Tony Thurmond: “I rise to commend the leadership, the distinguished chairman of the Commerce Committee, Senator Pressler, and the…”

“I rise to commend the leadership, the distinguished chairman of the Commerce Committee, Senator Pressler, and the distinguished ranking member, Senator Hollings, for their extensive efforts and good work on the Telecommunications Act of 1996. I am pleased that the Senate is now giving consideration to final passage of this legislation. I have seen the telephone business develop from its infancy, when obtaining a party-line telephone was a truly amazing step for many Americans, to today's tremendous range of telecommunications products and services. It is impossible to predict what the future holds in this dynamic sector of our economy, but it is clear that telecommunications is among the most critical and far-reaching issues before the Congress. As the chairman of the Judiciary Committee's Antitrust, Business Rights, and Competition Subcommittee, two important antitrust issues deserve mention as we consider final passage of this historic legislation. First, I am pleased that the legislation now includes a meaningful role for the Department of Justice in determining when the Bell Operating Companies should be permitted to provide long distance telecommunications.”