Steve Buyer: “as the telecommunications industry takes leaps and bounds in pushing the innovation envelope, it is almost impossible…”

“as the telecommunications industry takes leaps and bounds in pushing the innovation envelope, it is almost impossible for the Federal Government to keep pace. In fact, it is often times a detriment for the Government to preemptively legislate on an issue before we can either define it or grasp its impact. What we can do is to remove barriers to entry that currently exist, paving the way for new entrants to offer services benefiting this Nation. The legislation before us here today is a step in the direction of more choice and lower costs for American consumers. A national cable franchise will streamline the current process and allow faster entry into the marketplace for non-traditional cable providers providing real choice for all of our constituents. In my home State of Indiana, legislation was enacted earlier this year, streamlining the process by which cable providers could offer service. Already, investment is coming to the heartland--millions of dollars is being plugged into our economy by companies laying fiber, offering different services, leading to more jobs in Indiana. Let's also talk about the smaller companies in my district, and across Indiana, who now are free from barriers to entry so they can begin to offer cable services to compete with larger companies. Who is the winner in the end? Our constituents, our economy, our innovators. I thank Chairman Barton and Chairman Upton for their leadership on this issue.”