[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 8, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5750-S5751]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 191--ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL GOAL FOR THE UNIVERSAL 
DEPLOYMENT OF NEXT-GENERATION BROADBAND NETWORKS TO ACCESS THE INTERNET 
AND FOR OTHER USES BY 2015, AND CALLING UPON CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT 
    TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY, ENACT LEGISLATION, AND ADOPT POLICIES TO 
                       ACCOMPLISH THIS OBJECTIVE

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation:

                              S. Res. 191

       Whereas approximately half of households in the United 
     States subscribe to high-speed data service over current-
     generation broadband networks, and the number of households 
     subscribing to high-speed data service is growing by more 
     than 20 percent annually;
       Whereas households in the United States have used these 
     networks to access over the Internet and via direct 
     connections an increasingly broad array of critical 
     information, services, and applications;
       Whereas the information, services, and applications 
     households in the United States access through these networks 
     serve important policy priorities of the United States, such 
     as improving health care and education, enhancing access to 
     domestic and international markets, and reducing energy 
     consumption and greenhouse gases;
       Whereas, because new information, services, and 
     applications require increasing amounts of bandwidth, and 
     that trend is expected to accelerate dramatically, current-
     generation broadband networks, with their limited bandwidth 
     capabilities, are proving insufficient to meet the electronic 
     access needs of households in the United States;
       Whereas next-generation broadband networks, with 
     transmission speeds of 100 megabits per second, 
     bidirectionally, have the capabilities to provide access to 
     important bandwidth-intensive information, services, and 
     applications being developed and can readily increase these 
     capabilities for future developments;
       Whereas, recognizing that next-generation broadband 
     networks are essential to the achievement of social 
     objectives, economic competitiveness, and global leadership, 
     other countries have adopted national objectives and 
     strategies to deploy next-generation broadband networks and 
     are already accelerating the construction of such critical 
     infrastructure to households;
       Whereas next-generation broadband networks in the United 
     States pass through

[[Page S5751]]

     only approximately 5 percent of households today;
       Whereas, at the current pace, next-generation broadband 
     networks will not be universally available in the United 
     States for more than 20 years, and, as a result--
       (1) households in the United States will not have access to 
     critical information, services, and applications;
       (2) entrepreneurs and businesses in the United States will 
     be constrained in developing new products and services that 
     are accessed over the Internet and broadband networks; and
       (3) the overall welfare and economy of the United States 
     will suffer substantially; and

       Whereas key leaders and organizations in the private sector 
     have called recently for the immediate development of a 
     national next-generation broadband network policy and 
     strategy: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) establishes a national next-generation broadband 
     network goal to bring, by 2015, universal and affordable 
     access to networks with the capability of transmitting data 
     at 100 megabits per second, bidirectionally, so that 
     households, businesses, and government offices in the United 
     States can access the Internet and, via direct connections, 
     access other households, businesses, and government offices; 
     and
       (2) directs the relevant congressional committees to work 
     with the President--
       (A) to develop a strategy to achieve the national next-
     generation broadband network goal; and
       (B) to begin, by the end of 2007, to enact specific 
     legislation and adopt policies to implement this strategy.

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss an important 
policy matter facing our Nation. Many of us in this body have for years 
called for a national broadband policy. Today, I am formally proposing 
the establishment of that national policy. I will propose that we take 
two steps: establish a goal, and develop a strategy to meet the goal.
  Although broadband services are expanding and more consumers are 
subscribing to broadband, our Nation is falling behind the rest of the 
world in the deployment next generation broadband infrastructure. 
Broadband as we know it will be obsolete and we must begin to examine 
how the United States can remain a leader in communications technology. 
As a nation, we must have a thoughtful national policy to make sure all 
Americans have the communications infrastructure that they need to 
learn and compete in a global environment.
  A national broadband policy is critical to the future of our country. 
Having a very robust broadband network available to all Americans would 
provide a tremendous social and economic benefit. The latest phrase in 
the broadband lexicon is ``exaflood.'' It refers to the flood of new, 
high bandwidth applications that are now available to those with a fast 
connection. The number of broadband applications now available is 
almost unimaginable.
  In the last year, social networking Web sites, such as YouTube and 
MySpace, have become integral parts of our society. But, expanded 
connectivity would allow doctors to diagnose remotely medical 
conditions, music students to study with an instructor hundreds of 
miles away, and scientists to monitor ocean floor vents from their 
offices on shore. This is the real potential of broadband to transform 
our lives.
  Those who have a fast enough pipe to use those applications will 
enjoy a huge benefit, both social and economic. As we all recognize, 
creating next generation broadband networks is crucial to our 
international competitiveness. It is not news that the United States is 
lagging many other nations in terms of penetration of current-
generation broadband, for example, cable modems and digital subscriber 
lines. Perhaps more worrisome is that we are also falling behind in 
terms of next-generation broadband technology.
  In Japan, tens of millions of people have access to a direct fiber 
connection, and 100 megabit connections are commonplace. Korea has been 
the leader in DSL for years, and now it also is extending fiber all the 
way to the home. The same is happening in Europe--100 megabit 
connections are becoming routine in these countries, and it is crucial 
that the United States not fall behind again. We must have a policy 
that ensures the deployment of a strong broadband network for all 
Americans.
  The first step in going somewhere is to know where you are going, and 
the same is true in public policy. We need a goal. And the goal should 
be an ambitious, yet achievable one. The second step is to decide how 
to achieve that goal. We need a roadmap. And, we need it now. By the 
end of 2007, we should establish a national goal and pass a series of 
policy actions designed to achieve our national goal. There will likely 
be multiple parts to the plan, and we will likely need to modify those 
parts over time. But if we do not have a plan, we cannot expect to 
accomplish our goal.
  So today I am introducing a resolution calling for two things: A 
national goal of 10 megabits per second universally available in the 
United States by the end of 2010, and 100 megabits by the end of 2015. 
As I said, that is ambitious, but achievable. A number of different 
wireline and wireless technologies are today capable of delivering five 
megabits or more, and their efficacy is constantly increasing. Ten 
megabits by 2010 is achievable. And by 2015 we can do much better and 
achieve true next generation speeds.
  If we do our work, by 2015 we can become a true ``100 Megabit 
Nation.'' Today, speeds of 30 megabits or higher are available to 
millions of Americans due to the healthy competition developing between 
telephone companies and cable television companies, complemented by 
many forward-thinking real estate developers and municipalities. These 
entities are beginning to offer ``triple play'' services, voice, video 
and data, requiring them to deploy new technologies delivering very 
fast speeds. Having general availability of 100 megabits is achievable 
by 2015 if we push the technology envelope. We can do it, and we should 
resolve today to do so.
  The second part of my resolution says that by the end of this year, 
2007, we will develop a strategy for achieving our national goal. I 
will suggest policy actions for inclusion in that strategy, and many of 
you will as well. I think we should have tax incentives to push the 
private sector beyond their current deployment plans, we should offer 
low-interest loans for the same purpose, we should reform the Universal 
Service Fund to encourage broadband deployment, we should free 
municipalities to deploy as they see fit, we should ensure the wise use 
of wireless spectrum, and the list goes on. There will be new proposals 
to deal with new challenges and new opportunities. We should develop 
the first U.S. national broadband policy by the end of 2007, and we 
should revisit it every year thereafter to modify it as necessary. That 
is what my resolution calls for.
  I invite my colleagues to join me in this call for a national 
broadband goal and strategy. We have talked about it for years. Now it 
is time to take action. We owe this to our constituents and the 
country. We must act to provide them with the benefits that a powerful 
broadband network can bring, and we must begin today.

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