TLA TEXLINE NO. 176
Posted: October 4, 2004
LEGISLATIVE ISSUES NETWORK

ALA CALL TO ACTION: 
IMPORTANT E-Rate Hearing Tomorrow - 
Please call your Senators TODAY!

The American Library Association has sent out the following message.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 5th, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold a hearing on problems in the E-Rate Program. It is vital that you contact your Senator TODAY and communicate the good the E-rate has done for America's libraries. If we want to preserve the E-rate, we have to act now!

A front-page article in today's New York Times, "Internet Grants to Schools Halted as the F.C.C. Tightens the Rules," describes the moratorium on E-rate funding that has occurred in the past two months as the program has come under increasing scrutiny. This freeze in funding has already created significant hardship for libraries and schools across the country that depend on E-rate funds.

The E-rate program has been a great success for America's libraries. In 1996, only 28% of public libraries offered free Internet access to patrons; today that number has increased to more than 95%. Many libraries - particularly rural and inner-city libraries - depend on the E-rate to help them afford the vital services that empower patrons, neighborhoods, and communities.

Please take a moment TODAY to do your part in the fight to preserve the E-rate. Visit ALA's Legislative Action Center and send an e-mail letter to your Senator asking that he or she support the E-Rate program. After you send your e-mail to Congress, please choose to also send your message on the E-rate to your local newspapers through the Legislative Action Center. It is important that we get the word out about how vital the E-rate is to our libraries and communities.

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison: phone (202)224-5922; fax (202) 224-0776

Senator John Cornyn: phone (202)224-2934; (202)228-2856

You may also call your Member of Congress directly using the U.S. Capitol switchboard at: (202) 224-3121.

Thank you for your help in fighting to preserve the E-rate!

ALA Washington Office, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite 403, Washington, D.C. 20004-1701; phone: 202.628.8410 or 800.941.8478 toll-free; fax: 202.628.8419; e-mail: alawash@alawash.org; Web site: http://www.ala.org/washoff. Executive Director: Emily Sheketoff. Office of Government Relations: Lynne Bradley, Director; Carol Ashworth, Don Essex, Joshua Farrelman, Erin Haggerty, Patrice McDermott and Miriam Nisbet. Office for Information Technology Policy: Rick Weingarten, Director; Carrie Lowe, Kathy Mitchell, Carrie Russell. ALAWON Editor: Bernadette Murphy.

TEXLINE INDEX

TLA-Texline is an irregular publication of the Texas Library Association mailed directly to members interested in legislative and governmental issues affecting libraries. To subscribe--or to offer comments or suggestions-- contact Gloria Meraz, Director of Communications, Texas Library Association. Previous issues of Texline are archived on the TLA website.