Tom Carper: “I have listened, and I understand we are debating--actually embracing--the McCain amendment to modify the language that…”

“I have listened, and I understand we are debating--actually embracing--the McCain amendment to modify the language that would ensure States which have traditionally been able to derive revenue from telephone communications would continue to be able to do that. As we go forward in time--and those communications are expected to migrate to the Internet--we want to make sure we don't undercut the ability of States to continue to derive some revenues from this. We had a good exchange an hour or so ago among Senators Alexander, Voinovich, myself, and our friends who have different views on the overall bill. I am pleased we were able to come to an agreement, not just in spirit but in letter as well. We all said we were interested in the same thing. We don't want to undercut the bill. The language in the original amendment did not appear to do that--at least to us. We would rather not have ambiguity going forward. At a future date, if there is a court hearing and a judge is looking at the language, trying to figure out what we meant, we want the judge to understand very clearly that this body, the Congress, has no interest in taking away the ability of States to raise revenue from a longstanding traditional source--some say it goes back to the time when Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.”