John Kerry: “I am very proud to introduce legislation today with Senator Hatch that would amend the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to…”

“I am very proud to introduce legislation today with Senator Hatch that would amend the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to make access to Internet and broadband technology one of the criteria that State housing agencies must consider when awarding the credits. This bill will help more low-income families gain access to the new technologies and services that are driving today's modern economy, and it will do so at very minimal cost to developers. The bill will take effect for all new housing built with the credit beginning on January 1 of next year. My colleagues should understand that the Kerry-Hatch bill would not require that new housing units have Internet or broadband capability; it is not an unfunded mandate. Rather, our bill simply adds broadband access to the list of things that State agencies would have to consider when they award the credits each year. Our bill also does not specify any particular technology, meaning that developers and providers can decide for themselves which technology will work best for a given community. This bill has the support of many well-known companies and associations from the technology and telecommunications industries, including Corning, Nortel Networks, BellSouth, SmartForce, the Telecommunications Industry Association, Siemens, and Cisco Systems. This is just a partial list.”