Richard Burr: “I rise in support of the telecommunications bill. Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate my colleagues, particularly…”

“I rise in support of the telecommunications bill. Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate my colleagues, particularly Chairman Bliley, the ranking member, Mr. Dingell, Mr. Fields, Mr. Markey, as well as Chairman Hyde, on this historic reform of our Nation's telecommunications laws. Passage of this landmark bill will foster job growth, product innovation, consumer savings, and economic development across all sectors of our economy. The legislation's removal of barriers to competition in the telephone, cable, and broadcast industries will open markets and increase competition in the communications industry that will better prepare our Nation to enter the new millennium. I am pleased that the conferees have included in their final report a provision I sponsored in H.R. 1555 that I believe embodies the deregulatory intent of this legislation--a provision which adjusts one piece of a larger regulatory barrier that has been ignored by regulators since its inception.”