ALAWON v4n44 (May 19, 1995)
URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v4n44

****Begin File******************Begin File*******************Begin File****
***************************************************************************
                                                             ISSN 1069-7799
                                  ALAWON
                      ALA Washington Office Newsline
                     An electronic publication of the
              American Library Association Washington Office
 
                            Volume 4, Number 44
                               May 19, 1995
 
   In this issue: (160 lines)
     - ADVOCATES FIGHTING TO INCLUDE SCHOOL-LIBRARY ACCESS AMENDMENT IN
          HOUSE TELECOMMUNICATIONS BILL, HR 1555
     - ACTION ALERT:  SUPPORTERS ASKED TO CONTACT HOUSE COMMERCE COMMITTEE
     - HOUSE COMMERCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
 
***************************************************************************
 
     ADVOCATES FIGHTING TO INCLUDE SCHOOL-LIBRARY ACCESS AMENDMENT IN
                  HOUSE TELECOMMUNICATIONS BILL, HR 1555
 
     ACTION ALERT:  SUPPORTERS ASKED TO CONTACT HOUSE COMMERCE COMMITTEE
 
ALA and other education/library advocates have been working to include an
amendment that would ensure NII access for schools and libraries in HR
1555, the Telecommunications Rewrite Act of 1995.  The House Commerce
Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance failed to add any provisions
for libraries and education at the May 17 markup.
 
The full Commerce Committee is tentatively scheduled to meet on Wednesday,
May 24.  While there is interest from some members of the Commerce
Committee, the exact language of any proposed amendment is still being
debated among potential Congressional supporters.  The only language
presently in the bill that references any type of educational or public
access reads:
 
     Sec. 246 (b) (5)  EDUCATIONAL ACCESS TO ADVANCED
     TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES. -- To the extent that a common
     carrier establishes advanced telecommunications services, such
     plan should include recommendations to ensure access to advanced
     telecommunications services for students in elementary and
     secondary schools.
 
ALA and others have proposed replacing this section with the following
language:
 
     (5) ACCESS TO ADVANCED TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES. -- To the
     extent that a provider of telecommunications services provides
     advanced and interactive telecommunications services, such plan
     should include recommendations to ensure end-to-end access at not
     higher than incremental-cost based rates for
     a) elementary and secondary schools, ...accredited colleges and
     universities, and other public and non-profit telecommunications
     entities providing noncommercial educational and community
     services to the public;
     b) public and non-profit libraries; and
     c) public and non-profit providers of health care services
     (including instruction relating to such services).
 
Although similar to the Snowe-Rockefeller-Kerrey-Exon amendment in S. 652,
this proposal includes higher education.  It also has a somewhat different
mechanism for providing affordable rates for schools and libraries than the
provision in the Senate bill.  Other proposed language also circulating in
the House does not include higher education and removes the incremental-
cost based rates wording and alternatively uses affordable rates.  Some
feel that this is more likely to be accepted.
 
ACTION ALERT:  Library supporters are asked to contact members of the House
Commerce Committee immediately to express support for ensuring school and
library access to the information superhighway in this critical legislation
to rewrite the Communications Act of 1934.  Committee members need to hear
why these advanced telecommunications services must be affordable for
delivery of library and information services.
 
The key points in any message to House members should be making
connectivity affordable and insisting that libraries as well as schools and
other entities be assured fair and equitable access.  The committee markup
may be on May 24 so immediate response is needed.  Please send copies of
any letters, email or fax to the ALA Washington Office.
 
***************************************************************************
 
                     HOUSE COMMERCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
 
ST Representative (Party)        Phone     Fax       E-Mail
== ==========================    ========  ========  ============
   Chairman                        Area Code 202    @hr.house.gov
VA Bliley Jr., Thomas J. (R)     225-2815  225-0011
AR Lincoln, Blanche Lambert (D)  225-4076  225-4654
CA Bilbray, Brian (R)            225-2040  225-2042
CA Cox, Christopher (R)          225-5611  225-9177
CA Eshoo, Anna G. (D)            225-8104  225-8104   annagram
CA Moorhead, Carlos J. (R)       225-4176  226-1279
CA Waxman, Henry A. (D)          225-3976  225-4099
CO Schaefer, Daniel (R)          225-7882  225-7885   schaefer
CT Franks, Gary (R)              225-3822  225-5085
FL Bilirakis, Michael (R)        225-5755  225-4085
FL Deutsch, Peter (D)            225-7931  225-8456   pdeutsch
FL Stearns, Clifford B. (R)      225-5744  225-3973   cstearns
GA Norwood, Charles (R)          225-4101  na         ga10
IA Ganske, Greg (R)              225-4426  225-3193
ID Crapo, Michael D. (R)         225-5531  225-8216
IL Hastert, J. Dennis (R)        225-2976  225-0697   dhastert
IL Rush, Bobby L. (D)            225-4372  226-0333
KY Whitfield, Edward (R)         225-3115  225-3547   edky01
LA Tauzin, W. J. (D)             225-4031  225-0563
MA Markey, Edward J. (D)         225-2836  225-1716
MA Studds, Gerry E. (D)          225-3111  225-2212
MI Dingell, John D. (D)          225-4071  na
MI Stupak, Bart (D)              225-4735  225-4744
MI Upton, Frederick S.(R)        225-3761  225-4986
NC Burr, Richard (R)             225-2071  225-2995   mail2nc5
NJ Pallone Jr., Frank (D)        225-4671  225-9665
NY Frisa, Daniel (R)             225-5516  225-3187
NY Manton, Thomas J. (D)         225-3965  225-1909   tmanton
NY Paxon, Bill (D)               225-5265  225-5910   bpaxon
NY Towns, Edolphus (D)           225-5936  225-1018
OH Brown, Sherrod (D)            225-3401  225-2266
OH Gillmor, Paul E. (R)          225-6405  225-1985
OH Oxley, Michael G. (R)         225-2676  226-1160
OK Coburn, Tom (R)               225-2701  225-3038
OR Furse, Elizabeth (D)          225-0855  225-9497   furseor1
OR Wyden, Ronald (D)             225-4811  225-8941
PA Greenwood, Jim (R)            225-4276  225-9511
PA Klink, Ron (D)                225-2565  226-2274
TN Gordon, Bart (D)              225-4231  225-6887
TX Barton, Joseph (R)            225-2002  225-3052   barton06
TX Bryant, John (D)              225-2231  225-0327
TX Fields, Jack (R)              225-4901  225-2772
TX Hall, Ralph M. (D)            225-6673  225-3332
VA Boucher, Rick (D)             225-3861  225-0442   ninthnet
WA White, Rick (R)               225-6311  225-3524   repwhite
WI Klug, Scott (R)               225-2906  225-6942
  All e-mail addresses end with suffix at top of e-mail column.
 
***************************************************************************
***************************************************************************
 
ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is an irregular publication of the American Library
Association Washington Office, 110 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Washington, DC
20002-5675.  Internet: alawash@alawash.org; Phone: 202-547-4440;
Fax: 202-547-7363.  Editor: Lynne E. Bradley (leb@alawash.org).
 
ALAWON is available free of charge and is available only in electronic
form.  To subscribe, send the message "subscribe ala-wo [your name]" to
listserv@uicvm (Bitnet) or listserv@uicvm.uic.edu (Internet).  Back issues
and other documents are available from the list server.  To find out what's
available, send the message "send ala-wo filelist" to the listserv.  The
ALA-WO filelist contains the list of files with the exact filename and
filetype.  To get a particular file, issue the command "send filename
filetype" to the listserv.  Do not include the quotes in your commands.
 
All materials in the newsletter subject to copyright by the American
Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial
purposes with appropriate credits.  For other reprinting or redistribution,
address requests to the ALA Washington Office (alawash@alawash.org).
 
***************************************************************************
***End of file******************End of file******************End of file***

