[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 21 (Wednesday, March 1, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E203]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E203]]



                     TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1996

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 1, 2000

  Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, February 8th marks the fourth anniversary of 
the historic Telecommunications Act of 1996. The purpose of the Act was 
to unleash competition in all telecommunications markets and thus 
achieve unprecedented investment and technological innovation. 
Businesses would enjoy substantial productivity gains and consumers 
would have access to new technologies that promised profound changes in 
the way we work, communicate and entertain. Schools, libraries and 
homes would have access to information that is revolutionizing the way 
we educate ourselves. Electronic commerce, distance learning, and 
telemedicine have all become realities. The progress we've seen in the 
four short years--in Kentucky and nationwide--has been remarkable and 
rapid. Consider the following:
  The Explosion of the Internet. There were 50 million Internet users 
just two years ago and today there are more than 80 million Americans 
online and 200 million worldwide. Electronic commerce is projected to 
be a trillion-dollar activity in the next three to five years.
  Ninety-nine percent of American households--in both urban and rural 
areas--can reach the Internet via a local telephone call. Substantial 
new network investment by Internet backbone providers has made this 
possible. In 1996, 14 such providers existed; by 1999, that number had 
more than tripled to 43. In four years, Internet backbone providers 
expanded their points of presence--where Internet Service Providers 
(ISP's) establish high-speed links to the backbone--from less than 70 
to more than 1000.
  The number of ISPs offering consumers Internet access has exploded--
today there are more than 6,500 ISPs nationwide. Forty-six states have 
100 or more ISPs, including my home state of Kentucky.
  Independent rural telephone companies and cooperatives offer Internet 
connectivity--97 percent offer Internet dial-up at speeds of up to 56K, 
and 30 percent are offering broadband services (1999 NCTA survey).
  The number of competitive carriers has increased dramatically. Today, 
over 600 long distance companies compete against one another in a 
dynamic market that has seen per-minute prices drop to 5 cents. In 
addition, the Act spurred the creation of more than 375 new 
entrepreneurial companies that are fighting to bring competition to 
local telephone markets.
  These new local competitors, called ``CLECs,'' have grown 
significantly since 1996. They now employ 70,000 people and have 
invested $30 billion in new networks since passage of the Act. In four 
years, their market capitalization has increased from $3.1 billion to 
about $85 billion today.
  In my home state of Kentucky, 25 CLECs are up and running.
  In short Mr. Speaker, the Telecommunications Act is working. It has 
been a catalyst for almost unimaginable technological progress. Having 
said that, our work as a nation is not done--there are still some 
Americans who need access to better, faster and more affordable means 
of communication. However, we are heading in the right direction and 
the Telecommunications Act along with the millions of American men and 
women working in the industry are the driving force.

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