[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 8851]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            VOTE EXPLANATION

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, on June 10, 2013, I was regretfully 
absent during the vote on the Leahy amendment No. 998 because of travel 
delays due to inclement weather. Had I been able to attend the vote, I 
would have supported passage of this amendment, which establishes a 
pilot program to invest in gigabit networks in rural areas. This 
program has the potential to greatly improve Internet access in 
underserved communities, which can lead to significant improvements in 
commerce, education, health care and other areas. I applaud the 
Senate's passage of this amendment.

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