Max Baucus: “This amendment essentially provides that related signals, including high-speed Internet access and National Weather…”

“This amendment essentially provides that related signals, including high-speed Internet access and National Weather Service warnings, be included in the criteria when the board decides which loans to guarantee in providing for local-into-local service. The amendment basically says that, to the maximum extent practicable, the board should give additional consideration to projects which also provide related signals--again, including high-speed Internet access and National Weather Service warnings. The whole point is, we have an opportunity to help provide broad bandwidth Internet service to rural America while we are now passing legislation which gives incentives to provide more local-into-local television coverage to rural America. I believe we should take advantage of that opportunity and give a little boost and a little preference to those applicants who will provide that additional capability.”