[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 8760]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           REGULATORY TURMOIL

  (Mr. BACHUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. BACHUS. Madam Speaker, we should be particularly concerned about 
the negative effects which needless regulatory uncertainty and policy 
turmoil are having on this country's telecommunications industry.

                              {time}  1215

  The United States' economy is very dependent on an efficient and 
effective telecommunication industry and the links they provide. 
Maintaining these important systems and building new advanced networks 
we are going to need requires a climate of regulatory stability. No one 
is going to invest heavily if they do not know what the fundamental 
rules of the game are.
  The 1996 Telecommunications Act envisions the FCC coming up with a 
workable, judicially sustainable, competitive framework in short order. 
Seven years have passed since the act was signed into law, and 
according to most authorities, the FCC's latest decision is almost 
certain to be reversed and remanded once more.
  In closing, Congress has a responsibility to the shareholders of 
these companies, to the hundreds of thousands of employees, and, most 
of all, to millions of consumers to end this turmoil. It is not good 
for anyone.

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