Specifically, Rockefeller asked FCC Chairman Julius
Genachowski to “expeditiously adjust” the commission's rules to address the
inflationary decreases in funding available for the program.
Rockefeller was an original sponsor of the amendment to the
1996 Telecommunications Act that first established the schools and libraries
program as part of the universal service fund. The program is commonly known as
the E-Rate program.
“The E-Rate program has been the singularly most effective
and powerful of all of the [FCC's] universal service programs at supporting the
expansion of broadband service,” Rockefeller wrote in his letter. However, when the commission first implemented its
rules governing the E-Rate program, it capped the funds available annually at
$2.25 billion, Rockefeller said.
“I am concerned that more than a decade later the strength of
this program has been reduced by the failure of the agency to adjust its rules
to accommodate the impact of inflation,” the letter stated. “Taking into
consideration growth in the consumer price index, the cap that was put in place
in July 1997 has an equivalent value in August 2009 of $1.68 billion,” he
stated.
This situation has serious consequences, Rockefeller wrote.
While each year students' need for broadband educational opportunities
increases, the real dollar value of the E-Rate program decreases, he
stated.
It also has a detrimental effect on those who use public
libraries for internet access, including an increasing number of low-income,
elderly, and unemployed citizens, the letter stated.
Rockefeller said he knew that the commission understood the
great importance of broadband in this country. “As a result, I ask that you
expeditiously adjust commission rules to address the toll that inflation has
taken on this important program,” he wrote.
The schools and libraries program of the universal service
fund is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC)
under the direction of the FCC. It provides discounts that allow most schools
and libraries in the United States to obtain affordable telecommunications and
internet access.
According to USAC, the schools and libraries program
disbursed an estimated $1.8 billion in funding year 2008.
By Cheryl Bolen
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