As we prepare to enter the 21st Century, access to advanced, high-speed Internet services is emerging as the most crucial telecommunications policy issue facing Congress. The stakes are high.
Today, with the rapid consolidation of ownership in both the cable (AT&T) and Internet backbone (MCI WorldCom/Sprint) industries, millions of consumers nationwide are faced with the bleak prospect of being denied their Internet service provider of choice. Essentially, these Americans will have no access to the high-speed on-ramps to the Internet because the current backbone hubs are concentrated in the big cities and high-income urban areas of the country. It is likely that a small business, library, medical center or university in a rural state won’t be able to get convenient, economical access to these high speed on-ramps, and are soon to be consigned to the backwaters of 21st Century economic development. At present, 60% of our States have only 2 or 3 backbone hubs. Several states don’t have any backbone hubs at all.
That’s why I have worked closely with the House Commerce committee’s ranking member, Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), in drafting and introducing H.R. 2420, The Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act of 1999. Simply put, our goal is to provide American consumers with choices in Internet service and high speed backbone access. Thus far over 100 Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have cosponsored this legislation.
H.R 2420 frees the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs) to “build out” and offer high speed Internet data and backbone hub services on a level playing field in competition with cable companies and current backbone providers. Do the cable and backbone companies want that to happen? Of course not! It’s competition. But, do America’s small businesses and rural communities want that to happen? You bet! And, contrary to the claims of the opposition, H.R. 2420 does not remove the obligation of the RBOCs to open their markets to voice competition as provided under the terms of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.