Bob Dole: “let me indicate that we hope to have a conference report on the telecom bill by Thursday. It is a very important bill.…”

“let me indicate that we hope to have a conference report on the telecom bill by Thursday. It is a very important bill. It ought to be completed. We are working on a number of issues including the spectrum issue which I feel strongly about. If you noted--in fact, I will place it in the Record-- today the spectrum sale which was estimated by the CBO to bring between $20 million and $100 million brought $682 million. So as we look at ways to reduce the deficit, let us not start a big giveaway program to some of the broadcasters in America who can afford to pay for it. I know they are not very happy. I know they are not very happy with me. But all I ask them is when they make their statements and their criticisms, they use the facts. I see a lot of things on the networks about things that happen in Congress and how we waste money and all the things that Members of Congress do, but I have not seen a single story except for CNN on the spectrum on any of the major networks, on how much it means to them, how many billions of dollars it means to them--free. So I would just hope in their objective reporting as they cover us in the Congress and as they cover other events across America they might at least devote maybe one or two minutes to what the spectrum is all about so the American people understand it is not what they say it is about; it is about real money.”