This article explores the historical relationships between libraries, policy, and politics in the United States. Far too often, policy and political discussions related to libraries have little historical context. While libraries have long viewed themselves as a pillar of democracy by supporting informed, educated, and engaged citizenry, political…

Reports on 1996 library programs, activities, and information policy: American Library Association's responses to President Clinton's "America Reads" program, the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and the Communications Decency Act; Family Friendly Libraries; certification for Kansas media specialists; federal funding of libraries; the…

This report includes examples of how Universal Service Fund support is used by beneficiaries across the country. Included in this version are approximately 140 success stories of how the Universal Service Fund is helping to improve connectivity in the United States. This report is updated quarterly, as Universal Service Administrative Company…

Universal service discounts for libraries and schools were promised by the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, but actually obtaining the discounts may prove difficult. This article examines obstacles to library qualification: eligibility requirements, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rulings, the application process, and…

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 expanded universal support to eligible schools and libraries. To administer the universal service program for schools and libraries, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) directed the creation of the Schools and Libraries Corporation (Corporation). As a start-up operation, the Corporation has had to develop…

The best evidence of the concern over the digital divide was the speed with which the federal government interceded to help close it. A program offering generous subsidies to schools and libraries for the purchase of Internet technology was made part of the massive overhaul of the Telecommunications Act in 1996. The subsidies were apportioned on a…

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 has provisions covering telephone service, telecommunications equipment manufacturing, cable television, radio and television broadcasting, and the Internet and on-line computer services. Most critical for rural areas are universal service provisions that ensure reasonably priced services to all regions and…

One of the benefits of 1996 Telecommunications Act is a federal program nicknamed "E-Rate," which discounts the cost of providing Internet connections to schools and libraries. This article provides an overview of the program, describes the application process, and suggests how to maximize E-Rate. Answers common questions about E-Rate…

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) appointed a Joint Board to recommend changes in existing FCC rules to fulfill the regulatory mandates of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The Joint Board, which consists of three FCC commissioners, four State commissioners, and one consumer advocate, issued its recommendations to the FCC in a 500-page…

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 constitutes a major overhaul of telecommunications law and will have a major impact on rural residents, communities, schools, libraries, and hospitals. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is requesting comments from "the grassroots" about telecommunications issues and concerns of greatest…

West Virginia has been pursuing an approach to connecting students to the information highway that mirrors the model envisioned by the Telecommunications Act of 1996. This policy brief aims to help schools and state agencies understand the discounts provided by the Act. U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller explains the provisions of the…

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 constitutes a major overhaul of telecommunications law and will have a major impact on rural residents, communities, schools, libraries, and hospitals. This paper presents 68 key points from the Federal Communication Commission's Universal Service Report and Order, Section X: Schools and Libraries, which contains…

This document aims to assist understanding of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and to insure the implementation of a school discount methodology that is rational, equitable, and methodologically defensible. Based on a merged database containing data from 8,814 schools, 5,670,452 students, and 18 telecommunication companies in 7 states, this…

The Rural Policy Research Institute's Rural Telecommunications Task Force assessed the rural impacts and unintended or adverse rural consequences of the Federal-State Joint Board's recommendations to the FCC regarding Section 254 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Ten critical rural components of the Joint Board recommendations are listed: (1)…