[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 92 (Tuesday, June 25, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E960]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE PUBLIC SERVICE OF AMBASSADOR WILLIAM KENNARD

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 25, 2013

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to honor the distinguished public service of Ambassador William Kennard 
and recognize his vital role in reinvigorating the deep relationship 
between the United States and the European Union.
  As the first U.S. Ambassador to the European Union to work with the 
institutions created by the Lisbon treaty, Mr. Kennard was instrumental 
in strengthening relations between the United States and a rapidly 
changing European Union. Ambassador Kennard has worked tirelessly to 
expand the economic dialogue and minimize the regulatory divide between 
the United States and the European Union, and his efforts were a 
driving force behind the decision to begin negotiations on a 
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership that will ignite 
economic growth and create jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. For his 
work on behalf of United States business interests in Europe, 
Ambassador Kennard received the prestigious Transatlantic Business 
Award from the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union.
  Prior to his nomination as U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, 
Ambassador Kennard served as the chairman of the Federal Communications 
Commission from 1997 to 2001 where policies he shaped brought the 
Internet to a majority of U.S. households for the first time. In his 
time at the FCC, Ambassador Kennard championed programs to bridge the 
digital divide, such as the e-rate program which brought Internet 
service to 95 percent of K-12 schools and 58,000 libraries in the 
United States. Ambassador Kennard's commitment to expanding digital 
access earned him many accolades, and U.S. News and World Report called 
him ``a consumer champion for the digital age.''
  Mr. Speaker, as Ambassador Kennard prepares to step down as U.S. 
Ambassador to the European Union, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
recognizing his exemplary public service and wishing him well as he 
writes the next chapter of his life. His dedication to encouraging 
dialogue and expanding trade will have a lasting impact on our 
transatlantic relations.

                          ____________________