[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 1512]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      PRINCIPLES OF TELECOM REFORM

  Mr. NELSON of Nebraska. Mr. President, when the last major 
telecommunications bill was passed in 1996, fewer than half of American 
households owned a computer, only one out of four owned a cell phone or 
had Internet access, almost no one had residential broadband Internet 
access, and Internet commerce was in its infancy. Regulations were 
based on the assumption that telephone networks only offered voice 
service, cable television networks only offered video service, and the 
Internet only offered data service. Today, however, many cable systems 
offer Internet access and phone service, telephone networks support 
Internet access and will soon offer video, and the Internet supports an 
amazing variety of applications.
  I believe reform to our telecommunications laws is needed, and we 
should make reform a priority. It is time to tear down regulatory 
barriers between telephone, wireless, video, and the Internet to 
unleash innovation and encourage private investment.
  I applaud the leadership of Senators Stevens and Inouye on the Senate 
Commerce Committee in scheduling an ambitious slate of hearings to 
address telecom reform. As the hearings begin, I want to outline some 
basic principles I would like to see embodied in any reform legislation 
that moves forward out of committee.
  In order to tap the infinite potential technology has to improve the 
way we communicate, I believe we should do the following:
  No. 1, eliminate regulatory barriers that hinder innovation and 
encourage private investment in new telecommunications facilities and 
services; No. 2, streamline video franchising requirements to 
facilitate greater consumer choice of video providers, while allowing 
municipalities to protect community interests; No. 3, encourage a 
favorable regulatory environment for robust competition among 
communications providers, while protecting consumers' access to content 
and services; No. 4, allow for the development of uniform consumer 
protection standards, while recognizing the importance of State and 
local regulators in addressing consumer concerns; and No. 5, use the 
public spectrum to promote development of new wireless communications 
services such as broadband Internet.
  Any telecom reform must address the needs of every American consumer 
regardless of where they live. Rural areas like Nebraska cannot be left 
behind. I believe that technology holds enormous economic promise to 
rural America, and innovation and competition must be encouraged in 
even the most remote areas of our country. Therefore I advocate that 
reform legislation do the following:
  No. 1, ensure the stability of the Universal Service Fund in order to 
preserve affordable telephone service in rural areas, and for all 
Americans, as well as to continue support for schools, libraries and 
rural health care providers; No. 2, promote private investment in and 
deployment of broadband Internet and other advanced telecommunications 
services, in rural America; and No. 3, encourage increased wireless 
coverage and introduction of new wireless services to rural America.
  In order for the United States to be a leader in the global economy, 
we must modernize our telecommunications laws to ensure we are 
fostering investment, innovation, and competition and not impeding 
progress. We also must ensure that everyone--regardless of where they 
live--benefits from modernization of our telecom laws.
  I believe we must act now to protect our place in the world as a 
leader in communications, and I look forward to the debate on this very 
important issue.

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