Cliff Stearns: “I would say to Ms. Slaughter that as Mr. Diaz-Balart has mentioned, the bill in question passed 42 to 12 in committee.…”

“I would say to Ms. Slaughter that as Mr. Diaz-Balart has mentioned, the bill in question passed 42 to 12 in committee. Only rarely do you see a bill pass with only 20 percent in opposition to the bill. And during this extensive markup, there were plenty of amendments that were offered, many of them were defeated. And a lot of these amendments, particularly the Markey amendment, are going to be offered today. So the main concern that you have is a vote on net neutrality, and we are going to have that today. So I really think what you are complaining about is not of concern to members in general. The current requirement for new entrants into competitive cable service as has been pointed out are overly burdensome and serve as a barrier to entry. Because of the tireless work of Chairman Barton and also Mr. Upton, we have this bill before us, the Communication Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act, or we call COPE. So the requirement to negotiate local franchise fees as well as obligations of local franchising authorities, what they impose are delaying such entry and blocking the consumer benefits that such entry would provide. More competition would lead to lower prices, better service and greater innovation, and all of these benefits are positive for our constituents.…”