August 3, 2009

Delaware Receives Large Refund For Public Library Telecommunications Services

DOVER - Governor Jack Markell and State Librarian Annie Norman announced Monday that the Delaware Division of Libraries has successfully applied to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) for a discount on its public library networking and Internet service costs, saving taxpayers $292,284 in Fiscal Year 2010.
 
The discounts, which began July, 1 will come in the form of a refund and will be applied to sustain and upgrade the network infrastructure as technologies evolve, thus expanding user access to the Internet, useful databases, and other electronic services.
 
Markell’s administration is the first to pursue such discounts on a statewide basis, demonstrating its commitment to maximizing funding from available non-State resources.
 
“We used the very old-school approach of looking for every dollar possible in cost savings to the state to help fund access to cutting-edge information for everyone who uses our libraries,” Markell said. “The result was hundreds of thousands of dollars saved and unlimited opportunities for library users to learn.”
 
In the current economic recession, people have been depending even more heavily on their local libraries to search and apply for jobs, learn about available social services, and expand their knowledge of issues such as money management and healthy living.
 
The Federal Universal Service Fund was created by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1997 to help open the nation’s telecommunications infrastructure to all residents, both urban and rural. Telecommunications providers must contribute to the Fund through an assessment on their interstate and international revenues.

One of the Fund’s four programs is the Schools and Libraries Program, commonly known as "E-Rate." It is administered by the USAC under the direction of the FCC and uses Fund monies to provide utility rate discounts of 20 - 90 percent to assist most schools and libraries in the United States in obtaining affordable telecommunications and Internet access. The actual percentage refund is determined by the level of poverty and the urban/rural status of the population served. The State of Delaware received a 69% discount on its public library telecommunications costs.
 
All Kent and Sussex County public libraries, along with two libraries in Wilmington, formed a consortium with the Delaware Division of Libraries to apply for the E-Rate refunds for telecommunications services they collectively receive from Verizon.