Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition Pleased with Effort to Promote

High-Capacity Broadband to Anchor Institutions Across America.

Washington, D.C. (Sept. 23, 2010) – The Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband (SHLB)[1] Coalition commends Chairman Genachowski and his colleagues at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for today’s decision to give schools and libraries more flexibility and options to satisfy their needs for high-capacity broadband connections.

“Today’s decision will help to address the exploding needs of schools and libraries for high-capacity bandwidth,” said John Windhausen, Jr., Coordinator of the SHLB Coalition. “Streamlining and simplifying the application process will reduce the administrative burden on applicants and the government. Allowing non-profit research and education (R&E) networks and municipalities to provide both ‘lit’ and ‘dark’ fiber services to eligible E-rate applicants will give schools and libraries more broadband options. R&E networks and municipalities submitted several examples of how they can provide lower-cost, higher-quality bandwidth to community anchor institutions, but the former E-rate rules discouraged schools and libraries from considering these alternative providers. The new rules adopted today will give schools and libraries much greater flexibility to explore a variety of high-bandwidth solutions, will promote greater competition among broadband providers, and will also make more efficient use of the E-rate fund.”

“Broadband is the ‘meta-infrastructure’ that provides the foundation for future economic growth, more efficient health care, and greater educational opportunities, especially for rural consumers and vulnerable population groups,” Windhausen added. “These changes to the E-rate program will propel our nation forward to meet the National Broadband Plan goal of affordable 1 Gbps connections to all anchor institutions in every community by 2020. The SHLB Coalition supports these changes to the E-rate program.”

CONTACTS:

John Windhausen, Jr., Coordinator of the SHLB Coalition, is the President of Telepoly Consulting. He can be reached by phone at (202) 256-9616 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (202) 256-9616      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (202) 256-9616      end_of_the_skype_highlighting, or by e-mail at jwindhausen@telepoly.com. The SHLB Coalition web site is at www.shlbc.org.

Attachments: 

2010-9-23 SHLB PR on E-rate decision Final.pdf