BROADBAND LEGISLATION WILL SPUR COMPETITION, BENEFIT CONSUMERS -- HON.
JOHN. D. DINGELL (Extensions of Remarks - July 12, 1999)
[Page: E1514]
---
HON. JOHN. D. DINGELL
OF MICHIGAN
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MONDAY, JULY 12, 1999
- Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, we began to write the law that would become the
Telecommunications Act of 1996 in 1993. At that time, the vast majority of the
American people were scarcely aware of the Internet's existence and potential.
In fact, it's amusing to recall that some of the people we today revere as
visionaries--including those in, say, Redmond, Washington--initially failed to
understand the importance of the World Wide Web.
- Much has changed since then. The Internet is on the front page of every
major daily newspaper, and every major daily newspaper is on the Internet.
E-mail addresses are exchanged as freely as telephone numbers. And the effect
on the nation's commerce has been staggering. But the most amazing thing about
this technological revolution is that this is only the beginning.
- That is why Representative BILLY TAUZIN (R-LA) and I introduced
H.R. 2420, the ``Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act'' on July 1,
1999. We want the exponential growth of the Internet to continue unabated. We
want to remove outdated remnants of regulation written when we needed to
safeguard and promote a different world of telecommunications. Today, those
rules do little more than slow down progress. Out legislation is designed to
take the speed limits off the Information Superhighway once and for
all.
- First, the bill makes sure that Internet service will not become a de
facto monopoly for any one provider. As technological convergence allows the
cable and telephone wires in every home to deliver virtually the same services
to the American people, it makes no sense to treat these wires differently
under the law. It grossly distorts the operation of the market by giving one
wire an artificial advantage over the other. Our bill protects consumers from
a new monopoly in the business of Internet access and guarantees all Americans
the freedom to choose the very best service at the lowest possible
price.
- Second, our bill protects consumers against the increasing concentration
of market power in the Internet backbone business. The backbone of the
Internet is virtually invisible to the average user, but it's arguably the
most important communications link in the chain. It also has the potential of
becoming the bottleneck of the 21st century. Virtually every bit and byte that
travels over the Internet must cross one or more of these backbone networks to
reach its destination. It is imperative that these networks remain
competitive, and our bill will make sure that is so.
- We are embarking on a technological journey that has already transformed
our lives. The public is clamoring for new, high tech services, but they will
be slow in coming and more expensive under current rules. Chairman
TAUZIN and I have put together a blueprint for change that we believe
will bring tremendous benefits to American consumers and the nation's economy.
We propose to leave behind any personal biases and battle scars from past
telecom wars, and we look forward to an exciting and stimulating debate
characterized first and foremost, by open minds, fresh ideas, and a singular
focus on what's best for the American people.
END