[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 138 (Wednesday, October 13, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H9906-H9907]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RURAL AMERICA AND THE POOR REMAIN LEFT OUT OF HIGH-SPEED DIGITAL 
                            INTERNET ACCESS

  (Mr. TAUZIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1

[[Page H9907]]

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, a study here in Washington by Legg-Mason 
recently reported that we are about to become a Nation of haves and 
have-nots in the worst way. That report says that as long as 3 years 
into the next millenium, one-half of America will still be deprived of 
high-speed digital Internet access.
  That means that for half of America, our families, our businesses, 
will not have access to the Information Age, while the other half of 
America will have good, competitive service. Guess who is left out? 
Rural America, the poor, the impoverished parts of our country. It 
means that for half of America, they will either have a single monopoly 
provider or no provider at all.
  Why? Because of old laws that still exist on the books to regulate 
long-distance and local phone companies. Those old laws restricting 
competition in those areas are going to hold back the deployment of 
high speed to half of America.
  Members should try to explain to a business in their district, if 
they live in rural America, like I do, that has to shut down because it 
cannot get access to the Internet. Explain to a family that cannot get 
their children educated that they did not do anything about it.
  It is time to change those old laws and to end this system of haves 
and have-nots in America.

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