[OPLINLIST] FW: [alacro-l] ALA Asks FCC to Consider Role and Benefits of Libraries in National Broadband Plan

[Hickson-Stevenson, Pamela]

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From: Michael Dowling [mailto:mdowling at ala.org] 
Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 4:59 PM
To: alacro-l at ala.org; chapeditor at ala.org
Subject: [alacro-l] ALA Asks FCC to Consider Role and Benefits of
Libraries in National Broadband Plan

 


August 5, 2009 

 

 ALA: FCC should consider role, benefits of libraries in National
Broadband Plan

WASHINGTON, D.C. - American Library Association (ALA) President Camila
Alire encourages the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to consider
the role of America's libraries in a National Broadband Plan as the FCC
begins its workshop series to develop the plan.

The first workshop, to be held tomorrow, will focus on civic engagement
and e-government - two areas in which libraries are active and
positioned to serve in a heightened capacity as the agency establishes
new goals and initiatives.

"Across the country, librarians and staff at public libraries are
connecting individuals to essential e-government services such as
unemployment benefits, federal and state emergency assistance, tax
filing, Social Security, Medicare Part D and much more," Alire said. 

A recent ALA study, U.S. Public Libraries and E-Government Services
<http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/ors/plftas/IssuesBrief-Egov.pdf
> , found that 61 percent of libraries report providing access to
government information as one of the most critical Internet services
they provide. The study also points to the increasing public dependence
on library computers, highlighting another ALA study that reported the
public library is the only source of no-fee Internet access for 71
percent of America's communities.

"As the FCC begins this critical national discussion, they must remember
that the library is the place that closes the digital divide for
millions of individuals who do not have home computers and is also the
place where anyone can seek personal, one-on-one assistance with
obtaining information and resources available to them online," Alire
said. 

"We look forward to working with the FCC and hope to have opportunities
to share more with them about how libraries can help the Administration
realize its goal of ensuring all people have access to reliable,
high-speed broadband." 

In April, the ALA Washington Office submitted a filing
<http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/ala-f
cc-comments-consult-4-13-09.pdf>  to the FCC in response to its call for
comments to help inform the commission's consultative role in the
broadband provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA). The comments shared how libraries, as key community service
entities and anchor tenants for broadband connectivity, play a vital
role in providing access to online resources and opportunities,
especially in rural communities.

###

Contact: Jenni Terry
Press Officer
ALA Washington Office
(202) 628-8410
jterry at alawash.org

 

 

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