TO
THE HONORABLE WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO
THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS
ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE AND
TRANSPORTATION OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE, AND TO MEMBERS OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE
ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS, TRADE AND CONSUMER PROTECTION, COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,
UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
We,
your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of
Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and
petition as follows:
WHEREAS,
Washington state has sought to leverage the state's purchasing power in its
procurements of telecommunications and information services; obtain the lowest
prices for telecommunications services for state agencies, local governments,
and schools and libraries, and avoid unnecessary duplication of resources; and
WHEREAS,
The Legislature created the Department of Information Services and directed it
to aggregate the demand for telecommunications services purchased from the
private sector, add value, and make such services available to public entities
at significantly reduced costs; and
WHEREAS,
Through such efforts the Department of Information Services has saved the
taxpayers of Washington millions of dollars each year; and
WHEREAS,
The Washington Legislature in 1996 authorized and funded the development of the
K-20 Educational Telecommunications Network, a fifty-four and one-half million
dollar state-wide backbone network linking K-12 school districts, educational
service districts, baccalaureate institutions, public libraries, and community
and technical colleges; and
WHEREAS,
This network will provide schools and libraries with enhanced function and
increased efficiencies in their use of telecommunications services; and
WHEREAS,
The Federal Communications Commission, pursuant to the Telecommunications Act
of 1996, has begun implementation of a two and one-quarter billion dollar
universal service fund program to discount the cost of telecommunications and
information services to schools and libraries; and
WHEREAS,
On December 30, 1997, the Federal Communications Commission ruled that state
networks, such as the K-20 educational network, may not recover directly from
the fund for telecommunications services, other than Internet services and
internal connections, provided and billed to schools and libraries; and
WHEREAS,
By its order, the Commission also determined that schools and libraries served
by state telecommunications networks will not be able to obtain discounts on
the value added by the state to these telecommunications services procured from
the private sector; and
WHEREAS,
This ruling potentially creates incentives for Washington schools and libraries
to forego the less costly state-provided services, and instead buy more
expensive services directly from private providers in order to be assured of
federal subsidies; and
WHEREAS,
This ruling creates a severe administrative burden on Washington state
government, and will contravene longstanding Legislative policy; and
WHEREAS,
This ruling could increase the costs to the universal service fund since
discounts will be based on higher costs negotiated one-by-one between
individual schools and libraries and private telecommunications companies;
NOW,
THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the members of the
Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation of the United States Senate;
and members of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade and Consumer
Protection, Committee on Commerce, United States House of Representatives urge
the Federal Communications Commission to review and amend its ruling barring direct
reimbursement to state agencies that provide telecommunications services.
BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be transmitted
immediately to the Honorable William J. Clinton, President of the United
States, the members of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation of
the United States Senate, the members of the Subcommittee on
Telecommunications, Trade and Consumer Protection, Committee on Commerce,
United States House of Representatives, the President of the United States
Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, each member of Congress
from the State of Washington, and the members of the Federal Communications
Commission.
