Douglas Alexander: “Four years is better than permanent, and I thank the Senator for that. But 4 years is a long time. We don't need more…”

“Four years is better than permanent, and I thank the Senator for that. But 4 years is a long time. We don't need more than 15 months or 2 years for the Commerce Committee and the Congress to look at this in a comprehensive way. What I am afraid of is once we make a fix here it will never get out of the law. And if we get the wrong definition in here, or if somehow I am right but I am defeated and the result is that we really do ban State and local governments from collecting taxes on telephone services, then we will have driven a hole through State and local budgets that we didn't intend. Finally, on the grandfather clauses, I think they should all end at the same time the moratorium ends, whenever that ends. The reason I am on the floor has nothing to do at all with the Internet. It has everything to do with my view of federalism. I do not think we should be passing laws that cost money and send the bill to State and local governments. I think we promised not to do that.”