On the recordJune 20, 2012
I rise today to oppose this amendment. It has a similar impact to one yesterday we defeated by this Senator. It basically goes to the question of whether we are going to allow investment in rural communities--the hardest hit communities, the farthest apart communities--and whether they will have access to broadband. It really goes to small businesses, in small towns and villages, and whether they are going to have access to sell their products to consumers around the globe. We are in a global economy. In the 1930s and 1940s, we did rural electrification to make sure the farmer at the end of the road was connected with electricity. This is the same kind of thing, but it is the Internet. It is broadband. We want to make sure everybody is connected, even those in the remote, rural areas. I yield back the remainder of my time, and I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to be a sufficient second. The question is on agreeing to the amendment. The clerk will call the roll. The assistant bill clerk called the roll.
