Lee Terry: “I rise in support of the Upton enforcement amendment. This amendment will significantly strengthen the FCC's enforcement…”

“I rise in support of the Upton enforcement amendment. This amendment will significantly strengthen the FCC's enforcement of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Because of this amendment, the FCC will finally be given an enhanced enforcement opportunity, which is critical, which is critical to the ability to mandate compliance to the Tauzin-Dingell bill. In a recent letter to Congress, FCC Chairman Powell noted that the FCC is limited in levying fines for any single violation to $1.2 million. And due to the vast resources of many of the Nation's phone companies, this amount is insufficient to punish or deter violators. This amendment would address these concerns and raise the single-violation penalty ten times its current level, capping the penalty at $10 million. This reminds me of a recent city I went to and a parking ticket was $10, but it cost $20 to park in a parking lot. Where is the incentive? And during the hearings held by Chairman Upton we learned from several of these companies that there is a disincentive to complying with the current FCC regulations. So I thank the gentleman for introducing this amendment to strengthen these fines and provide the proper incentive to comply.”