apr14_b.indd


April 2014 215 C&RL News

Jazzy Wright is press officer of the ALA Washington 
Office, e-mail: jwright@alawash.org

W a s h i n g t o n  H o t l i n eJazzy Wright

ALA joins WiFi coalition
ALA has joined WiFiForward, a new coali-
tion calling on policymakers to unleash 
unlicensed spectrum for Wi-Fi and other 
uses. Recent analyses indicate that Wi-Fi in 
our homes, businesses, libraries, and schools 
is becoming congested by a deluge of data 
from an increasing number of devices, ap-
plications, and services connecting to the 
Internet without wires. WifiForward is an ad 
hoc group of companies, organizations, and 
public sector institutions working to alleviate 
the Wi-Fi spectrum crunch. In addition to 
ALA, members include the Schools, Health 
and Libraries Broadband Coalition; Google; 
Comcast; Microsoft; Consumer Electronics 
Association; and International Association 
of Venue Managers.

ALA, ARL, and EDUCAUSE re-engage 
FCC on network neutrality
In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled 
to strike down most of the Open Internet 
Order, giving commercial companies the 
astounding legal authority to block Internet 
traffic, offer preferential treatment to certain 
Internet services or applications, and steer 
users to certain websites based on their 
own commercial interests. In a letter sent to 
Chairman Tom Wheeler, ALA with ARL and 
EDUCAUSE, seek to work with the Federal 
Communications Commission in developing 
new policies that preserve network neutral-
ity and incorporate the essential roles our 
institutions play in this area.

E-rate advocacy continues
In February, ALA responded to President 
Obama’s speech on Internet access and 
education (Obama did not mention librar-
ies). Emily Sheketoff, executive director of 
the ALA Washington Office, wrote: “We hope 

the President will recognize and engage the 
power of libraries and librarians in connect-
ing communities and achieving the vision 
for 21st-century education and a globally 
competitive economy.” Later that month, ALA 
responded to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s 
e-rate speech, where he emphasized the 
crucial role of libraries as the “community 
on-ramp to the world of information.” ALA 
staff have been in weekly contact with FCC 
officials to advocate for ALA’s position, in-
cluding multiple in-person meetings at FCC 
headquarters.

ALA recognizes Rep. Holt’s leadership
We are sad to report that Representative Rush 
Holt (D-New Jersey) announced his retire-
ment from the U.S. House of Representatives 
in February, ending 16 years of service. ALA  
expresses its deepest appreciation for the 
distinguished work of Holt, a leader who 
has worked tirelessly to support public, 
academic, and school libraries nationwide. 
Holt introduced the Workforce Investments 
through Local Libraries Act to integrate librar-
ies into job training efforts. Holt has also 
been a consistent supporter of the Library 
Services and Technology Act, the only federal 
funding program exclusively for libraries.

ALA leads on privacy issues
In January, ALA President Barbara Stripling 
released a statement regarding a speech Presi-
dent Barack Obama made on the National 
Security Agency (NSA) surveillance program. 
In a statement, Stripling called for permanent 
changes to the NSA data collection program. 
Additionally, Stripling called for support for 
the USA Freedom Act, a bill that will improve 
the balance between terrorism prevention 
and personal privacy protection. In February, 
ALA participated in the Day We Fight Back, 
a day when thousands of websites hosted 
banners urging people to call Congress to 
stop mass surveillance.