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DIRECTOR HILDRETH: So our third panel is really
all about moving forward.

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This panel will discuss solutions for robust
connectivity in libraries, some great ideas

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about that.

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And we'll be hearing from Gary Wasdin, Eric
Frederick and Linda Lord.

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Gary is the Executive Director of the Omaha
Public Library System and ahs had a long career

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in libraries and also is currently a member
of the Urban Libraries Council Executive Board.

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Eric Frederick is the Executive Director of
Connect Michigan and Linda Lord, the famous

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Linda Lord, our Maine State Librarian.

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You know, IMLS has a very close relationship
with all of our state libraries out there.

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Hello state libraries and we have one of the
premier state librarians with us here, Linda

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Lord, who is also a Chair, I think, of the
ALA E-Rate Task Force.

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So we're glad to have all of you today and
we'll ask you to make your remarks and then

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we have some good questions for you as well.

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So, Gary, would you start out.

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Thank you.

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MR.

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WASDIN: Thank you, Susan.

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Thank you, everyone, for joining us today.

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Asking me to do this in like five minutes
is like putting me in front of a buffet and

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asking me to only eat salad.

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(Laughter)
MR.

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WASDIN: So I'm going to try to stick to four
key points in my remarks here.

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First, just a quick overview of some of the
issues we face in Nebraska and in Omaha.

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I've been in Omaha for four years so it's
been new to me and it's been a learning process.

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We're a mid-sized city, about half a million
people but nearly a third of the population

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of our state lives in Omaha and Douglas County.

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We have lower than average unemployment in
that part of the country and certainly in

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Omaha and our economy has been much more stable
over the last few years.

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However, that really breaks down as you start
to look at specific groups and specific audiences

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in our community.

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Clarence mentioned earlier about minority
populations and how they are affected much

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more significantly by the economy and by employment
issues and that's extremely true in Omaha.

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We are largely a rural state.

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Omaha has 12 libraries.

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The rest of the state is primarily smaller
libraries, many of whom just got internet

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access for the first time through the very
successful BTOP program.

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In our community, though, we play a very strong
role in education and learning with our Omaha

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Public Libraries.

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That's been even more significant over the
last two years as we've been working on a

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IMLS grant designed to really reinvent our
library system as a community engagement tool

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to help build our city and help grow our city's
economy and to help people strengthen their

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lives, their skills and improve their circumstances.

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In doing so, we've been working much more
strongly with our business community which

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has really transformed how we see technology
and the need for through our library system.

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We are the only access point for internet
in Omaha that is free so our computers are

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heavily used.

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Our wifi is even more heavily used and that
grows exponentially each year.

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Omaha has a very strong business town.

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We have five Fortune 500 companies there and
workforce development is one of the most critical

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things that has emerged through our grant
research and working with our community.

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We've created a bit of a circumstance.

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It's an enviable position to be in in many
ways, but through this community engagement

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work, what we've have found is a community
that desperately wants us to be engaged with

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them and they want us to be a leader when
it comes to technology education, when it

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comes to skills development.

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Many of our larger corporations are finding
that they have to look outside the city to

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bring in skilled workers who have the digital
skills that are necessary for our part of

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the country, on particular, individuals who
can write code; and don't ask me, I don't

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know what coding is but I now that it's necessary.

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And our companies are having to bring in individuals
who have that skill set and it's a skill set

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that's not terribly difficult to learn.

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IT doesn't require a formal education.

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It's something that if individuals are given
the access and the ability to learn, there's

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a job waiting for them on the other side.

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So we've been asked to look at what we can
do with building those skills.

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Just this past Friday, actually, some very
sad news.

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A small company, a tech startup that grew
in Omaha, and some of you may be familiar

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with it -- their company is MindMixer -- it's
a company that creates online town halls for

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cities who are looking for information, community
engagement-based research from individuals

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in their communities -- unfortunately, they
announced that they're leaving Omaha and moving

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to Kansas City and they're doing so quite
simply because they cannot find enough workers

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to meet the demand in Omaha.

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Now Carla asked earlier how do we get the
attention of elected officials for the need

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for libraries and digital instruction.

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That's how we get their attention.

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We have to say "This cannot happen again.

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We cannot lose another company for this reason."

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Now we've already started on a lot of this
work and it continues.

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We recently employed lynda.com which is available
in all of our libraries.

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This provides instruction on computers in
any one of our 12 libraries on all kinds of

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topics.

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It's self-paced.

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It includes software skills, design skills
as well as management classes, leadership

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classes.

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People can come to the library.

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There are video instructor-led programs that
really help them build a skill set that heretofore

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may not have been accessible to them.

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We offer GED classes in the library which
gives us the opportunity not only to work

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with partner agencies to help people prepare
for the GED exam itself but also to help them

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get comfortable using computers since the
GED test now is done on a computer.

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We don't want them to be sitting there for
the first time using a computer and having

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to face such a difficult test.

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The Affordable Care Act was one of our most
recent technology bubbles in the library system.

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For the last two months, for signup, over
1000 people came to our libraries to find

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out more about their insurance options and
to sign up for insurance.

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This was a wonderful example of who people
come to libraries not just for a computer

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and not just for internet access.

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They came to us for the support.

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As someone mentioned earlier -- I think it
was Chairman Wheeler that talked about the

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"guide by side" help -- people who even had
internet access needed help.

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And we were fortunate to have trained volunteer
navigators there to help people navigate the

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system, to get online and to use the programs
that were available.

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Now for the future -- what is the future?

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I don't know.

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None of us know what the future is for technology.

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We know it will be different.

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But what we're doing in Omaha is creating
a technology incubator library.

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This is a space that will give us the opportunity
to experiment, to try new things, to see what

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works, to see what our community needs and
to see what doesn't work.

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And we'll be able to do that in a space that's
independent from our other libraries but very

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much connected and a part of our libraries.

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We're doing this with the wonderful of a philanthropist
in the city and through the public- private

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partnership that makes these things possible.

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Earlier, we talked a little bit about Carnegie
and that public-private partnership and it's

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something that I rely on and where E-Rate
funding helps me tremendously.

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In talking to our philanthropic community
in Omaha, the very first thing they want to

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know is what is the government doing, what
is the city, what is the state, what is the

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federal government doing to help libraries
before they will step up with their private

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support.

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So E-Rate helps leverage those private dollars
to help makes these things possible.

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In our incubator, we'll have the opportunity
to have a space that lets us offer after-school

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programs that teach youth creative skills,
programs that help them learn to design and

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create and edit content, higher end software
for job skills for people who are applying

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for jobs and doing more.

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As we look to launch this space next year,
we're excited to take all of the research

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that's been done by our partners around the
country using the Edge initiative that's come

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from ULC, the great research that's come out
of Pew over the last few years and create

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a space where we can put those in practice
and see how they fit in our Omaha community.

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Thank you so much for this opportunity to
talk and I'll turn it over to Eric.

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(Applause)
MR.

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FREDERICK: There's a very narrow platform
up here.

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Director Hildreth and Members of the National
Museum and Library Services Board, thank you

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for the honor of speaking today on the importance
of broadband for libraries and the modernization

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of one of its major funding vehicles, E-Rate.

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I'd have to agree with Gary that asking me
to do this in five minutes is a very difficult

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task but we have talked today a lot about
stories and telling stories of the services

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libraries provided to their communities and
that's what I'm here today to do.

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I want to give you a little bit of a background,
though, before I start into those stories.

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As Susan said, I am the Executive Director
of Connect Michigan.

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We are a non-profit subsidiary of Connected
Nation partnered with the Michigan Public

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Service Commission, and our task is to facilitate
the expansion of broadband and technology

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access, adoption and use throughout the Great
Lake state.

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We are Michigan's expression of the State
Broadband Initiative administered and funded

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by the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration.

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So thank you to the NTIA for the opportunity.

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Over the last four years and in concert with
a lot of the other work that all SBI programs

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are doing throughout the country, including
broadband mapping and research, we have been

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implementing the Connected Community Engagement
Program, and this is a robust and grassroots

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effort to bring together local stakeholders
around the idea of broadband technology at

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a very small scale, assess their local broadband
landscape, identify gaps in that assessment

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and help them develop a very actionable technology
plan for filling in those gaps.

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Over the last two years, we've engaged with
27 communities across the State of Michigan,

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doubled the amount we were required by our
federal grant and have engaged 1300 cross-

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sectorial stakeholders in that process.

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Team members on these local teams include
chambers of commerce, economic development

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corporations, schools, local government, broadband
providers and, of course, the libraries.

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We have seen firsthand through the Connected
program the critical role that libraries play

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in Michigan communities and, of course, communities
throughout the country.

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Libraries serve as an access point to the
limitless resources of the internet and, of

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course, are catalysts for adoption.

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Services offered by libraries are some of
the key points that we look at when doing

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our local broadband assessment through the
Connected program including public computer

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center hours and digital literacy classes.

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We have countless stories to share regarding
best practices and successes coming out of

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our Connected program and if I were to shake
my sieve of best practices, the ones that

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float to the top are from libraries.

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So I do want to share some very specific stories
from Michigan communities and the impact that

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they're having in broadband and technology.

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In the Eastern Upper Peninsula Bayliss Library
System, they became a hub for students to

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access the internet once the local system
provided students grades 7 through 12 with

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a laptop because of the BTOP program.

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However, the vast majority of these students
did not have an at-home broadband connection

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so libraries advocated for expanded parking
lots.

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They increased their bandwidth and extended
their hours to meet the needs of these students.

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And in communities with active broadband and
technology planning teams, many Michigan schools

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with one-to-one device programs are working
in tandem with libraries to ensure there's

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adequate bandwidth, hours of operation and
capacity to meet the increased community demand

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for high-speed connectivity.

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Libraries across Michigan also contribute
significantly to local economic development

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efforts partnering with local chambers of
commerce and economic development corporations

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to host website and social media development
training for small businesses.

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Michigan's economy relies quite heavily on
these establishments and again, those are

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businesses with 20 employees or fewer.

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However, research has found that Michigan's
small businesses are less likely to adopt

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broadband than larger establishments and small
businesses in other states.

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In response, in the winter of 2013, members
of the Luce, Chippewa and Mackinac County

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Community Technology Planning Teams that have
engaged through our Connected program partnered

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with libraries and chambers of commerce to
train 140 small businesses on e-commerce and

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website development so that they may leverage
technology to sustain and grow themselves

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in rural Michigan.

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Along those same lines, Michigan's harbor
communities are greatly dependent on the summer

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months when local tourism swells -- anybody
is with the Pure Michigan campaign.

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Seasonal tourists on working vacations that
require ongoing communication with employers

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via email and Cloud computing find Michigan's
libraries in their small coastal towns to

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be ideal secondary offices away from home.

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Modern technology in these libraries allows
visitors to experience Michigan and contribute

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to the local economy for longer periods of
it me because they still have sufficient bandwidth

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to telecommute.

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Libraries in Harbor Springs, Petoskey, Frankfort,
Traverse City, all up and down Michigan's

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west coast are packed with these types of
folks in the summertime being able to bring

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their families to northern Michigan and enjoy
the environment.

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As we've experienced through our work on the
ground in Michigan, libraries that are engaged

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with a broader community technology planning
program are developing creative and innovative

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solutions and programs and methods to help
solve community connectivity and adoption

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issues.

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E-Rate reform offers an unprecedented opportunity
to prioritize and incentivize applications

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from libraries that are part of a broader
community technology plan.

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Libraries in rural Michigan are seen as gems
in their community.

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Susan mentioned earlier about bringing libraries
to the forefront of people's minds and these

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broader community technology planning teams
are absolutely doing that, bringing the libraries

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back to the forefront of the minds of local
government officials and to schools and to

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economic development corporations for the
role that they play in connecting everyone

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in the community.

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Public-private partnerships and concurrent
infrastructure construction are just a few

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examples of efficiencies produced from collaborating
and collaborative community technology programs.

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Libraries pray a critical role in broadband
access and adoption in Michigan communities,

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not just for the digital literacy skills of
individuals but for those of businesses that

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are making Michigan communities thrive in
these tough economic times.

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Thank you again for allowing me to come today
and to share some of the stories and successes

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of Michigan's libraries.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)
DIRECTOR HILDRETH: The final speaker is making

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her way up here, Linda Lord.

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Thank you so much, Eric.

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That's good.

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MS.

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LORD: Good morning, everyone.

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I am in awe at being here today with so many
distinguished people including some old friends.

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What a pleasure.

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Thank you IMLS.

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Thank you Board.

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I don't know where Commissioner Hundt is but
hearing him speak in a few minutes is one

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of the thrills of my being here today.

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I learned a phrase here in DC a couple of
years ago which seems incredibly appropriate:

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"Everything has been said but not everyone
has said it" and I'm sure you haven't heard

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it in a Maine accent, so here I go and I wanted
very much to yell "ditto and ditto" after

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Gary and Eric spoke.

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I certainly enjoyed their comments.

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The American Library Association has advocated
for high-capacity broadband in libraries since

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the beginning of the E-Rate Program and I'm
always so proud to mention that my former

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Senator, Olympia Snowe, was essential, was
critical in getting this program into the

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American Telecommunications legislation of
1996.

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ALA, recognizing the importance of E-Rate
for libraries early on established an official

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E-Rate Task Force that closely monitors and
responds to FCC proceedings within the Washington

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office.

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And I am so pleased to work with these people
at ALA who are so supportive of the Task Force's

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work.

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There is no question but that E-Rate has transformed
the way libraries and schools function to

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better serve the needs of patrons and students.

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And from my perspective in Maine, it has been
an incredibly successful program.

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However, after nearly 20 years, even a successful
program should be assessed to make sure that

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it's focused on meeting today's connectivity
needs.

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Therefore, ALA supports the fine- tuning of
the program and creating efficiencies wherever

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possible.

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However, I do caution that in the changes
being contemplated we first do no harm.

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In March, the FCC released a public notice
and I'll share a few details, as I've been

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asked to, from the ALA responses.

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First, ALA believes its proposals address
some of the greatest challenges our libraries

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have in reaching the kinds of broadband speeds
they need for today's and tomorrow's services.

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ALA wants to focus on places where high capacity
broadband is not available to libraries and

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where if it is available, it is not affordable.

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ALA wants to also study high-bar for library
broadband targets.

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We believe that this should occur with scalable
technology instead of continuing in incremental

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improvements.

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We envision all libraries at one gig by 2018
if not earlier.

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As an aside, in Maine, our goal for 2015 is
one gig to 99 percent of Maine's schools and

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libraries.

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And I want to interject here that Maine had
all its schools and libraries connected to

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the internet in 1997-1998.

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We connected them to a 56k line with a FRAD
-- does anybody know what a FRAD is anymore

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-- frame relay access device -- and we truly
thought we were in hog heaven.

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And a poor Cisco rep came to meetings and
said, "You got to be thinking about servers.

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00:20:03.150 --> 00:20:06.020
You're going to be" -- ah, nah, FRADs are
great.

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We've got it made.

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Well, obviously, that has changed as rapidly
as changes in some of the other states that

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you have heard about earlier.

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And I just read the wonderful report from
IMLS and the FCC yesterday to learn that Arizona,

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South Carolina and Maine maximized use of
the E-Rate Program, and not being competitive

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or anything, I thought, "Well, why isn't Maine
first?"

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But then I realized alphabetical order they
listed it in, so I calmed down after that

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one.

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But we do maximize our use of the E-Rate Program
and I would love to explain how we do that

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but there's no time for it.

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If anybody's interested, I'll be glad to talk
your ear off on what's going on in Maine.

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Now, 29 percent of state libraries say that
a majority of their libraries lack adequate

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bandwidth now and 92 percent say that most
of their libraries will need more bandwidth

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within three years.

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I did a quick survey in Maine a couple of
weeks ago asking what libraries would do with

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broader bandwidth and within a few hours,
I had 51 replies, some from libraries I never

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00:21:10.990 --> 00:21:16.570
hear from begging for broader bandwidth, which
I thought was fascinating because we think

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we do a pretty good job at providing what
they need and obviously, I learned.

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Because broadband is so critical to libraries,
ALA recommends using a portion of the FCC's

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$2 billion dollar, I believe it's called down
payment, to immediately increase library broadband

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and ALA has three main proposals.

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The first is called "The Scalable Technologies
Deployment Program" that would apply to libraries

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in close proximity to providers who can offer
speeds of at least 100 megabytes up to our

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00:21:46.580 --> 00:21:48.290
one gigabyte goal.

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ALA thinks this project could identify ways
to keep ongoing costs affordable and might

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00:21:53.120 --> 00:21:58.000
be the catalyst for providers to expand into
areas where there is little competition.

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00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:01.630
The second proposal would promote school wan
partnerships.

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00:22:01.630 --> 00:22:07.340
If school has a broadband connectivity, then
the library close to it has.

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00:22:07.340 --> 00:22:11.700
Why not have the library link off that school's
broadband?

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00:22:11.700 --> 00:22:16.770
And when ALA first mentioned this, I said,
"Isn't that legal now" because we're doing

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00:22:16.770 --> 00:22:18.450
it in places in Maine.

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00:22:18.450 --> 00:22:22.820
And thank goodness the response is yes, that's
perfectly acceptable to do now.

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00:22:22.820 --> 00:22:26.679
Apparently, it's going across public ways
that presents the problem.

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00:22:26.679 --> 00:22:31.870
The third and final project calls for network
diagnostics and technical support.

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00:22:31.870 --> 00:22:37.780
This project would maximize the cost-efficient
use of E- Rate funds and help smallish libraries.

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00:22:37.780 --> 00:22:42.420
It could include bulk purchasing and would
rely on support from state libraries who have

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trained E- Rate coordinators who have a statewide
perspective on the status and connectivity

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needs of their libraries.

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And I do want to recognize IMLS for allowing
LSTA funds to be used for continuing education.

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That is a huge support and very critical and
I would be remiss without recognizing the

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00:23:01.470 --> 00:23:02.470
Gates Foundation.

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00:23:02.470 --> 00:23:06.559
My very fast act in working for the Maine
State Library was going to a training session

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to get computers into Maine libraries and
what a difference it made.

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00:23:10.700 --> 00:23:13.900
Two other suggestions from us to streamline
the processes.

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You've heard that before.

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And we fear down the road that overall program
funding is going to have to be increased.

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I will tell you frankly that phasing out support
for voice services has been a contentious

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00:23:27.929 --> 00:23:33.270
issue for the Task Force and for many libraries
across our country, particularly for our small

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and rural libraries.

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And some of the issues we have weighed in
on or we've discussed include what to do in

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cases of emergency or in areas where alternatives
to telephone may not be reliable or affordable.

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I did another survey for my poor libraries
who I surveyed right to death and they were

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split right down the middle on this, whether
or not losing POTS would damage them.

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And I got the most touching note from one
library.

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It was a large library with a gigabyte connection
and they said, "Yes, losing POTS support would

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00:24:07.080 --> 00:24:11.540
hurt us because we take in a couple thousand
dollars a year because we have all these lines

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00:24:11.540 --> 00:24:12.540
coming in.

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00:24:12.540 --> 00:24:19.700
However, we know how much other libraries
need broadband so we would vote to spend the

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00:24:19.700 --> 00:24:21.679
money on broadband."

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00:24:21.679 --> 00:24:26.860
That just amazed me that that library had
the big perspective and was aware of concerns

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across the state.

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00:24:28.660 --> 00:24:36.460
We, ALA, does support a very gradual phase-
out of voice services but I emphasize very

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gradually for the reasons I just mentioned.

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00:24:38.350 --> 00:24:43.309
Finally, I'd like to bring this back to where
this matters and you've heard this.

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Libraries touch all aspects of life from education,
employment, entrepreneurship, to empowering

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00:24:50.030 --> 00:24:53.910
people in all stages and from all walks of
life.

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00:24:53.910 --> 00:24:58.980
When people can't apply for jobs or access
government services because they don't have

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00:24:58.980 --> 00:25:03.140
access from home, public libraries must be
there for them.

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00:25:03.140 --> 00:25:06.050
Where else are they going to go?

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00:25:06.050 --> 00:25:07.190
Police station, town hall?

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00:25:07.190 --> 00:25:08.690
I don't think so.

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00:25:08.690 --> 00:25:10.400
Public libraries are it.

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00:25:10.400 --> 00:25:16.010
And I guess I want to conclude we've heard
so many statistics, we've heard so many goals,

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00:25:16.010 --> 00:25:22.240
but to bring it right down to what Gary did,
we're talking about the lives of tens of thousands

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00:25:22.240 --> 00:25:28.900
of individual people whose lives are being
enriched by broadband in our public libraries

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00:25:28.900 --> 00:25:31.340
and that's the key point I want to leave with
you.

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We're not just talking abstractions, policy,
data and goals.

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We're talking about people's lives.

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The final point is that we don't know what
the next new thing is going to be.

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Are all our patrons going to come in in a
year wearing Google glasses, bringing their

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00:25:49.170 --> 00:25:52.080
iPads, their computers, their iPhones?

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00:25:52.080 --> 00:25:58.210
We don't know but whatever it is, we do know
it will involve bandwidth and that library

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00:25:58.210 --> 00:26:03.360
patrons will expect that their libraries are
ready to provide it and that it works well

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at the library.

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00:26:04.860 --> 00:26:11.799
We can't allow inadequate bandwidth to limit
the services that our libraries can give their

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communities.

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Thank you very much.

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00:26:14.950 --> 00:26:21.480
(Applause)
DIRECTOR HILDRETH: So thank you, Linda.

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00:26:21.480 --> 00:26:22.480
That was great.

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00:26:22.480 --> 00:26:28.660
You know, I think most of the folks here in
the audience know what POTS is and I was listening

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00:26:28.660 --> 00:26:31.180
to you, Linda, and I almost heard "pot."

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00:26:31.180 --> 00:26:34.200
And I thought, "Why is the FCC supporting
pot in libraries?

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00:26:34.200 --> 00:26:39.370
But P-O-T-S, Plain Old Telephone Service,
just to clarify.

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I mean it would be fun if we had pot there
as well, but Plain Old Telephone Service.

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00:26:44.590 --> 00:26:45.590
Okay.

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00:26:45.590 --> 00:26:47.000
So we have a couple of questions.

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We're trying to stay on time, watching our
clocks but our first question comes from one

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00:26:52.910 --> 00:26:57.840
of our Board members, Christie Brandau who
I also want to just acknowledge has been a

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00:26:57.840 --> 00:27:03.250
state librarian and has been involved in these
E-Rate issues in both Michigan and Kansas

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00:27:03.250 --> 00:27:04.250
for sure.

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00:27:04.250 --> 00:27:07.530
I'm not sure about other states but Christie,
I think you have a question for Gary.

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00:27:07.530 --> 00:27:13.390
MEMBER PEARSON BRANDAU: Gary, you mentioned
that E-Rate helps leverage other dollars.

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00:27:13.390 --> 00:27:16.690
How does it directly affect and support your
library?

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00:27:16.690 --> 00:27:21.460
What are some of the challenges you've experienced
with the current E-Rate program?

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00:27:21.460 --> 00:27:26.310
And how would you suggest that it changes
to better serve your community?

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00:27:26.310 --> 00:27:27.310
MR.

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00:27:27.310 --> 00:27:33.250
WASDIN: Well, as I said, it is key in leveraging
other dollars which helps us really magnify

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00:27:33.250 --> 00:27:36.210
what we're capable of doing.

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00:27:36.210 --> 00:27:41.860
But in a library of my size, the money that
comes in through that really, without it,

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00:27:41.860 --> 00:27:44.860
we wouldn't be able to provide the service
period.

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00:27:44.860 --> 00:27:49.510
The cuts that we would have to make to offset
the loss of that funding would be significant.

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00:27:49.510 --> 00:27:56.299
You know, the challenges, I think, many of
them have been mentioned already with the

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00:27:56.299 --> 00:27:58.220
complicated process that's involved.

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00:27:58.220 --> 00:28:03.559
And just as an example, in a library of my
size with a limited number of staff and especially

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00:28:03.559 --> 00:28:09.630
with staff with limited expertise in this
area, we, for instance, actually have to pay

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00:28:09.630 --> 00:28:14.020
a consulting firm to apply for E-Rate funds
for us.

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00:28:14.020 --> 00:28:18.429
So we actually have spend some of our money
to even apply to get the funds.

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00:28:18.429 --> 00:28:23.880
It's worth it for us, of course, but that's
how challenging the process and the time involved

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00:28:23.880 --> 00:28:24.880
is doing it.

393
00:28:24.880 --> 00:28:26.050
And that's true, really, throughout Nebraska.

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00:28:26.050 --> 00:28:30.559
So I think as far as how it would change,
I think looking at how we could make this

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00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:36.590
an easier process to get the money where it
needs to go and ensure that it's spent smartly.

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00:28:36.590 --> 00:28:44.080
DIRECTOR HILDRETH: Thank you, Gary, and Eric,
you know, you spoke -- you had some very compelling

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00:28:44.080 --> 00:28:49.309
stories but talk a little bit more about how
you think the public-private partnerships

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00:28:49.309 --> 00:28:53.740
have really impacted community planning efforts
and E-Rate modernization?

399
00:28:53.740 --> 00:28:57.720
I think it's s great example to have the public-
private work going on.

400
00:28:57.720 --> 00:29:00.530
And has it really made a difference in your
point of view?

401
00:29:00.530 --> 00:29:01.530
MR.

402
00:29:01.530 --> 00:29:02.530
WASDIN: Yeah.

403
00:29:02.530 --> 00:29:03.530
I think it actually has.

404
00:29:03.530 --> 00:29:08.179
We find in tough economic times, particularly
in rural Michigan, in communities that have

405
00:29:08.179 --> 00:29:13.480
been hit the hardest, that public-private
partnerships are just a way of life now.

406
00:29:13.480 --> 00:29:17.669
No single entity can stand on their own so
when we bring these teams together around

407
00:29:17.669 --> 00:29:21.660
broadband and technology, natural collaborative
models come to the top.

408
00:29:21.660 --> 00:29:25.740
Again, it's libraries talking to schools,
talking to chambers, talking to economic developers.

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00:29:25.740 --> 00:29:32.700
And we've even seen in one community where
a separate inter- governmental fiber rings,

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00:29:32.700 --> 00:29:36.450
library systems and others actually joined
together to provided increased bandwidth for

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00:29:36.450 --> 00:29:42.860
everyone, signed on rural local governments
to that system for increased efficiencies

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00:29:42.860 --> 00:29:47.990
and then expanded that system and leased it
to a private sector provider to serve rural

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00:29:47.990 --> 00:29:53.230
townships in a county that was the most under
served in Michigan and now has a sustainable

414
00:29:53.230 --> 00:29:55.860
broadband connectivity.

415
00:29:55.860 --> 00:30:00.550
So those public-private partnerships are definitely
a way of life, forced a little bit by the

416
00:30:00.550 --> 00:30:04.460
economic downturn but are definitely showing
dividends in a lot of the communities we work

417
00:30:04.460 --> 00:30:05.460
with.

418
00:30:05.460 --> 00:30:06.460
DIRECTOR HILDRETH: Terrific, great.

419
00:30:06.460 --> 00:30:07.460
And Christie, did you have another question?

420
00:30:07.460 --> 00:30:09.450
MEMBER PEARSON BRANDAU: Yes, for Linda.

421
00:30:09.450 --> 00:30:14.470
Linda, we're both from states that have a
lot of rural libraries that rely on E-Rate

422
00:30:14.470 --> 00:30:19.280
and POTS to serve the community they have.

423
00:30:19.280 --> 00:30:23.520
How will these proposals help those libraries
that are the furthest behind?

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00:30:23.520 --> 00:30:28.919
DIRECTOR HILDRETH: And also, Linda, any thoughts
about rural areas where we're having challenges

425
00:30:28.919 --> 00:30:32.450
in terms of enticing any vendors to make investments
at all.

426
00:30:32.450 --> 00:30:34.630
MEMBER PEARSON BRANDAU: Yes, absolutely.

427
00:30:34.630 --> 00:30:35.630
MS.

428
00:30:35.630 --> 00:30:40.920
CLARK: The lack of competition is a huge problem.

429
00:30:40.920 --> 00:30:46.490
Some of you know that I live in a small Maine
town, I'm proud to say really in the "willywacks"

430
00:30:46.490 --> 00:30:55.549
and there's no cable TV, there's nothing except
one telecom provider and that's a very difficult

431
00:30:55.549 --> 00:30:57.090
thing.

432
00:30:57.090 --> 00:31:00.270
The other -- Christie, the first part of your
question was?

433
00:31:00.270 --> 00:31:04.919
MEMBER PEARSON BRANDAU: How are the proposals
going to help the libraries that are the furthest

434
00:31:04.919 --> 00:31:05.919
behind?

435
00:31:05.919 --> 00:31:06.919
MS.

436
00:31:06.919 --> 00:31:11.110
CLARK: Oh, because they're definitely, deliberately
focused on those libraries and there would

437
00:31:11.110 --> 00:31:15.741
be a way to determine -- the way hasn't been
figured out yet as I understand it -- but

438
00:31:15.741 --> 00:31:21.309
there would be a way to determine which libraries
desperately need to be in a pilot project

439
00:31:21.309 --> 00:31:22.940
to get that connectivity.

440
00:31:22.940 --> 00:31:25.270
DIRECTOR HILDRETH: Okay.

441
00:31:25.270 --> 00:31:34.130
We want to try to keep our efforts here on
time, so I'm not - - we have a couple of other

442
00:31:34.130 --> 00:31:35.130
questions.

443
00:31:35.130 --> 00:31:39.510
Some of them we've gotten answered but there
was one question, "Are there any studies of

444
00:31:39.510 --> 00:31:45.549
actual experiences of low-speed versus high-speed
libraries in terms of service quality and

445
00:31:45.549 --> 00:31:46.820
variety?"

446
00:31:46.820 --> 00:31:50.440
And I think this is a really good question
I hope that possibly Chairman Reed in his

447
00:31:50.440 --> 00:31:52.850
closing remarks could address that.

448
00:31:52.850 --> 00:31:58.590
But I think one of the challenges, you know,
as we had that -- as you said, Linda, "It's

449
00:31:58.590 --> 00:32:02.751
all been said but not everybody said it,"
so we all know that for the most part, it's

450
00:32:02.751 --> 00:32:07.200
really bad out there and we have to get this
connectivity better.

451
00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:13.160
But I think the real challenge is do we really
understand and can we imagine what it would

452
00:32:13.160 --> 00:32:14.510
be like with better connectivity.

453
00:32:14.510 --> 00:32:18.929
And even if we had it, we're still not there
because the next day, something new will come

454
00:32:18.929 --> 00:32:19.929
along.

455
00:32:19.929 --> 00:32:24.330
So it is amazing to me that 50 of our main
libraries -- I'm sure some of them are pretty

456
00:32:24.330 --> 00:32:28.350
small -- could right away come up with uses
for increased broadband.

457
00:32:28.350 --> 00:32:30.610
So we know that's where want to go.

458
00:32:30.610 --> 00:32:36.870
So I would like to thank our panel and ask
you to step down and just we really appreciate

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00:32:36.870 --> 00:32:37.870
your efforts.

460
00:32:37.870 --> 00:32:37.871
(Applause)