Copyright 1999 Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.
Federal Document Clearing House Congressional Testimony
September 09, 1999
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 1120 words
HEADLINE:
TESTIMONY September 09, 1999 CHIP PICKERING SENAATOR HOUSE
COMMERCE, SCIENCE AND TRANSPORTATION FTC COMMERCE NOMINATION CONFIRMATION
HEARING
BODY:
Testimony of the Honorable Chip
Pickering Senate Committee on Commerce, State, and Transportation On the
Nomination of Greg Rohde to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Administrator
of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration September 9,
1999 Mr. Chairman and other members of the committee, good afternoon. It is a
true privilege to be back here in the Commerce Committee to help introduce my
friend Greg Rohde as he begins his nomination process. As many of you know, it
was here in this room where I learned many valuable lessons as a staffer to
Senator Lott. Since that time I have had the privilege to serve my home state of
Mississippi in another capacity, as a Member of the House where I have served
for the past three years (albeit in a much less influential position than my
former position as a senate staffer). But it was here in this Commerce Committee
room, and so often in the anteroom, that I learned firsthand about the
cross-section of public policy and constituent politics. It was also here that I
learned how important it is that a Member be guided by his or her own
principles, but that at the end of the mark-up or floor debate, the legislative
process works best when it results in reasoned compromise. As many of you know,
one of the unique aspects of serving on the Commerce Committee is that many of
the issues we deal with are regional issues which require each of us to work
with members that have similar constituent interests, regardless of which side
of the aisle they may sit. I have had that experience as both a Senate staffer
and as a Member of the House. I know that Greg understands this as well as I do.
Why else would a staffer for a Democratic Member from rural North Dakota and a
staffer for the Republican Majority Leader, who happens to be from rural
Mississippi, ever have cause to find common ground on policy positions? It is
because of Greg's ability to work cooperatively with all concerned parties,
regardless of their political affiliation, that brings me here today. I have
known Greg for over 5 years. Of all the issues before this Committee, we worked
most closely on the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Although he is most commonly
associated with his role on the "Farm Team" and as a vocal advocate of rural
interest, the bottom-line is that Greg is a consummate professional and
dedicated staffer who unabashedly sought to promote the interests of North
Dakota at the behest of Senator Dorgan. Greg is strongly devoted to protecting
the public interest and always in a bipartisan way. I have always known Greg to
be willing and able to look beyond partisan differences and to work towards
promoting sound public policy. And I would be remiss if I did not point out that
the majority of the time we were on the Hill together, I was in the minority
party. I believe that Greg's background and knowledge of the Telecommunications
Act will serve him well at NTIA. But more importantly, his understanding of the
role of Congress, will serve not only NTIA well, but more importantly, the
interests of Secretary Daly and the rest of the Administration. From Internet
domain names to promoting local telephone competition to ensuring
broadband deployment in rural and urban America, it is
imperative that we have someone at NTIA that is well versed in these policy
matters and who is dedicated to the public interest. These are difficult and
complex issues that he will face in his new capacity but I am confidant that he
will look to both the House and the Senate for our considered input. Let me
close by saying that I know Greg will be missed in Senator Dorgan's office and
on the Hill, because he brought a unique blend of talent, integrity, a
bipartisan spirit, and an endless supply of fancy cufflinks into the working
rooms of the Commerce Committee, but our nation's policy will be well served
with Greg Rohde as the Administrator of NTIA. I want to thank the Committee
again for having me here today and I strongly urge the Committee to report
favorably on Greg's nomination.
LOAD-DATE: October 5,
1999 
