ACTION NEEDED:
The e-rate program is now being threatened in the congressional
appropriations process. Possibly as early as next week, both
House and Senate appropriations subcommittees are expected to
markup up bills that include funding for the Federal
Communications Commission.
This may signal the beginning of the next round of assaults on
the e-rate. Both sides of Congress could succeed at completely
cutting or halting the e-rate by attaching some kind of "anti" e-rate
provision to the FCC appropriations (see BACKGROUND below).
Please CALL or FAX immediately the following members the House
and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice,
State & Judiciary, especially if you are a constituent and an e-rate
applicant.
In addition, if you are a constituent of any of other key
opponents of the e-rate: Sen. McCain (R- AZ), Sen. Stevens
(R-AK), Rep. Dingell (D-MI), Rep. Bliley (R-VA), and Speaker Newt
Gingrich (R-GA), please contact them and express your support for
the discount program and how the e-rate will support your
community. We don't need just a few letters -- we need thousands!
MESSAGE POINTS:
(1) Be sure to mention your support for the e-rate and any
personal anecdotes about how your community will be affected by
further cuts in these discounts.
(2) If your library has applied for the e-rate discounts,
describe how you intend to utilize the program. Please emphasize
the critical need for the program and that there should be no
more delays or cuts.
__________________________________________________________
HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, JUSTICE,
STATE &
JUDICIARY
St-Dst Pty Representative Phone FAX
(Use 202 area code)
AZ-5 R Jim Kolbe 225-2542
CA-32 D Julian C. Dixon 225-7084 225-4091
CO-2 D David E. Skaggs 225-2161 226-3806
IA-5 R Tom Latham 225-5476 225-3301
KY-5 R Harold Rogers, Chair 225-4601 225-0940
LA-1 R Robert L. Livingston 225-3015 225-0739
NY-1 R Michael P. Forbes 225-3826 225-3143
NC-11 R Charles H. Taylor 225-6401
OH-16 R Ralph Regula 225-3876 225-3059
WV-1 D Alan B. Mollohan, Rnk. Mem. 225-4172 225-7564
WI-7 D David R. Obey 225-3365
_________________________________________________________________
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, JUSTICE,
STATE &
JUDICIARY
ST Pty Senator Phone FAX
(Use 202 area code)
AK R Ted Stevens 224-3004 224-2354
AR D Dale Bumpers, Rnk. Mem. 224-4843 224-6435
CO R Ben Nighthorse Campbell 224-5852 224-1933
HI D Daniel K. Inouye 224-3934 224-6747
KY R Mitch McConnell 224-2541 224-2499
NH R Judd Gregg, Chair 224-3324 224-4952
NJ D Frank R. Lautenberg 224-4744 224-9707
NM R Pete V. Domenici 224-6621
SC D Ernest Fritz Hollings 224-6121 224-4293
TX R Kay Bailey Hutchison 224-5922 224-0776
WV D Robert C. Byrd 224-3954 224-8070
_________________________________________________________________
BACKGROUND:
ALA has been advised that the Senate will start its efforts on
Tuesday, June 23, when the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for
Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary convenes. Sen. Ted
Stevens (R-AK) said he plans to attach an amendment to the FCC
appropriations to suspend the e-rate program altogether. As
chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Stevens has a great
deal of influence to effectively freeze the disbursement of e-rate
funding.
So far there has been no specific legislative language offered,
but several key members of the Senate Appropriations Committee
are also members of the Senate Commerce Committee who have
criticized the e-rate program. Sen. Fritz Hollings (D-SC) has
also indicated that he will use the same appropriations technique
to end the FCC's ability to implement the e-rate.
Two bills have been recently introduced to end the FCC's ability
to collect funds for the program (H.R. 4032 sponsored by Rep. F.
James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and H.R. 4065 sponsored by Rep. Joe
Scarborough (R-FL). (Further reports on these bills will be
forthcoming as information becomes available.)
House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) has also promised to introduce
similar legislation. At this time ALA has not been able to
confirm exactly when the House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary will meet on the FCC
budget. One report says that they could begin their markup as
early as next Wednesday, June 24.
These efforts follow the cut already made to the program by the
FCC last Friday, June 12. That cut decreased the overall
discounts to $1.9 billion over 18 months rather than around $2
billion for the first year.