[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 11 (Thursday, February 12, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E178]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT

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                          HON. WALTER B. JONES

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 12, 1998

  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today with one simple question 
for the FCC.
  Where is the telecommunications competition that Congress promised 
the American people two years ago?
  Did the dog eat it? Is it in the mail?
  Congress spend years crafting a well-balanced compromise that became 
the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
  It needed only a light touch from regulators to steer it to a safe 
harbor, bringing much-needed competition to cable, long distance and 
local markets.
  Instead, the Washington bureaucrats churned out unnecessary and 
unintended regulations.
  These regulations, subsequent court cases and the steadfast 
quarantine of the Baby Bells has actually delayed competition by 
creating confusion and uncertainty.
  Congress' intention was to simplify this industry. Unfortunately, 
this commonsense philosophy seems lost on the FCC.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I renew my question for the FCC.
  Where is the competition that Congress promised the American people?
  Did the dog eat it? Is it in the mail?
  Or has the FCC frittered it away with detail?

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