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93 Groups Press for Public Right-of-Way on NII
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TAXPAYER ASSETS PROJECT - INFORMATION POLICY NOTE
(please distribute freely)
May 12, 1994
The attached press release and letter signed by 93 civic groups asks Sen.
Ernest Hollings and Sen. Daniel Inouye to hold congressional hearings on
the need to guarantee a "public right of way" for non-commercial services
on the "information superhighway."
FOR RELEASE: May 12, 1993 (The full text of the letter to Congress,
Media contacts listed below. as well as a list of organizations that
have signed on, follow this release.)
NINETY-THREE CIVIC GROUPS PRESS CONGRESS FOR
`PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY' ON INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY
Washington, DC --
A large and diverse coalition of civic organizations today called
for Senate hearings on the need to guarantee a "public right-of-way"
in telecommunications policy regarding the so-called information
superhighway. The coalition letter, addressed to Commerce Committee
Chairman Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-SC) and Communications Subcommittee
Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-HI), was signed by 93 educational, library,
civil rights, civil liberties, religious, labor, arts, consumer, local
government, public broadcasting, disability rights and other civic
groups. Senator Inouye has said that he intends to introduce
legislation, which is expected to be introduced shortly, designed to
achieve this goal.
"We have come together to ensure that legislation designed to
regulate the development of the national information infrastructure
(NII) provides for a public space to guarantee the free flow of ideas
and information," the letter said. "To ensure the greatest possible
diversity of voices on the NII, telecommunications networks must
reserve capacity for a `public right-of-way' through which
noncommercial educational and informational services and civic
discourse can flourish unimpeded by economic barriers."
The coalition letter urges Congress to move beyond an exclusive
focus on the interests of the private sector in developing its
regulatory approach. Specifically, the coalition calls for
Congressional hearings that would give the civic sector an opportunity
to demonstrate the need for strong public interest protections in the
NII legislation. The letter outlines the need to assure access to the
information superhighway by rural Americans, low-income citizens,
minorities, individuals with disabilities, and the elderly. "The
interests of the public must not be left behind," the letter concludes.
A copy of the full text of the letter, as well as a list of
organizations that have signed on, follow.
***
CONTACT: Jeff Chester - Center for Media Education
202/628-2620
Virginia Witt - People for the American Way
202/467-4999
Nancy Neubauer - America's Public Television Stations
202/887-8409
***
May 12, 1994
Senator Ernest F. Hollings
Chairman
Committee on Commerce,
Science and Transportation
125 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Senator Daniel K. Inouye
Chairman
Subcommittee on Communications
227 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senators Hollings and Inouye:
We write on behalf of a diverse coalition of civic organizations
representing educational, library, civil rights, civil liberties, religious,
labor, arts, consumer, local government, public broadcasting, disability
rights and other organizations whose members engage in civic discourse
protected and encouraged by the First Amendment.
For 200 years, American democracy has thrived because of the vibrant debate
fostered by the First Amendment. We have come together to ensure that
legislation designed to regulate the development of the national information
infrastructure (NII) provides for a public space to guarantee the free flow
of ideas and information. To ensure the greatest possible diversity of
voices on the NII, telecommunications networks must reserve capacity for a
"public right-of-way" through which noncommercial educational and
informational services and civic discourse can flourish unimpeded by
economic barriers. In addition, the public right-of-way promises to
improve artistic expression, democratic self-governance and civic culture
and empower citizens to become more active and informed.
We are heartened that S. 1822, the Communications Act of 1994, addresses
several critical public interest issues such as universal service and
preferential access for public uses, including hospitals, libraries,
educational institutions and public broadcasting. However, the public
debate surrounding S. 1822 and the companion bill in the House, H.R. 3636,
thus far has focused primarily upon the interests of industry, particularly
the telephone and cable companies. There has not yet been adequate
discussion about the interests and needs of the public, the intended
beneficiaries of the NII.
We understand that Senator Inouye is considering introducing a bill that
would provide for this public right-of-way. Because such legislation and
S. 1822 would literally transform civic discourse in this country, we urge
the Subcommittee on Communications to hold hearings on the establishment of
a public right-of-way on the NII. Hearings would give representatives from
educational, health care, library, governmental, community, religious,
cultural and other civic organizations, as well as individual users of the
NII, an opportunity to add their valuable perspectives to this debate.
In addition to the issues raised by the creation of a universally accessible,
non-discriminatory public right-of-way, other significant public interest
matters that should be examined in hearings include, but are not limited to,
ensuring that small town and rural residents, as well as low income citizens,
minorities, individuals with disabilities and the elderly, are connected to
the NII in a timely fashion, guaranteeing that telecommunications carriers
provide non-discriminatory access to their networks for all users, deploying
the NII using rules of good governance, preserving the Communications Act
of 1934's mandate to encourage public telecommunications services, providing
adequate support for noncommercial programming and information services, and
facilitating democratic self-governance over the NII.
The Subcommittee has a rare opportunity to ensure that the NII's potential
to reinvigorate our democracy is realized. As these bills move through
Congress, the interests of the public must not be left behind. For this
reason, we regard holding hearings on these public access issues as an
essential first step toward ensuring that NII legislation promotes
democratic values and fulfills the mandate of the First Amendment.
Sincerely,
Access America
Actors' Equity Association
Alliance for Communications Democracy
Alliance for Community Media
Alliance for Public Technology
Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers
Alliance To End Childhood Lead Poisoning
AnchorNet Community Network Organizing Committee (Anchorage, AK)
Arts Wire
Association of Research Librarians
American Arts Alliance
America's Public Television Stations
American Association of Museums
American Civil Liberties Union
American Council of the Blind
American Library Association
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
American Music Center
American Symphony Orchestra League
Artists For A Better Image
Association of Art Museum Directors
Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers
Association of Performing Arts Presenters
Association of Systematics Collections
Center for Civic Networking
Center for Media Education
Chittendon Community Television (Burlington, VT)
Citizens for Media Literacy
Common Cause
Communications Consortium
Consumer Federation of America
Dance/USA
Deep Dish Television Network
Fairfax Cable Access Corporation
Friends of the Earth
Government Accountability Project
High Performance Magazine
Institute for Public Representation
League of Conservation Voters
Libraries for the Future
Media Access Project
Media Working Group Incorporated
Minority Media Ownership and Employment Council
Museum Computer Network
National Alliance for Media Arts & Culture
National Artists Equity Association
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
National Association for the Deaf
National Association of Artists Organizations
National Association of College Broadcasters
National Association of People with AIDS
National Campaign for Freedom of Expression
National Center for Law and Deafness
National Coalition Against Censorship
National Coalition of Independent Public Broadcasting Producers
National Coalition on Black Voter Participation
National Congress of American Indians
National Council of Churches
National Council of LaRaza
National Education Association
National Federation of Community Broadcasters
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Humanities Alliance
National Minority Public Broadcasting Consortia
National PTA
National Public Radio
National School Boards Association
National Trust for the Development of African-American Men
National Writers Union (UAW Local 1981)
New York Foundation for the Arts
OMB Watch
OPERA America
PEN American Center
People for the American Way Action Fund
Public Broadcasting Service
Public Citizen
Public Citizen's Congress Watch
Public Service Telecommunications Consortium
Safe Energy Communication Council
Screen Actors Guild
Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc.
Shadow Congress Information Network, Center for Environmental Citizenship
Taxpayer Assets Project
Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc.
The Council of Literary Magazines and Presses
The Creative Coalition
The Literary Network
Theatre Communications Group
United Cerebral Palsy Associations
Office of Communication, United Church of Christ
Union Producers and Programmers Network
U.S. Catholic Conference
Writers Guild of America, East, Inc.
###
Please distribute and repost widely.
--
Anthony Wright cme@access.digex.net
Coordinator, Future of Media Project Center for Media Education