[Libs-Or] Fwd: [District Dispatch] ALA files comments on Broadband Technology Opportunities Program

[Diedre Conkling]

 ALA files comments on Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, RUS
program <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=2495> April 13th, 2009
http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=2495

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Jenni Terry <jterry at alawash.org>*

*WASHINGTON, D.C.* – The American Library Association (ALA) today submitted
comments<http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/ntia-rus-april13-final3.pdf>to
the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
and
the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), defining the position of libraries on the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s (ARRA) Broadband Technology
Opportunities Program (BTOP) and the RUS program.

“The ARRA presents an unprecedented opportunity for libraries to achieve
high-speed broadband connectivity, and our comments firmly establish
libraries as a central player in the programs’ goal to make the
opportunities of broadband connectivity available to all Americans,” Alan
Inouye, director of the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP),
said.

America’s libraries – over 100,000 strong – need high-speed broadband to
help community residents conduct job searches, develop their careers,
complete school homework and research, support small business creation and
development, use online government resources, and perform many other facets
of daily life.

Unfortunately, high-speed broadband is often lacking in the nation’s
libraries, which is the primary source for no-fee Internet access. Thus, the
broadband initiatives of the ARRA represent an extraordinary opportunity to
provide the necessary high-speed broadband to America’s libraries and other
key community service organizations, in rural, suburban and urban locales.

The comments underscore the essential role that libraries play as the
premier public computing center and as information hubs in their
communities, while also making a compelling case for a nationwide “fiber to
the library.”

Additional points asserted in ALA’s comments include the following:

   - State priorities deserve some deference, but NTIA should also allow
   funding for multi-state applications, some in-state applications exclusive
   of a state’s strategy and national-level applications
   - Most libraries have significant “financial need.” The 20 percent match
   will be a major challenge for most libraries, given the severe economic
   downturn, and so accommodations are necessary.
   - Libraries should be included in broadband mapping, and grant recipients
   should be required to include community service organizations in mapping
   efforts.






-- 
Diedre Conkling
diedre08 at gmail.com
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/libs-or/attachments/20090413/3f371b27/attachment.html>