LEAP Broadband Library Program Targets Five States

Five states will take part in a two-year initiative that aims to develop strategies to increase broadband capacity to local libraries. The Library E-rate Assessment Planning (LEAP) initiative, spearheaded by the American Library Association and the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), will focus on Alaska, California, Iowa, Kentucky and North Dakota. The five states were chosen based on criteria such as a state-level commitment to increasing broadband capacity in state libraries, as well as a local environment conducive to developing “creative solutions replicable in other states.” Specific LEAP goals include:

• Developing a broadband capacity vision and goals for each state
• Developing a baseline assessment to identify barriers to increasing broadband capacity
• Addressing the broadband capacity gap among libraries in each state, with a focus on reaching benchmarks adopted by the Federal Communications Commission
• Developing tools for local libraries to successfully participate in the E-rate program
• Documenting the impact of LEAP broadband library strategies on local library broadband capacity