[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 164 (Thursday, November 18, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14795-S14796]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, there are a number of issues we are working 
on, but we have one unanimous consent request with regard to the loan 
guarantee for the satellite local situation we have worked out.
  I ask unanimous consent that no later than March 30, 2000, if no 
Senate committee has reported a bill limited to providing loan 
guarantees to establish local television service to rural areas by 
satellite and other means, the Republican leader, or his designee, or 
the Democratic leader, or his designee, be recognized to introduce a 
bill limited to sections 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2006 of the conference 
report accompanying H.R. 1554 providing such loan guarantees, and that 
the Senate immediately begin consideration of the bill with relevant 
first-degree amendments in order and second-degree amendments that are 
relevant to the first-degree amendment proposed to be amended. Further, 
that if legislation is reported that is limited to such loan 
guarantees, it be considered on or before March 30 and be open to 
relevant amendments as provided above. Further, that upon disposition 
of all amendments, the bill be read a third time and passed, with no 
intervening action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. DASCHLE. Reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Dakota.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I compliment the majority leader. This is 
the result of ongoing discussions we have had for some time. I 
appreciate very much the involvement and the work done by the 
distinguished Senator from Montana. This accomplishes much of what we 
hoped we could do. It is not everything. I am very hopeful we can get 
this done before April 1, but the majority leader has made as strong a 
commitment to me personally, and I am sure he is prepared to do it on 
the record, that he will work with us to accomplish the objectives laid 
out in this unanimous consent agreement.
  I appreciate, as well, the cooperation of the distinguished Banking 
Committee chairman, and I believe as a result of the effort we have 
been able to demonstrate in getting to this point, we will achieve our 
goal. We cannot leave rural America out. We will have an opportunity to 
provide service to them. This will give us the vehicle to make that 
happen. So I do not object.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Reserving the right to object.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, before the Senator reserves the right to 
object, I want to add my own personal comments rather than just the dry 
UC that I gave.
  I, too, commend and thank the other Senator from Montana, Mr. Burns, 
for his efforts in this area and for his tenacity. In fact, this very 
day, he ruined my lunch talking to me about this issue. I know Senator 
Baucus believes very strongly in it.
  It is not just a Montana issue. This is important in South Dakota and 
this is important in Mississippi. This is important nationwide. If we 
are going to get this satellite local-to-local service in these smaller 
markets, we have to have this opportunity, but we want to make sure it 
is a loan guarantee that will work, that is actually going to do the 
job, that is not in some way going to improperly benefit any one 
individual or group of individuals, for that matter, and that it has 
been carefully thought through.
  Again, I am absolutely determined to get this done. I will not only 
live up to this UC, which I have to, but I will do it with a great deal 
of vigor and activity.
  I thank the Senator from Texas for his willingness to focus on this 
and get it done by a date certain and make sure he and other committees 
have added to it to make sure we do it right.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana is recognized.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I earlier objected to bringing up the 
continuing resolution because I felt it made much more sense to include 
the loan guarantee along with the other provisions in the omnibus bill 
that will be taken up later providing for local-to-local satellite 
network service.
  I thank the Senator from Mississippi, as well as my colleague from 
Montana. I have been working with my colleague today to figure out some 
way to lock in even more having loan guarantees passed by this body and 
by the other body.
  The other body has made a similar commitment in a colloquy about 2

[[Page S14796]]

hours ago to make sure this is passed so rural viewers of America have 
the opportunity to have local satellite service.
  I compliment my friend from Montana for working so hard on this. He 
has worked very hard, as well as others. I am not going to hold up the 
continuing resolution to shut down the Government. In the whole scheme 
of things, we have our own priorities and know what the priorities 
should be. But it is important to get this provision in here because it 
does make it even more certain we are going to get this loan guarantee 
provision passed in the next year.
  I thank the majority leader. He has been very gracious in working 
this out, as well as the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, who 
I know wants to work this out as well, and my good friend from Montana. 
I also thank the Banking Committee chairman. He has been very helpful.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is a unanimous consent request before 
the Senate. Is there objection?
  Mr. BURNS. Reserving the right to object, and I will not object, this 
is a compromise to facilitate the passage of this omnibus bill. We have 
worked a long time on this. We are working up to a deadline where we 
could see some blue screens after December 31. But one cannot ignore 
the fact that even our satellite viewers should be able to receive 
local broadcasts or network stations in their local areas. The only way 
we will ever provide any competition for the cables under the rules 
they live by, under must carry, and still have a viable satellite 
service that will compete with cables is through this method.
  I appreciate the commitment of the Senator from Texas, the chairman 
of the Banking Committee. I thank my friend from Montana. He has worked 
hard on this. I thank the majority leader. Without their commitments, 
we would be talking a different tune now. I also commend the leadership 
in the House of Representatives for making the same commitment that 
this legislation be passed early next year.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. A unanimous consent request is before the 
Senate. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BYRD addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Will the Senator from Texas yield to the 
Senator from West Virginia?
  Mr. GRAMM. Mr. President, I was going to speak on this subject of the 
satellite bill, but I yield to the Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be recognized 
as one of the managers of the continuing resolution. I am entitled to 
that recognition. I ask I be recognized immediately after the 
distinguished Senator from Texas.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia has propounded 
a unanimous consent request. Is there objection? Without objection, it 
is so ordered.
  The Senator from Texas is recognized.
  Mr. GRAMM. Mr. President, I thank my colleagues. This has obviously 
been a very difficult issue. We passed the satellite bill in the Senate 
unanimously. I think every Member of the Senate realizes the ability to 
receive television signals in America is critically important. On 
Saturday, you want to watch Texas A&M. On Sunday, you want to watch the 
Dallas Cowboys. And one's life is diminished if you cannot do either 
one of those things.
  The problem we had was we passed a bill in the Senate to set up the 
legal structure to get that job done. They passed a bill in the House 
to do the same. Neither bill had any loan guarantee language in it. The 
conferees realized there was a problem, but in their haste to get it 
done, it is my opinion that we ended up with language that was as good 
as anybody could have written during that short period of time.
  Under the agreement we have reached, we have an opportunity to have 
representatives of the television stations, the satellite companies, 
and potential Internet suppliers come in. We have the ability to look 
at the technology.
  We have the ability to look at loan guarantees we have given in the 
past. We have the ability to get the input of the Treasury. Hopefully, 
we will have the ability to put together a bill that will maximize the 
chances that every American will have access to their local television 
station.
  I want my colleagues to know, as I have said many times as this 
debate has evolved, I intend, by the 30th of March, to report a bill 
from the Banking Committee. It is my goal not only to write a bill that 
will deal with this problem, but I hope we can develop a prototype for 
the future, where we recognize that there are some social goals that 
are not necessarily met by market forces, and that the market by itself 
might not provide this service which we have deemed to be important.
  The question then is: What can you do to provide this service at the 
lowest possible cost and in the most efficient manner? It is my goal to 
put together a bill that will achieve that goal and perhaps be a 
prototype for similar problems in the future.
  So I thank my colleagues. Probably as much effort has gone into this 
one little issue as anything throughout this whole process. It is an 
important issue. It involved an important principle. I think we have 
reached a good conclusion. I am happy about it. I believe, when we 
complete it, that every Member of the Senate and every Member of 
Congress and, hopefully, everybody who has a satellite dish or wants 
one will be happy about it as well.
  I thank my colleagues.
  Mr. BYRD addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I send to the desk an amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  Mr. BYRD addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. BYRD. I yield to the majority leader first.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia is yielding to 
the majority leader.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, would the majority leader yield?
  Mr. COVERDELL addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
  Mr. COVERDELL. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Burns). Objection is heard.
  The clerk will continue to call the roll.
  The bill clerk continued with the call of the roll.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. FEINGOLD. I object.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded so that the Senator from Minnesota can----
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I object until I can read this.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The clerk will continue the call of the roll.
  The bill clerk continued with the call of the roll.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The bill clerk continued with the call of the roll.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________