[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 128 (Thursday, August 3, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H8312]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


           HOLD THE LINE. COMPETITION JUST DOES NOT RING TRUE

  (Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, hold the line. Competition just 
does not ring true.
  Madam Speaker, does competition mean a monolithic, one-sided 
monopoly? The manager's amendment to H.R. 1555, the Communications Act 
of 1995, will do just that. The bill that came out of committee passed 
with bipartisan support and had some level of approval from all 
industry representatives. What happened?
  The provisions in the manager's amendment are so vague, it will be 
difficult for State regulators, and everyone else, to determine what 
constitutes competition. As the U.S. Congress deregulates 
telecommunications, we must assure that some fair standard exists for 
gauging competition and create a blueprint for the future of a 
competitive communications industry.
  As a former state utility commissioner, I have seen firsthand how 
true competition can benefit the consumer. This is why I have some 
reservations about the manager's amendment.
  Madam Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on the manager's amendment. Let 
us go back to the original bill that the committee passed. We owe it to 
our constituents, the customers for all of these services, to make sure 
that rates are fair and wide open to competition.

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