[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 35 (Wednesday, March 25, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2581-S2582]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  FCC REPORT ON SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES

 Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, the Appropriations Supplemental 
contains a provision sponsored by myself, the Appropriations Committee 
Chairman, Senator Stevens, and the Commerce Committee Chairman, Senator 
McCain, requiring the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to submit 
a report to Congress by May 8, 1998.
  My provision requires the FCC to do several things. First, it directs 
the FCC to cure the defects found by the General Accounting Office 
(GAO) in the program's administrative structure. The GAO found that the 
FCC's implementation of schools/libraries program violated the 
Government Corporations Control Act (GCCA) in setting up independent 
corporations to administer the schools/libraries program. Mr. 
President, when the Congress wants to establish a separate corporation 
to administer a program it does so. That's why Congress set up the 
Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The FCC does not have such 
unilateral authority to go creating a corporation because it wants to.
  The report also asks detailed questions about how much money will be

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needed to fund the program and how the FCC intends to collect the 
money. The goal is to administer the program without raising telephone 
rates. Therefore, the report asks detailed questions that are necessary 
to put the FCC on record to justify the cost of the program. The FCC 
made commitments to Congress that schools/libraries program would not 
raise rates and I intend to ensure that the agency keeps its word. If 
the FCC does not deliver on its commitments to protect consumers from 
rate increases, Congress will step in and make the FCC accountable.
  Finally, my amendment also directs the FCC to cap the salary of the 
program's administrator at a government salary--as opposed to the 
$250,000 salary the FCC set up. I support the program but the Congress 
must take measures such as these to ensure that the agency administers 
the law and policy that the Congress adopts. It is not the FCC's job to 
adopt policies which exceed the authority given to it by the 
Congress.

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