designating March 21 as National Digital Literacy Day. March 21 is also the launch of a three year national Ad Council campaign “3.21 EveryoneOn” to promote the importance of digital literacy. ALA, along with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, has been actively engaged with this campaign to showcase the work libraries do with digital literacy on 3.21 and the other days of the year.
The Digital Literacy Day resolution recognizes the tremendous service public libraries and schools provide their communities with access to technology and the Internet, primarily through the E-rate program, which has supported these institutions with over $30 billion since the beginning of the program in 1997. It notes the dedication to promoting broadband use and adoption across the country by the investments in the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program and the subsequent National Broadband Plan. Though these initiatives have resulted in positive outcomes in many of our communities, the resolution also notes we still have significant challenges before access – including the necessary infrastructure, technology, and skills – is within the reach of all people regardless of how rural their life may be, what their income level is, or their abilities.
Identifying digital literacy as the specific barrier for nearly one third of non-adopters (people who do not have broadband at home), Congressman Markey and his colleagues help raise this problem to the level of urgency it deserves. Without Internet access it’s nearly impossible to get a job. It’s extremely difficult to stay on top of a child’s homework assignments or for the child to finish a school project. It’s virtually impossible to apply for college financial aid and it’s a challenge to file your taxes without being able to go online.
Libraries – whether school, public, or academic – all have a vested interest in providing digital literacy programming for their patrons. From a library point of view, access to online information is a fundamental component of equitable access to information, a core library value. Whether learning from scratch, building beginning skills, or experimenting with the latest collaborative digital tool, libraries help patrons and students alike locate the best resources and help them navigate our online reality. Over the past two years, OITP has focused on promoting libraries as key partners in providing digital literacy support and programs. Its Digital Literacy Task Force prepared a report that gives an overview of digital literacy in the context of school, public, and academic libraries. A set of recommendations on future digital literacy initiatives and building library capacity in this area is forthcoming.
As Assistant Director of OITP, Marijke’s responsibilities include primary management of OITP’s E-rate activities, working in collaboration with Larra Clark and Alan Inouye. In addition, Marijke’s policy portfolio includes projects focused at the intersection of children and youth and information technology policy as well as broadband adoption issues including digital literacy and challenges for diverse populations. As Assistant Director, Marijke also has responsibility for OITP communications and other office-wide activities.
While Congress and the White House debate how to prevent the looming across-the-board budgets cuts known as sequestration, those of us in the E-rate world are worrying about our own “fiscal cliff.” For the past several years E-rate applicants have been biting their nails waiting to see what totals are going to be requested from the capped fund and if there will be enough money to fund their applications. In 2012, we heard a collective gasp when the school and library applications showed that for the first time in the 15 years of the program there was not going to be enough money to cover all the priority one requests, with a shortfall of some $2.8 billion. After shaking out the couch cushions and emptying the penny jars, USAC was able to make up the deficit so that all of these applications could receive funding and the first tier of priority two applications would also receive funding.
So if you’re not up to speed on E-rate lingo this has probably made you scratch your head and your finger is poised to click “next.” E-rate is the special bucket in the universal service fund that provides discounts from 20 percent to 90 percent to eligible schools and libraries for telecommunications services, Internet access, and specific related internal wiring and other costs to ensure that they can provide today’s information services to their students and patrons. In 2012 the total amount in the program after it was adjusted for annual inflation and after USAC identified additional funds was just over $3.82 billion.
Early in the life of the program the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) whose purview E-rate falls under, divided the program into two separate funding “priorities;” priority one (P1) for telecommunications and Internet access and priority two (P2) for internal connections and basic maintenance of those connections. P1 is funded first and with the money left over USAC (the Universal Service Administrative Company that oversees the administration of the universal service programs) funds P2 applications based on a complicated formula that takes into account poverty and urban/rural location of the applicant. (Yes I know, your fingering is hovering again, but read on – E-rate is a critical program for schools and libraries and has enabled libraries to offer video-conferencing services for patrons at the high end and has allowed small rural libraries to be the only free Internet game in town.)
Initiated in 1997 and originally capped at $2.25 billion dollars, libraries receive millions of dollars each year but at the same time there are significant shortfalls in the program. OITP Fellow, Bob Bocher prepared a brief summary (pdf) detailing how we got to where we are and a forecast for the upcoming 2013 funding year which in the E-rate world starts on July1. In the near term, OITP along with the help of our E-rate task force made up of state level E-rate experts will be looking into the issues carefully and will be developing some plausible scenarios to get us out of the difficult spot we’re in anticipating the demand for funds in 2013 and beyond.
Looking ahead, we know we’ll need some strong E-rate champions who understand the critical role E-rate plays in library connectivity but more importantly the impact a library connected to the Internet with high-capacity broadband brings to the people in its community. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) has stood by the side of libraries since creating the E-rate program with his colleague former Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and he still speaks on our behalf, posting a video in his “Minute with Jay” series reminding all of us that “[P]ublic libraries remain an invaluable resource to our children and our communities.” And, that having libraries and K12 schools connected to the Internet “impacts everything from online learning and job searches to term paper research… For underserved groups especially libraries provide an important lifeline to the Internet and technology.”
If you really want to learn more about E-rate, USAC’s website is the treasure trove of the most authoritative information. The FCC has an interesting page that covers historical and current decisions, and ALA’s E-rate page links to our official filings on FCC Proceedings and provides other resources.
As Assistant Director of OITP, Marijke’s responsibilities include primary management of OITP’s E-rate activities, working in collaboration with Larra Clark and Alan Inouye. In addition, Marijke’s policy portfolio includes projects focused at the intersection of children and youth and information technology policy as well as broadband adoption issues including digital literacy and challenges for diverse populations. As Assistant Director, Marijke also has responsibility for OITP communications and other office-wide activities.
Last week, Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel 
