[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 21, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    THE FCC AND THE TRIENNIAL REVIEW

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE PENCE

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 20, 2003

  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, it's been almost three months since the 
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to approve the Triennial 
Review decision and still no written order has been issued by the 
Commission.
  Mr. Speaker, the Triennial Review offered the FCC the unique 
opportunity to boost the Nation's economy and not only save jobs--but 
create jobs as well. The Commission, however, responded to the 
challenge by issuing a ruling that is contradictory--largely 
deregulating broadband on one hand while, on the other, continuing the 
enormous regulatory burden of requiring large local phone companies to 
lease their lines at below cost rates to competitors. While I applaud 
the Commission's deregulatory view on broadband, the lack of common 
sense in requiring one company to literally subsidize its competitors 
is beyond comprehension.
  In conclusion, the FCC has succeeded in creating uncertainty in the 
marketplace, and uncertainty on Wall Street typically converts to 
financial disaster. The order that is now being written at the FCC will 
consist of several hundred pages of regulatory detail. I urge the 
Commission and its staff to finish its work on the Triennial Review 
order as quickly as possible so we can begin the tedious legal process 
of examining these details. Let us not forget that the jobs of 
thousands of hard-working men and women, and the renewed health of our 
Nation's economy, are at stake and deserve more than to be held captive 
by the red tape of the Federal bureaucracy.

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