Jim Langevin: “we all know the Internet is a powerful tool. It makes distance and location irrelevant. It evens the playing field…”

“we all know the Internet is a powerful tool. It makes distance and location irrelevant. It evens the playing field between small and large businesses and increases worker productivity. The next revolution is broadband. We will be able to do so much and do it more efficiently. But we can only do it if we have the infrastructure to do it with. The FCC ruled in February that DSL, telephone company-provided broadband connections, should not be subject to certain rules imposed on local voice telephone networks. This is a good beginning and it should start some companies on the road to more broadband deployment. Verizon, the largest phone company in my State, plans to make broadband available to 10 million more residences and small businesses nationwide in 2003 alone. The problem is that the FCC has not issued its February order. That order will detail the new rules that companies know how broadband will be regulated and guides investment decisions. Until it is released, however, these companies cannot move forward. I urge the FCC to issue its order as quickly as possible so that millions of Americans can begin to experience the new opportunities that broadband will provide.”