Jack Fields: “the most difficult issue in this bill has been how the local loop is opened to competition. No question, that is where…”

“the most difficult issue in this bill has been how the local loop is opened to competition. No question, that is where the focus of the controversy has been. It is a delicate question. Mr. Chairman, what we have attempted to do is to open this in a sensible and fair way to all competitors. Consequently, we created a checklist on how that loop is opened. We have the involvement of the State public utility commissions in every State in that particular question. We have reviews by the Federal Communications Commission that the loop is open. Consequently, there is no need to give the Department of Justice a role in the opening of that loop. We have worked with our good friends on the Committee on the Judiciary coming up with a consultative role for the Justice Department. It was never envisioned by Judge Greene in the modified final judgment that Justice would have a permanent role and this is the time we made the break. This is the time we move this telecommunications industry into the 21st century. Mr. Chairman, a sixth of our economy is involved in this particular industry. Central to opening up telecommunications to competition is to open the loop correctly and as quickly as possible, because in opening the loop and creating competition, we have more services, we have newer technologies, and we have these at lower costs to the consumer. That is a desired result and that is something that we have worked for this particular bill.”