The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert
Speaker
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Richard A. Gephardt
Democratic Leader
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Speaker Hastert and Democratic Leader Gephardt:

We are writing to express our strong support for H.R. 1542, The Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act of 2001. The nine of us attempted to join our 112 colleagues as co-sponsors of this bipartisan bill, but were unable to do so because the Committees’ reports had already been filed. Nonetheless, we believe that H.R. 1542 offers the best approach for rapid broadband deployment to serve our constituents and consumers across the country.

We urge you to bring H.R. 1542 to the House floor as soon as possible. Broadband deployment is a crucial issue that affects not only the national economy, but also small businesses and residents in every Congressional district.

We ask you to join us in supporting H.R. 1542, and urge its expeditious consideration by the House.