[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 36 (Monday, March 22, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S2858]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       25TH ANNIVERSARY OF C-SPAN

 Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate a signal 
anniversary that passed on Friday, March 19, 2004, the 25th anniversary 
of the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, C-SPAN.
  Founded in 1979, C-SPAN has rapidly grown from its humble beginnings 
televising the proceedings on the floor of the House of Representatives 
to a series of networks reaching millions of viewers daily. This 
service, which functions without any financial support of the Federal 
Government, provides our constituents with invaluable access to the 
day-to-day proceedings of both bodies of Congress, as well as other 
important mechanisms of our government. As a direct result, it is now 
easier than ever for our constituents to keep abreast of our 
deliberations and contribute well to the debates at hand.
  I am also pleased to point out that these tremendous networks were 
founded by a fellow Hoosier, Brian Lamb. Through his work experiences 
on Capitol Hill, Brian realized the importance of bringing the business 
of the Federal Government into the homes of Americans nationwide and 
his indefatigable enthusiasm made this possible. In addition, he has 
shown great commitment to our home State of Indiana. Brian has also 
maintained strong ties with his alma mater, Purdue University, in West 
Lafayette, IN, where he established the C-SPAN archives. Over 80,000 
hours of C-SPAN programming are immediately accessible through this 
database.
  I am pleased to bring this important anniversary to the attention of 
my colleagues. I am thankful to C-SPAN for their efforts to spread the 
availability of our government, and I look forward to the continuing 
relationship, now in its 25th year, between C-SPAN and the U.S. 
Congress.

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