[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 30 (Wednesday, March 18, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E406]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   WE NEED COMPETITION NOW, NOT LATER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART GORDON

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 18, 1998

  Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, over two years ago the President signed into 
law the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which had been passed with 
bipartisan majorities in the both the House and Senate. Prior to its 
passage, my colleagues on the House Commerce Committee and I worked to 
draft a balanced bill that we hoped would lead to greater choice, 
better quality and lower prices for consumers by way of increased 
competition in the expanding telecommunications industry.
  Unfortunately, this has not occurred. We have not seen a significant 
increase in competition for cable services, nor in the local and long 
distance telephone industry. Instead, of competition, people in many 
areas of the country are seeing mergers on a massive scale, higher 
cable rates, and lawsuits filed by competitors seeking to enter the 
long distance market.
  My constituents in Middle Tennessee tell me they want to reap the 
benefits of competition now, not later. The situation that exists now, 
with constant wrangling at the FCC and in the courts, only helps 
Washington lawyers and economists, not taxpayers. We need to end the 
stall-tactics and fingerpointing, and move forward with competition.

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