[Libs-Or] INFORMATION: It must be “FCC month” at the ALA

[Diedre Conkling]

http://www.districtdispatch.org/2014/09/must-fcc-month-ala/

It must be “FCC month” at the ALA
Posted on September 17, 2014
<http://www.districtdispatch.org/2014/09/must-fcc-month-ala/> by Larra Clark
<http://www.districtdispatch.org/author/larra/>

Well, yes, almost any month *could* be “FCC month” with the number of
proceedings that affect libraries and our communities, but September has
been particularly busy. Monday we entered the next round of E-rate activity
with comments in response to the Federal Communication Commission’s
*Further* Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (emphasis added), and closed out a
record-setting public comment period in relation to promoting and
protecting the Open Internet with two public filings.

I’ll leave it to Marijke to give the low-down on E-rate
<http://www.districtdispatch.org/2014/09/left-e-rate-order-desk-last-night/>,
but here’s a quick update on the network neutrality front:

ALA and the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) filed “reply”
comments
<http://www.ala.org/offices/sites/ala.org.offices/files/content/Library-HigherEd%20NN%20Reply%20comments%20Final%20Sept%2015%202014.pdf>
with a host of library and higher education allies to further detail
our initial
filing
<http://www.districtdispatch.org/2014/07/ala-acrl-file-net-neutrality-comments-fcc/>
in July. We also joined with the Center for Democracy & Technology
<http://www.districtdispatch.org/2014/09/advocating-stronger-network-neutrality-protections/>
(CDT) to re-affirm that the FCC has legal authority to advance the Open
Internet through Title II reclassification or a strong public interest
standard under Section 706. This work is particularly important as most
network neutrality advocates agree the “commercially reasonable” standard
originally proposed by the FCC does not adequately preserve the culture and
tradition of the internet as an open platform for free speech, learning,
research and innovation.

For better or worse, these filings are just the most recent milestones in
our efforts to support libraries’ missions to ensure equitable access to
online information. Today the FCC is beginning to hold round tables
<http://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-schedules-series-open-internet-roundtable-discussions>
related to network neutrality (which you can catch online at
www.fcc.gov/live). ALA and higher education network neutrality counsel John
Windhausen has been invited to participate in a roundtable on October 7 to
discuss the “Internet-reasonable” standard we have proposed as a stronger
alternative to the FCC’s “commercially reasonable” standard.

The Senate will take up the issue in a hearing
<http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/why-net-neutrality-matters-protecting-consumers-and-competition-through-meaningful-open-internet-rules>
today, including CDT President and CEO Nuala O’Connor. And a library voice
will again be included in a network neutrality forum—this time with
Sacramento Public Library Director Rivkah Sass speaking at a forum
<http://matsui.house.gov/press-releases/congresswoman-matsui-announces-witnesses-for-net-neutrality-forum-in-sacramento/>
convened by Congresswoman Doris Matsui on September 24. Vermont State
Librarian Martha Reid testified
<http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2014/07/vermont-state-librarian-testifies-about-importance-open-internet-senate>
at a Senate field hearing in July, and Multnomah County Library Director
Vailey Oehlke discussed network neutrality with Senator Ron Wyden at part
of an event <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAjF0fsX72E&feature=youtu.be>
in May.

This month ALA also filed comments
<http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7521829604> in support of
filings from the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition,
State E-rate Coordinators Alliance (SECA) and NTCA—the Broadband Coalition
calling for eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) in the Connect
America Fund to connect anchor institutions at higher speeds than those
delivered to residents. Going further, ALA proposes that ETCs receiving CAF
funding must serve each public library in its service territory at
connection speeds of at least 50 Mbps download and 25 Mbps upload. Access
and affordability are the top two barriers to increasing library broadband
capacity, so both the Connect America Fund and the E-rate program are
important components of increasing our ability to meet our public missions.
AND we presented
<http://www.districtdispatch.org/2014/09/libraries-e-rate-ala-featured-tprc/>
at the Telecommunication Policy Research Conference! Whew.

Buckle your seat belts and stay tuned, because “FCC Month” is only half
over!



http://www.districtdispatch.org/2014/09/must-fcc-month-ala/

-- 
*Diedre Conkling*




*Lincoln County Library DistrictP.O. Box 2027Newport, OR 97365Phone & Fax:
541-265-3066Work email**: **diedre at lincolncolibrarydist.org*
<diedre at lincolncolibrarydist.org>
*Home email: **diedre08 at gmail.com* <diedre08 at gmail.com>

 “If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change
your attitude.”―Maya Angelou
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/libs-or/attachments/20140917/353f01cb/attachment.html>