[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 170 (Tuesday, October 31, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S16380]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPETITION AND DEREGULATION ACT OF 1995

  Mr. PRESSLER. Mr. President, I want to take a few moments to update 
my colleagues on the progress we are making on telecommunications 
reform in the 104th Congress. Last Wednesday morning I had the honor of 
chairing the organizational meeting of the Senate-House conference on 
S. 652, the Telecommunications Competition and Deregulation Act of 
1995.
  It was truly a historic day. We began the final stage of enacting 
comprehensive telecommunications deregulation legislation--the most 
significant and profound change in our Nation's telecommunications 
policy and law in over 60 years.
  As conference chairman, I will continue--as I have throughout this 
long process--to work in an open, inclusive, and bipartisan fashion 
with all of my Senate and House colleagues. In particular, I want to 
thank the Senate Commerce Committee's ranking Democratic member, 
Senator Fritz Hollings of South Carolina, for his leadership and 
willingness to work cooperatively with me at each stage of this 
process.
  I also heartily applaud the tremendous work of our House colleagues 
in helping get us to this stage of the process. I very much look 
forward to working closely with them under the able leadership of 
Commerce Committee Chairman Tom Bliley, and ranking Democrat John 
Dingell, Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman Jack Fields, and 
ranking Democrat Ed Markey, and Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry 
Hyde, and ranking Democrat John Conyers.
  Let me also add that I look forward to working with President 
Clinton, Vice President Gore, and others in the executive branch. I 
have welcomed the administration's input from the beginning of the 
process.
  I am firmly committed to moving this conference forward as rapidly as 
possible. In order to move quickly, however, we must remain within the 
confines of the two bills before us. To do otherwise would be like 
opening the proverbial Pandora's box. It would result in unacceptable 
delay as we rehash issues resolved through hours, days, weeks and 
months of negotiation and committee and floor votes at earlier points 
in this long process.
  I am convinced we can rapidly move this conference forward due to the 
striking degree of similarity between the two bills. Moreover, we have 
the strong support and commitment from the leadership in both Chambers 
to act this year.
  The time has long passed since Congress needed to reassert its 
rightful place in establishing national telecommunications policy. 
Dozens of lines of business restrictions carve up telecommunications 
and forbid competition. Meanwhile, once separate and distinct industry 
segments have become indistinguishable due to digital technology. Yet 
the regulatory apartheid regime remains.
  The conference on telecommunications reform will produce a report to 
change all that. We will open all telecommunications markets to 
competition. The result will be a procompetitive, deregulatory and 
balanced regime. Competition and deregulation, after all, are the only 
sure-fire ways to ensure: an explosion of new technologies and choices 
for consumers, massive new market investment, captialization, and job 
creation, lower prices for telecommunications products and services, 
and an end to monopolies and media concentration.

  The legislation we are crafting is, simply put, the most 
comprehensive deregulation of the telecommunications industry in 
American history. It will promote advanced telecommunications, 
information networks and other resources in such a manner as to ensure 
America remains the envy of the world. In order to maintain our world 
leadership position in communications, however, we need this 
legislation and we need it now.
  Mr. President, I was pleased to receive a letter from the majority 
leader, Senator Bob Dole, reiterating his desire to complete action on 
the telecommunications reform bill prior to adjourning for the year. 
This is entirely consistent with my stated intention from the very 
beginning of this process--to enact a new telecommunications 
deregulation law in 1995.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have the letter from 
Senator Dole printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                             October 25, 1995.

     Hon. Larry Pressler,
     Chairman, U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Senate Russell 
         Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Larry, Thank you for all your hard work on 
     telecommunications reform. The year has been long, but we 
     have moved faster and farther than anyone expected us to. It 
     remains my desire to pass a final bill before we adjourn this 
     session.
       The next few weeks are critical and no doubt will be 
     intense. I would appreciate your keeping me and David Wilson 
     informed on the progress of the telecommunications conference 
     committee. You know better than most that we must keep this 
     legislation grounded in strong, straightforward Republican 
     principles of competition and deregulation.
           Sincerely,
                                                         Bob Dole,
     United States Senate.

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