American Library Association

While we anticipated the Federal Communications Commission would take a look at its Universal Service Fund (USF) programs once Chairman Ajit Pai was in place, we did not anticipate the speed at which moves to review and evaluate previous actions would occur. After the Commission retracted the “E-rate Modernization Report,” our E-rate ears have been itching with concern that our bread and butter USF program would attract undue attention. We did not have long to wait.

Last week, FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly sent a letter to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) seeking detailed information on libraries and schools that applied in 2016 for E-rate funding for dark fiber and self-provisioned fiber. Our main concern is that the tenor of the Commissioner’s inquiries calls into question the need for these fiber applications. The Commission’s reforms to allow self-construction costs for dark fiber and applicant owned fiber were correct in 2014 and remain so. In addition, applicants will evaluate and select the best, most cost effective fiber option for their library or school. If the last few weeks are any indication of activity at the FCC, we’re in for a busy spring.

Local government leaders envision public libraries as a key resource to support their communities’ education and digital inclusion goals while indicating interest in exploring new roles for libraries to address other community priorities, according to a recent survey conducted by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), in partnership with The Aspen Institute and the Public Library Association (PLA). The new report, Local Libraries Advancing Community Goals, 2016, highlights five community priorities, ranked high or very high, where local government leaders see libraries playing an important role:

• access to high-speed Internet service (73 percent)
• digital literacy (65 percent)
• early childhood education (65 percent)
• primary and secondary school attainment (59 percent)
• civic engagement (45 percent)

The survey also finds three areas of opportunity for library and local government leaders to work together more closely: collaborating on community priorities, engaging in active information sharing and communication about community issues, and seeking additional funding sources to enable libraries to expand programming and services.

The American Library Association (ALA) released three briefs highlighting how libraries can advance specific policy priorities of the incoming Trump Administration in the areas of entrepreneurship, services to veterans and broadband adoption and use. Each paper features numerous snapshots of programs around the country illustrating libraries’ contributions to vibrant communities, as well as “takeaway” points for decision-makers:

One Small Business at a Time: Building Entrepreneurial Opportunity in America’s Communities
Snapshot: A Maryland ice cream entrepreneur used library resources to write an award-winning business plan that led to $50,000 in seed money and the launch of her shop.
Takeaway: Leverage libraries in new policy initiatives to grow entrepreneurship and small businesses.

Libraries Help and Honor Our Veterans: Employment, Education and Community Connection
Snapshot: A California veteran said the referral he received at the library led to him receiving medical benefits and back pay he was unaware he earned.
Takeaway: Libraries represent a proactive, cost-effective solution for extending outreach and services to veterans and their families.

America’s Libraries: Powering Broadband Access, Adoption and Use
Snapshot: Families in public housing with school-aged children receive digital literacy training and access to online homework resources and other digital services at libraries.
Takeaway: Libraries bring a wealth of resources and expertise to partnerships like ConnectHome with the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development

Libraries maximize trusted expert staff and technology infrastructure to boost Americans’ awareness of the benefi ts of broadband adoption and the digital skills needed to thrive online.

• Libraries and librarians help with home broadband adoption. Look at HUD’s ConnectHome as a recent policy initiative. More generally, libraries and librarians bring a wealth of expertise and resources to advance federal, state and local broadband adoption and use initiatives.
• Federal policymakers should promote investment and growth through initiatives that strengthen existing Wi-Fi spectrum designations, free up new frequencies for Wi-Fi, and establish transparent and predictable rules for Wi-Fi spectrum.
• Federal and state policies must further the promise of E-rate modernization, as well as promote competition that enables local choice among broadband providers to meet growing digital demands.
• Libraries need strong open Internet rules to serve our communities

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) marked the first anniversary of its ConnectHome pilot program—which connects public housing residents with low-cost broadband, devices, digital literacy training, and technical assistance—with a large-scale expansion that HUD Secretary Julián Castro called ConnectHome Nation.

Public housing and HUD-assisted residents living in Comcast’s service area are now eligible to apply for Internet Essentials, the company’s high-speed internet adoption program for low-income families. Up to 2 million HUD-assisted homes will have access to the program. The public–private partnership brings together Internet service providers, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector to narrow the digital divide for families with school-aged children who live in HUD-assisted housing. It builds on the ConnectED initiative to connect 99% of K–12 students to high-speed internet in classrooms and libraries by 2018. In a July 14 media call, Castro recognized the national partnership of the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries in the 28 pilot communities for helping to create true educational experiences for families. Libraries from Meriden (CT) to Nashville (TN) and Cleveland (OH) to Seattle (WA) are working with local public housing authorities to provide training to youth and their families

July 18, the Republican National Convention (RNC) kicks off in Cleveland (OH), and the Democratic National Convention (DNC) begins next Monday in Philadelphia (PA). In the latest installment of the Policy Revolution! initiative, the American Library Association submitted comments to the Republican and Democratic Party Platform Committees. ALA’s submission is based on a large body of prior work. At the most fundamental level, such comments are informed by internal ALA policies, approved by ALA’s Council. In terms of our work more specifically targeted to the national public policy arena, we completed the National Policy Agenda for Libraries in June 2015 to provide the strategic policy direction for libraries, under the auspices of a Library Advisory Committee that included a number of library community organizations in addition to ALA.

At this point in the process, the primary goal is to showcase how libraries contribute to the broad range of national goals of importance to the major political parties. Given the economic unease around the country, ALA comments highlighted the roles of libraries in advancing economic opportunity. The comments also address several issues that are prominent in the campaigns, such as national infrastructure, veterans, education and learning and others.

The American Library Association urged the Federal Communications Commission to adopt the legally enforceable network neutrality rules necessary to fulfill library missions and serve communities nationwide.

The ALA joined 10 other national higher education and library organizations in filing joint public comments with the FCC. For instance, the FCC should:

• Explicitly apply open Internet rules to public broadband Internet access service provided to libraries, institutions of higher education and other public interest organizations;
• Prohibit “paid prioritization;”
• Adopt rules that are technology-neutral and apply equally to fixed and mobile services;
• Adopt a re-defined “no-blocking” rule that bars public broadband Internet access providers from interfering with the consumer’s choice of content, applications, or services;
• Further strengthen disclosure rules;
• Charge the proposed ombudsman with protecting the interests of libraries and higher education institutions and other public interest organizations, in addition to consumers and small businesses;
• Continue to recognize that libraries and institutions of higher education operate private networks or engage in end user activities that are not subject to open Internet rules; and
• Preserve the unique capacities of the Internet as an open platform by exercising its well-established sources of authority to implement open Internet rules, based on Title II reclassification or an “Internet reasonable” standard under Section 706.

Today, higher education and library organizations representing thousands of colleges, universities, and libraries nationwide released a joint set of Net Neutrality Principles they recommend form the basis of an upcoming Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision to protect the openness of the Internet.

The groups -- which include the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), and the American Council on Education (ACE), among others -- believe network neutrality protections are essential to protecting freedom of speech, educational achievement, and economic growth. Libraries and institutions of higher education are leaders in creating, fostering, using, extending, and maximizing the potential of the Internet for research, education, and the public good.

These groups are extremely concerned that the recent court decision vacating two of the key “open Internet” rules creates an opportunity for Internet providers to block or degrade (e.g., arbitrarily slow) certain Internet traffic, or prioritize certain services, while relegating public interest services to the “slow lane.” At its best, the Internet is a platform for learning, collaboration, and interaction among students, faculty, library patrons, local communities, and the world.

Libraries and institutions of higher education make an enormous amount of Internet content available to the general public -- from basic distance learning classes to multimedia instruction, cloud computing, digitized historical databases, research around “big data,” and many other educational and civic resources -- all of which require an open Internet.

These groups support strong, enforceable rules to ensure that higher education and libraries can continue to deliver online educational and public interest content at a level of speed and quality on par with commercial providers.

The proposed principles call upon the FCC to ban blocking, degradation, and “paid prioritization”; ensure that the same rules apply to fixed and mobile broadband providers; promote greater transparency of broadband services; and prevent providers from treating similar customers in significantly different ways. The organizations support the FCC’s adoption of “net neutrality” policies to ensure that the Internet remains open to free speech, research, education and innovation.

The American Library Association (ALA) and the Information Policy & Access Center (iPAC) at the University of Maryland College Park will gauge the quality of public access to the Internet in our nation’s public libraries in the summer of 2014.

The speed test study is a supplement to a three-year National Leadership Grant to the ALA Office for Research & Statistics from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and is supported by the Association of Rural and Small Libraries, the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, the Public Library Association, and the Urban Libraries Council.

As part of its E-rate Program modernization effort, the Federal Communications Commission is gathering a range of data to inform changes in the program and better understand library and school broadband needs. ALA and other library organizations are sharing researched gathered from libraries nationwide, but the quality of broadband access inside library and school buildings has emerged as a leading concern that demands attention.

The American Library Association (ALA) participated in an E-rate press call moderated by the Federal Communications Commission, and was joined by several education and digital learning advocates.

More than 4 million people visit America’s public libraries each day, and high-capacity broadband and Wi-Fi-enabled connections are at the center of what our communities need to connect with a world of online resources.

“The pressure for high-capacity broadband in libraries grows every year, as more essential employment and government services move online and libraries add interactive and streaming multimedia. The needs are urgent, and the time for action is now. ALA sees the FCC’s efforts as a solid first step in reforms to immediately support investments in Wi-Fi and to simplify the E-rate program,” said American Library Association Washington Office executive director Emily Sheketoff. Virtually all libraries now offer free public Wi-Fi, and this use is accelerating rapidly. One Oregon library recently topped 1 million Wi-Fi sessions in one year. Many patrons bring one, two or even three devices, and the K-12 trend toward supplying students with tablets and laptops is dramatically impacting library networks after school bells ring. This Wi-Fi access depends on affordable, scalable high-capacity connections to the building.

“With more than half of libraries with speeds of less than 10Mbps, we have a long way to go before we can claim victory toward the 1 gigabit goal, and the FCC must also address this concern. This is a first, not last step, to supporting digital learning and digital opportunity for our students and communities,” Sheketoff added.