FCC IMPLEMENTS TELECOM DISCOUNTS:  Museums May Qualify

The Federal Communications Commission on May 7 issued rules implementing the
universal service provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.  The Act,
for the first time, included rural health care centers, K-12 schools, and
libraries as part of universal service which is intended to ensure that
affordable and high quality telecommunications services are available to all
Americans.  While museums are not explicitly mentioned in the law, some
museums may qualify under the FCC rules which will provide eligible schools
and libraries discounts on the purchase of all commercially available
telecommunications services, Internet access and internal connections used
for educational purposes.  Eligible institutions will enjoy discounts ranging
from 20% to 90%, with higher discounts being provided to the most
disadvantaged schools and libraries and those in high cost areas.  Total
expenditures for universal support for schools and libraries is capped at
$2.25 billion per year.  Discounts are scheduled to be available January 1,
1998.

To be eligible, a museum must be eligible for assistance from a state library
administrative agency under the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA),
formerly the Library Services and Construction Act.  The LSTA’s eligibility
rules include a category for “research library,” defined as an institution
which “makes publicly available library services and materials suitable for
scholarly research and not otherwise available to the public and is not an
integral part of an institution of higher education.”  In addition, some
museums may be eligible in a “library consortium” which, again under the
LSTA, “means any local, statewide, regional, interstate, cooperative
association of library entities which provides for the systematic and
effective coordination of the resources of school, public, academic, and
special libraries and information centers, for improved services for the
clientele of such library entities.”  AAM encourages museums to discover, by
contacting their state library agency, whether they are eligible to receive
state funding under the LSTA -- the key to eligibility for telecommunications
discounts.

Whether or not your museum is eligible for universal service discounts, the
number of schools and libraries linking to the Internet is expected to
increase dramatically.  These institutions will be searching for content of
quality and substance which many museums already are providing in the
otherwise chaotic world of cyberspace.  The potential for partnerships is
enormous.  The rules state that connections between eligible and ineligible
institutions can be purchased by an eligible institution subject to the
discount as long as the connection is used for educational purposes.
 Specifically, the rules note that eligible schools and libraries will be
eligible for discounts on any dedicated lines they purchase to connect
themselves to “any art or related materials maintained by a [ineligible]
private museum archives.”

In the wake of the FCC ruling, states must now make their state policies
compatible with the federal rule.  Museums interested in potential
telecommunications discounts or working in consortia with institutions that
are eligible should contact their state public service commission to find out
about universal service policies and related issues such as “distance
learning.”

We would appreciate any information from museums who have received funding
under the LSTA in the past or who believe they currently are eligible and any
information you can share on how these issues are taking shaping in your
state.  For more information on the FCC ruling visit the FCC’s Informal
Education Page “LearnNet” at http://www.fcc.gov or contact Barry Szczesny at
AAM Government Affairs 202/289-9125, [log in to unmask]  In addition,
PBS will produce a live satellite event June 3 entitled “Maximizing your
“E-Rate”:  Making the Most of New Telecommunications Discounts for Schools
and Libraries.”  Visit http://www.pbs.org/learn/als/programs/live/erate.htm
to find a downlink site in your area.

Barry Szczesny
AAM Government Affairs