Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today, along with Senator Warner, to introduce pro-consumer wireless legislation, which will improve wireless coverage and go a long way toward preventing the annoying dropped phone calls that many of us frequently experience indoors and in rural areas. Specifically, the Federal Wi-Net Act would require the installation of small wireless base stations, such as femtocells or similar technologies, and Wi-Fi hot-spots in Federal buildings to improve wireless coverage and network capacity. In addition, the bill would streamline Federal rights-of-way and wireless transmitter sitings on Federal buildings, which will simplify and expedite the placement of wireless and broadband network infrastructure, resulting in the expansion of coverage and more reliable service to consumers and businesses. Over the past year, there has been growing concern about a looming radio spectrum crisis given the significant growth in the wireless industry. Currently, there are more than 276 million wireless subscribers in the U.S., and American consumers use more than 6.4 billion minutes of air time per day. While the foundation for wireless services has been voice communication, more subscribers are utilizing it for broadband. According to the Pew Research Center, 56 percent of adult Americans have accessed the Internet via a wireless device. And ABI Research forecasts there will be 150 million mobile broadband subscribers by 2014--a 2,900 percent increase from 2007.…”