[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 115 (Wednesday, September 8, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1807]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




DEPARTMENTS OF COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND STATE, THE JUDICIARY, AND RELATED 
                   AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2000

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                               speech of

                           HON. RICK BOUCHER

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 5, 1999

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2670) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Commerce, Justice, and 
     State, the Judiciary, and related agencies for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 2000, and for other purposes:

  Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Chairman, the Federal Communications Commission has 
an accounting requirement that is no longer needed for any purpose, 
which costs companies subject to the requirement at least $270 million 
annually. That money could and should be used not for the compilation 
of useless accounting statements, but for the promotion of universal 
service and other consumer benefits, such as lower prices, better 
services, an investment in advanced technologies and investment in out-
of-region facilities with which to offer competitive telecommunications 
services.
  The old accounting requirement was for the purpose of giving the 
Commission the information it needed for oversight of the rate-of-
return regulation that was employed for all companies prior to 1991.
  But in 1991, the large companies became subject to price caps and 
were no longer subject to rate-of-return regulation. The accounting 
requirement as to these price-cap companies no longer has any purpose, 
and the Tauzin-Dingell amendment would assure that it no longer 
applies.
  The monies spent on these needless accounting reports can then be put 
to more productive purposes. I strongly urge the approval of the 
Tauzin-Dingell amendment.

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