Eva M. Clayton: “It has been 2 years since we passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996. When we passed that act, we were all very…”

“It has been 2 years since we passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996. When we passed that act, we were all very encouraged that our communities would enjoy local telephone service that had not been available in the past at a competitive rate. Those of us from rural communities were particularly hopeful about the prospect of such service. Unfortunately, I have yet to see one of those companies that lobbied us in any of the counties I represent in rural North Carolina. Instead, they have set up shops in Charlotte and in the Research Triangle serving big business and large corporations. That is not what Congress intended. So it may be time to encourage regulators to help bring down the barriers to competition and all markets, including rural communities. At the same time, I want to invite companies interested in offering local services at affordable rates to come on down to eastern North Carolina and offer my constituents a choice. We are waiting for them.”