Byron Dorgan: “This nomination doesn't have so much to do with the person I am speaking of, Jonathan Adelstein, as it has to do with…”

“This nomination doesn't have so much to do with the person I am speaking of, Jonathan Adelstein, as it has to do with the position at the Federal Communications Commission, a vacant spot that has been there over a year. That particular nomination is critically important especially to rural States and rural areas. We have a Federal Communications Commission that is on the edge of making critically important decisions about the future of telecommunications. These decisions will have a profound impact on a significant part of our country. Chairman Powell and others, I fear, are going to take action in a wide range of areas that will have a significant impact on rural America. Mr. Copps is one commissioner fighting valiantly. His is a refreshing voice that stands up for the interests of rural America. But we now have this vacancy at the FCC for 13 months. Mr. Jonathan Adelstein is a superbly qualified candidate who should have been there long ago and has been held up at a number of intersections with this process.”