Library Stuff

Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV issued the following statement on updating and expanding high-speed broadband connections to schools and libraries through the E-Rate program. Today, President Obama called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to build next-generation broadband in schools and libraries to give students access to the latest technology.” (via U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation)

The Tribune – “Connected Texas, in partnership with the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) and Intel, announced Tuesday the launch of the Every Community Online (ECO) program. The program offers free computer and Internet training and leaves participants eligible for free computer giveaways as well as discounted home broadband services. “The Every Community Online program focuses on improving broadband access, adoption, and use across the entire state,” said Connected Texas Executive Director Don Shirley. “One million, four-hundred thousand Texas adults say a lack of digital skills and knowledge of how to use a computer and broadband is the main reason they don’t have broadband at home. The ECO program promises to change that by offering Texans a free way to learn life-changing digital skills through their local library and then be rewarded with discounted broadband services and a chance at a free computer.”

Mashable – “FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced Monday that he will be ordering sweeping changes to the Lifeline low-income telecommunications connectivity program. The Lifeline program was formed to help low-income Americans pay for telephone connectivity. Lifeline subscribers have been able to receive as much as $10 off their monthly telephone bills for either a landline or mobile phone. But high-speed Internet has been replacing the telephone as the main connectivity choice for Americans, and the FCC recognizes that shift.”

AP – “As many as one in 10 Americans can’t get Internet connections that are fast enough for common online activities such as watching video or teleconferencing, and two thirds of schools have broadband connections that are too slow to meet their needs. Those are some of the conclusions from the Commerce Department as it unveiled a detailed, interactive online map showing what types of high-speed Internet connections are available – or missing – in every last corner of the country.

The national broadband map, which was mandated by the 2009 economic stimulus bill, went live Thursday…”

Reuters – “U.S. President Barack Obama is slated to announce on Friday nearly $800 million in loans and grants for the build-out of broadband networks to reach homes, schools and hospitals….The projects will include laying communications lines to homes, hospitals and schools and expanding computer facilities in libraries, community colleges and other public areas.”

Reuters – “U.S. regulators released a blueprint for upgrading Internet access for all Americans, with Internet speeds up to 25 times the current average, expanded coverage and more airwaves for mobile services. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission plan released on Monday comes as the Internet increasingly delivers everything from telephone service to movies, music and banking services.”

More here

Reuters – “U.S. regulators will announce a major Internet policy this week to revolutionize how Americans communicate and play, proposing a dramatic increase in broadband speeds that could let people download a high-definition film in minutes instead of hours. Dramatically increasing Internet speeds to 25 times the current average is one of the myriad goals to be unveiled in the National Broadband Plan by the the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday. The highly anticipated plan will make a series of recommendations to Congress and is aimed at spurring the ever-changing communications industry to bring more and faster online services to Americans as they increasingly turn to the Internet to communicate, pay monthly bills, make travel plans and be entertained by movies and music.”

WSJ – “Plan to Build High-Speed Internet Faces Infrastructure Hurdles, Lack of Content”

GigaOm – “The FCC will deliver its National Broadband Plan to Congress a day earlier than originally scheduled — on March 16. Also on that day, the five FCC commissioners will vote on a “mission statement” intended to represent the spirit of the submitted documents. The plan, which Congress called for as part of the stimulus package passed last year, will recommend ways to provide universal broadband access as well as encourage Congress and industry to use broadband in health care, education and energy efficiency programs.”

AP – “Wearing just a T-shirt and shorts, Mayor Don Ness strolled to the end of a dock jutting into frigid Lake Superior. He grinned, waved his arms to a cheering crowd, and jumped in. “I’ve laid down the gauntlet!” Ness cried, shivering and dripping as he emerged from the lake in a video posted on YouTube. “All right, you other mayors! You want Google Fiber, you jump in Lake Superior!”