The American Library Association (ALA) issued a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) asking the agency to substantially increase the amount of funding allocated for the Public Computer Centers (PCC) program in the second round of broadband stimulus funding.
ALA said greater funding for the PCC program will allow public libraries and community colleges to expand their computer and Internet access capabilities for the general public.
"Eighty-one percent of public libraries say that they do not have sufficient computer capacity to meet the needs of their patrons," said Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the ALA Washington Office. "We believe obtaining additional funding through the PCC program would equip libraries to continue meeting the needs of the public."
Meanwhile, the NTIA announced it awarded broadband mapping grants in Iowa, Montana, New Hampshire, Utah and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
For more:
- see this ALA release
- read this NTIA release
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