Internet Blocking Law killed.
From: ALA e-rate Task Force
High court
kills last chance for Internet blocking law aimed at keeping online porn from
kids
Associated Press
January 21,
2009
WASHINGTON - The government
lost its final attempt Wednesday to revive a federal law intended to protect
children from sexual material and other objectionable content on the
Internet.
The Supreme Court
said it won't consider reviving the Child Online Protection Act, which lower
federal courts struck down as unconstitutional. The law has been embroiled in
court challenges since it passed in 1998 and never took
effect.
It would have
barred Web sites from making harmful content available to minors over the
Internet.
A federal appeals
court in Philadelphia ruled that would violate the First
Amendment, because filtering technologies and other parental control tools are a
less restrictive way to protect children from inappropriate content
online.
The act was
passed the year after the Supreme Court ruled that another law intended to
protect children from explicit material online — the Communications Decency Act
— was unconstitutional.
The Bush
administration had pressed the justices to take the case. They offered no
comment on their decision to reject the government's
appeal.
Five justices who
ruled against the Internet blocking law in 2004 remain on the
court.
The case is
Mukasey v. ACLU. 08-565.
21 January 2009 - 13:05
davenport - consortia -
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§ ¶
Information about VOIP
Subject: interested in E-rate VoIP eligibility?
This guidance from USAC about VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol)
was provided by USAC yesterday. [01/19/2009]
Additional Information on
VoIP
The following information is being provided to help applicants and
services providers understand the eligibility of interconnected Voice over
Internet Protocol (VoIP) services and configurations, and provide clarity
regarding the eligibility of what are generally referred to as "managed
interconnected VoIP services."
Below we discuss the
following:
*
VoIP service can be eligible as Priority One
Telecommunications Services or Internet Access as long as it is provided by an
eligible telecom provider.
*
VoIP equipment, if purchased, is
eligible only as Priority Two Internal Connections.
*
The
eligibility of leased equipment is based on the type of equipment, its
function(s), and its configuration within a network.
*
A leased
VoIP phone system located on the applicant's premise is only eligible as
Priority Two Internal Connections.
*
A leased gateway located on
the applicant's premise is eligible as Priority One if it is used as part of the
VoIP service.
*
If there is more than one basic terminating
component on the applicant's premise, then only one of the basic terminating
components is eligible as Priority One.
*
A leased router may be
eligible if the applicant owns its own VoIP phone system and - if the router is
removed - the applicant can still make internal calls.
*
End-user
equipment such as handsets, whether leased or purchased, are ineligible for
discounts.
Let's look at these concepts in more detail:
1. Voice
over Internet Protocol as an eligible service
VoIP service can be
eligible as Priority One Telecommunications Services or Internet Access.
Eligible VoIP services include the costs for making phone calls and can also
include features such as three-way calling, caller ID, and
voicemail.
VoIP service must be provided by an eligible telecom provider,
even if provided as Internet Access. To find out if a service provider is
eligible to provide VoIP service, use the SPIN Contact Search tool
<https://webmail.iowa.gov/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.sl.universalservice.org/Forms/SPIN_Contact_Search.asp>
on the USAC website. Enter the first few letters of the service provider's name
followed by the percent sign (%) or the Service Provider Identification Number
(SPIN) and click "Search." If there is a "Y" in the column labeled "Eligible
Telecomm Provider," USAC has determined that the service provider is an eligible
telecom provider and thus eligible to provide Telecommunications Services and/or
VoIP service. If there is no "Y" in the column, USAC is unable to determine the
service provider's eligibility and you should contact the service provider for
more information.<
/p>
<https://webmail.iowa.gov/exchweb/img/clear1x1.gif>
2.
VoIP phone system equipment eligibility
The purchase of a VoIP phone
system is eligible as Priority Two Internal Connections ONLY. Purchased VoIP
equipment - as with all Internal Connections - is only eligible as Priority Two,
not Priority One.
A leased on-premise VoIP phone system (the "brains" of
this service) is NOT eligible as Priority One, but is eligible as Priority Two.
A leased on-premise VoIP phone system is ineligible as Priority One because the
internal communications network (in this case, the voice network) must remain
functional without dependence on the leased equipment. If the on-premise VoIP
phone system were removed, the school or library would lose its ability to route
calls within the building or campus, but would still maintain its access to the
public switched telephone network - which is why it is eligible as Priority Two
(see below). For more information, refer to the Tennessee Order (FCC 99-216,
released August 11,
1999).
<https://webmail.iowa.gov/exchweb/img/clear1x1.gif>
NOTE:
the dotted line is where Priority One services end and Priority Two services
begin.
3. VoIP gateway (single basic terminating component)
eligibility
Only the lease of a single basic terminating component is
eligible as Priority One. As established in the Third Report and Order (FCC
03-323, released December 23, 2003), "to the extent an applicant seeks to lease
multiple terminating components, one would be deemed eligible for funding as a
Priority One service and the remainder would be eligible for funding as Priority
Two Internal Connections. Further, if an applicant seeks to purchase a single
basic terminating component, it will be eligible for a discount only as Priority
Two Internal Connections." Equipment such as channel service unit/data service
units (CSU/DSUs), network interface devices, cable modems, and gateways are
considered basic terminating components.
A gateway device located on the
applicant premise may be included as part of an eligible Priority One service as
a single basic terminating component. A gateway device is analogous to a CSU/DSU
or a network interface device (NID) in that it functions as the termination
point for a Priority One service (see below).
Note the configuration
below differs from the diagram in the previous example. In the diagram below,
the "brains" are located in the service provider's central office, while in the
previous example, the VoIP phone system is located on the applicant's premise.
In this example the gateway is eligible as Priority
One.
<https://webmail.iowa.gov/exchweb/img/clear1x1.gif>
4.
Leased on-premise router eligibility
Hubs, routers, and switches are NOT
considered basic terminating components and ARE subject to the on-premise
Priority One equipment conditions set forth in the Tennessee Order. For more
information and detailed descriptions and examples, refer to the On-Premise
Priority 1 Equipment guidance
<https://webmail.iowa.gov/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.usac.org/sl/applicants/step06/on-premise-priority1-equipment.aspx?WT.mc_id=sl-newsbrief-20090116>
on the USAC website. If these conditions are not met, the equipment would be
considered Priority Two Internal Connections.
The following diagram is an
example of a leased router that meets the on-premise Priority One condition that
the voice network remain functional without dependence on the leased router. In
this example, the VoIP phone system is owned by the applicant and NOT leased
from the service provider. This configuration can be eligible as Priority One
assuming the other conditions for on-premise Priority One equipment are
satisfied.
<https://webmail.iowa.gov/exchweb/img/clear1x1.gif>
5.
Leased or purchased end-user equipment
Finally, end-user handsets
(telephone sets) and soft phones, leased or purchased, are NOT eligible for
discounts as either Priority One or Priority Two. A soft phone is a piece of
end-user application software that allows phone calls to be made using a
personal computer microphone and speakers in place of a physical end-user
telephone.
Thanks to Pam who provided this information from USAC.
Pamela Pfitzenmaier Jacobs, Ph.D.
Iowa E-rate
Coordinator
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes Office Building
Des
Moines, Iowa 50319
21 January 2009 - 09:16
davenport - consortia -
-
§ ¶
Contracts for phone/services - the rules
Forwarded from Pam.
If your city is thinking contract there are e-rate rules.
Very important information:
Is your school/district/library signing a contract for funding year 2009
(and possibly beyond)?
If so, you MUST follow the following sequence in order:
1.
File form 470. Be sure you have checked item 7 b
(and all the boxes inside 7b)
2.
Wait the full 28 days after posting form 470 BEFORE
signing the contract or making any obligation to a service provider.
3.
Sign and date the contract ensuring that the date of
the contract is after the 28 days but before the date of filing form 471. This
step is very important since you must wait at least 28 days but sign the
contract BEFORE filing form 471. (The service provider does NOT need to sign and
date the contract).
4.
File form 471.
What should you do if you "messed up?"
* If you didn't check item 7b and are signing a
contract, file a new form 470 immediately (no later than Thursday, Jan 15) for
the service for which you want a contract. You do NOT need to file a new 470
for everything, only for contract items.
* If you already filed form 471 and then signed a
contract (doing steps 3 and 4 in the wrong order), you must file a new form 471
for that particular service. You don't need to file a new form 471 for
everything. (Call me and I can help you with cancelling the funding request
number for the contractual service that was filed out of order).
As always, if you have questions, give me a call.
Any questions call Ken, PLEASE.
14 January 2009 - 11:44
davenport - consortia -
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§ ¶
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