Political Quotes

“Congress has agreed that it is imperative to allow our schools access to the Internet. That is why an E-Rate was established under the Telecommunications Act of 1996. This provided a discount between 20 to 90 percent, depending on the need of individual school districts and libraries, to purchase information services. In my district, Portland schools alone would save $3 to $4 million a year in equipment and hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for operations. Across the country, schools and libraries can expect to save over $2 billion a year. Clearly, the E-Rate will make a difference in society's efforts to prepare our children for the future. Unfortunately, it is not clear that the FCC shares our commitment, having provided only one-third of what will be required by the FCC's own estimates. The FCC will fortunately reconsider its position in 6 months. It is time for Members of Congress to show their support for this critical program. I urge my colleagues to join me in a letter to the FCC in support of the E-Rate.”