The Issue

The Education Rate, or E-Rate, is a fee imposed on long distance telephone companies. The money from the E-Rate goes to finance Internet services (computers, access, servers, etc.) for public schools and libraries. The funds are distributed according to need. The bill being debated and voted on today would eliminate the E-Rate. Note that this program is also called the Universal Service Fund for Schools and Libraries.

General Points in Support of the Bill

 Long distance consumers should not be forced to pay for Internet services to schools and libraries.

 Most schools and libraries have access to the Internet already, and don't really need these funds.

 The E-Rate helps kids gain access to pornography and other materials that are harmful.

General Points in Opposition to the Bill

 The E-Rate is simply the next step in long-term subsidies that consumers have always paid to provide phone service to poor and rural communities.

 Although many schools and libraries have access to the Internet, access in classrooms (as opposed to an administrator's office), is limited - especially in low-income communities.

 America's school children must have access to the Internet in order to compete in the 21st Century.

Note that these are only a few general points to provide an overview of the issue. Students should research the issue further to develop quality arguments. Some resources for the E-Rate issue include:

The Schools and Libraries Corporation, a non-profit organization established by the FCC to administer the e-rate: http://www.sl.universalservice.org/

The Department of Education's site: http://www.ed.gov/Technology/eratemenu.html

The advocacy coalition supporting the E-rate: www.edlinc.org

The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank: www.cato.org

Americans for Tax Reform: www.atr.org

Speakout.com: www.speakout.com

The Players: Managers

Materials: Description of all members and talking points

Responsibilities:

 Manage time, allowing every member on your side to speak at least once

 You have 15 minutes total, broken in to three 5 minute sections

 Participate in at least one press interview

 Make sure best arguments get out

 Make sure best speaker closes

 Rebut spurious accusations of the other side

 Keep members "in line". Don't let them switch

 Convince the undecideds

Rep. Faire (R), Floor Manager for the majority

Chair of E-Rate Committee. Strongly supports legislation. District very conservative, suburban area where most schools and libraries are already wired. High percentage of home schooling. Faire's constituents view the e-rate as a tax and argue that the federal government should not be playing a role in wiring schools and libraries. Faire has the largest long distance company in the country headquartered in his district. Rep. Faire received 74% of the vote in the last election.

Rep. Means (D), Floor Manager for the minority

Co-chair of E-Rate committee. Strongly opposes legislation. District very liberal, urban area with many schools and libraries on the wrong side of the "digital divide." Means' constituents support anything the federal government can do to invest in schools and libraries. Means' company base is mainly small-businesses in need of well-educated workers.Rep. Means received 72% of the vote in the last election.

The Players: Members

Materials: Your "identity" and general talking points

Responsibilities:

 You must play your part

 You must speak at least once

 You must give at least one interview

 Make points that will "play well at home"

 Listen to your staff

 Make sure your initial decision is the right one (you can change your mind)

Rep. Abernathy (R), supports legislation

Rep. Abernathy serves on the Committee with Rep. Faire and has always been a loyal lieutenant. Abernathy is mainly concerned about the waste, fraud and abuse associated with the program. District moderately conservative "bedroom" community of a larger urban area. Strong library system that is already well-wired. Abernathy's constituents have not yet expressed any view on this issue. Abernathy's business base supports private market approaches to improving education, and is very active in improving local schools. Rep. Abernathy received 65% of the vote in the last election He has his eye on a Senate seat.

Rep. Silva (D), opposes legislation

Rep. Silva serves on the Committee with Rep. Means, and vehemently opposes the legislation. In fact, he offered an amendment in committee to essentially "gut" the bill. District is a very poor, inner-city area where high school drop-out rate is close to 35% and libraries are sadly underfunded. The area also has a very high crime-rate. Silva's constituents do not communicate much with the congressional office, but those who have argue that the area desperately needs basic technological infrastructure. Silva's business base is almost non-existent with high turn-over rates. Most talk to the office about the need for additional loans. Rep. Silva received 85% of the vote in the last election.

Rep. Gallery (R), supports legislation

Rep. Gallery has reluctantly come out in support of the legislation. He is a member of the Committee and supported the Silva amendment to gut the bill. However, he thinks that the bill is better than the status quo. Plus, he promised the chair he'd vote for the bill on the floor if he could vote for the amendment in committee. His own legislative initiative is riding on this promise. District leans Republican although is by no means safe. Schools and libraries are seriously under funded. The prevalence of "big box" book stores (i.e., Books a Million) has reduced trips to the library. Constituents haven't expressed views on this issue one way or another. The business community supports the legislation. Rep. Gallery received 55% of the vote in the last election.

Rep. August (R), opposes legislation

Although she is a Republican, Rep. August is bucking her party on this issue. She has always been a strong supporter of education and libraries and is concerned that this bill will stymie badly needed updates and repairs. District leans Democratic. It is an up-and-coming "high tech" area. August has been able to hold the seat as a result of her strong support for education and other issues. Plus, people like her. Constituents support federal investment in education and feel strongly about kids having access to technology. They are in frequent contact with the office. The business community hasn't paid much attention, but people are always calling the office about the shortage of tech-savvy workers. Rep. August received 54% of the vote in the last election.

Rep. Earle (D), supports legislation

Rep. Earle surprised no one when he came out in support of the legislation. Many of his Democratic party colleagues have called him a "turncoat" in the past. Rep. Earle has a following among the younger "renegade" minority members. District is very blue-collar, with mainly union and minimum wage jobs. The refinery provides most of the employment in the region. Constituents are concerned about the quality of their schools and libraries. Many want to see a better life for their kids than refinery work. The business community hasn't expressed any views on this issue. Rep. Earle received 62% of the vote in the last election.

Rep. Jones (R), opposes legislation

Party leaders were shocked when Rep. Jones announced her opposition. She has led the crusade against pornography on the Internet. Rep. Jones argues that the schools and libraries in her district are in a deplorable state. Plus, as a child psychologist, she is impressed with the Internet's ability to inspire kids. She'd rather have some Internet access than nothing, although she will continue to fight for restrictions on online pornography. District is rural, with a high percentage of Quakers. Constituents are not yet as enthralled with technology as Rep. Jones or other members. They do not agree that investments are necessary to put technology in libraries, and fear access to pornographic materials. The business community, on the other hand, agrees with Rep. Jones, and strongly opposes the legislation. Rep. Jones received 68% of the vote in the last election.

Rep. Sienna (R), supports legislation

Rep. Sienna strongly supports the legislation and would go even further to abolish all federal connections to education and library systems. In fact, Rep. Sienna believes that the federal government should take a hands-off approach to almost every issue that Congress considers. District very conservative rural area. Strongly Republican. One-room schoolhouses are still in use, and many parents home-school their kids. The library has one computer that no one uses. Constituents agree with Rep. Sienna and are proud to have him fighting for their money in Washington. The business community supports the legislation. Rep. Gallery received 80% of the vote in the last election.

Rep. Denny (D), opposes legislation

Rep. Denny has come out in opposition to the legislation, although it is a very tough call. Her district schools and libraries are desperately in need of additional investment, but businesses in the area oppose the higher phone rates. District is a suburban area. Many workers commute the nearby university and businesses in the medium-sized city nearby. Most schools and libraries are not wired, although many homes are. Constituents have not weighed in. The business community argues that since most homes are wired, it doesn't matter if the schools and libraries are. Rep. Denny received 52% of the vote in the last election.

The Players: Staff

Materials: Member / Party assignment (one staff person for the supporters and one staff person for the opponents), notes to READ to members, and member descriptions for your assignments.

Responsibilities

 Read each round's "note" to the pertinent member during that round (i.e., round one note during round one, round two during round two, etc.)

 DO NOT GIVE THE MEMBER THE CARD. He or she must assimilate the information verbally

 You must get to all your members during the round and you may not share the information with other staff or members (you may have to pull the members away from other discussions / press)

Notes for Rep. Abernathy (supports)

Round One: A close friend of yours has been named the new head of the E-Rate program. He is urging you to change your mind., saying that he will regain financial control of the program.

Round Two: Your constituents, previously silent on the subject, are calling your office in droves asking for more information about the President's "wire the schools" program. Now that they've heard about the e-rate, they wonder why you want to end it.

Round Three: Senator Smith (the senior Senator from your state) has just called to let you know about the vote in the Senate. He voted against the bill, and urges you to do the same, especially since it will never become law. He says that state-wide, this issue is a killer.

Notes for Rep. Silva (opposes)

Round One: A front page story in your local paper highlights the differences between Internet penetration in your district vs. the neighboring wealthy suburb. While every one of their libraries has several public access terminals, only one of your libraries does.

Round Two: In a recent national report, your community is ranked below Bosnia is terms of access to the Internet.

Round Three: The local radio station is running a show about the staggering high school drop-out rates in your district. They are urging people to call YOUR office to try to fix this appalling problem.

Notes for Rep. Gallery (supports)

Round One: There's a story on front page of local paper about how the digital divide is affecting the area. The district's main library has had to curtail services due to lack of funds for technological upgrades.

Round Two: Dr. Laura is on the air praising you for your courageous switch. She says you've put the people's finances ahead of big government.

Round Three: Calls are pouring in from your district in response to Dr. Laura. Unfortunately, most of them (70%) are from people who are very angry that you changed your mind. They're saying they will support your opponent.

Notes for Rep. August (opposes)

Round One: Your Republican opponent (who has a significant fundraising advantage over you) has called a press conference to denounce what he calls your support for a federal takeover of schools and libraries. He wants to know why you support putting pornography in the hands of children.

Round Two: A local business group "Techies for Education Technology" has just awarded you their "business leader of the year" award. Constituents are calling in to congratulate you!

Round Three: A major campaign donor has indicated that if you continue in your opposition of the bill, they will cancel a scheduled fundraiser.

Notes for Rep. Earle (supports)

Round One: Your office is the target of a phone-in campaign, but unfortunately most of your constituents do not understand the issue. Nevertheless, they're asking you to change your mind.

Round Two: A local morning TV show ran a story about the lack of technological know-how and tools in businesses, schools, and libraries throughout the region. In fact, in a national study, announced today, your state ranked dead last.

Round Three: A major disaster occurs at the refinery. Workers have been killed and injured. Your constituents are clamoring for you to get home. Problem is that in order to get back today, you'll have to miss the vote. Your opponent is arguing that your place is with your people, and if you don't get back, you don't deserve to represent them.

Notes for Rep. Jones (opposes)

Round One: Your legislation (passed last year) to try those who knowingly provide pornographic materials to minors over the Internet is having its first test case. A self-described defender of the first amendment is put on trial for posting pornographic materials on kid-friendly sites.

Round Two: Dr. Laura is appalled (and sharing that with her listeners) that on the very day your legislation is being implemented, you have decided to oppose this legislation. On the other hand, the technology community has praised your foresighted approach.

Round Three: Your constituents, including your pastor, are begging you to change your mind, while the local chapter of the Child Psychologist's association is praising your courage.

Notes for Rep. Sienna (supports)

Round One: Because you feel that the federal government has no role to play in regulating any private enterprise, you had filed a brief in the Internet case at the Supreme Court arguing that there should be NO limitations on the First amendment.

Round Two: Dr. Laura, who disagreed with you on the question of pornography on the Internet, is glad to see that you two see eye to eye on the E-rate.

Round Three: Your constituents, concerned about the recent refinery fire that made national headlines, want you to spend less time on the E-Rate and more time looking into safety issues and refineries in your district.

Notes for Rep. Denny (opposes)

Round One: Legislation to regulate the Internet that you strongly opposed (and gained strong points in the district for doing so) is about to be tested in the Supreme Court.

Round Two: The President wants to cement your opposition to the bill with the promise of some funds from his "Wire the Schools" program. He'll give you 2.5 million to complete a project you've been working on for years. The recently released national report indicates that your community is about average in terms of technological capacity.

Round Three: Your opponent has called a press conference regarding your total disregard for the financial needs of the small business community.

The Players: Press

Materials: Description of members you are responsible for

Responsibilities:

 You must interview the two people you are responsible for at least once and report at least once on each person

 Ask "tough" questions at each round.

 Report during the debate to TV crew

 The two managers are unassigned. Only the best reporters will be able to get to them

 Interview the undecideds as well

Press Person Number One Assignment: Abernathy and Silva

Press Person Number Two Assignment: Gallery and August

Press Person Number Three Assignment: Earle and Jones

Press Person Number Four Assignment: Sienna and Denny

The Players: TV Crew (1 person)

Roam around trying to get the reporters (and an occasional member) on tape.

Must get to all four reporters twice each.