[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 11 (Thursday, February 12, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E172]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


        PROMISES VS. PERFORMANCE: THE 1996 TELECOM ACT REVISITED

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                         HON. J. DENNIS HASTERT

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 12, 1998

  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, two years ago, on February 8, 1996, 
virtually the entire bipartisan leadership of Congress and the 
Administration gathered to celebrate the passage of the 
Telecommunications Act of 1996. It was supposed to reduce regulation, 
foster competition, create new jobs, and expand customer choice.
  But today, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Federal 
Government has not delivered on that commitment. Of course, everyone 
has someone else to blame. However, the fact remains that we have more 
regulatory roadblocks than ever. At every juncture, the FCC's approach 
has been to adopt more rules and regulations. Almost all of those 
actions have been overturned by the courts.
  Why should this matter to consumers? Because it means that they 
aren't getting the benefits of lower prices and more choices.
  Mr. Speaker, it's time for someone to get a handle on these runaway 
regulations, so I'm looking forward to the new commissioners stepping 
up to the task. My message to the FCC is simple--Congress is still 
looking for competition and more choice--let's allow the communications 
marketplace to work for the American people, not the lawyers of the 
regulatory bureaucracy.

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