[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 139 (Friday, September 8, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1750]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       COMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1995

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                               speech of

                            HON. BILL PAXON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 4, 1995
       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1555) to 
     promote competition and reduce regulation in order to secure 
     lower prices and higher quality services for American 
     telecommunications consumers and encourage the rapid 
     deployment of new telecommunications technologies:

  Mr. PAXON. Mr. Chairman, I'm pleased to see the provision in this 
legislation that will allow for greater competition in the directory 
publishing business. Section 222(a) requires carriers providing local 
phone service to provide subscriber list information ``on a timely and 
unbundled basis, under nondiscriminatory and reasonable rates, terms 
and conditions, to any person upon request.''
  Independent directory publishers currently operate in an environment 
where local telephone companies have control over subscriber list 
information. In many States, independent publishers have been forced to 
wait until the local carrier's directors are published before they can 
get the subscriber list information needed to publish their own 
directories. Section 222(a) would ensure access to these listings on a 
timely basis.
  It's equally important to protect independent publishers from 
excessive charges for these listings. The committee report indicates 
that phone companies are to be fairly compensated for supplying listing 
information to independent publishes. I am of the opinion that this 
incorporates the concept that prices will be based on the incremental 
cost of providing the information.


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