Jack Fields: “very seldom, if ever, in a legislative career, can we as legislators, can we as trustees for the American people, feel…”

“very seldom, if ever, in a legislative career, can we as legislators, can we as trustees for the American people, feel that we have made a significant contribution for the country's future--made a real difference. Well, today we can. Mr. Speaker, this is a watershed moment--a day of history--and, not just because this is the first comprehensive reform of telecommunication policy in 62 years--not just because we have been able to accomplish what has eluded previous Congresses--which, in and of itself, is of particular pride to me and my fellow subcommittee members, on both sides of the aisle, because we have all worked many long hours to get to this watershed moment. No, Mr. Speaker, this is a historic moment because we are decompart mentalizing segments of the telecommunications industry, opening the floodgates of competition through deregulation, and most importantly, giving consumers choice--in their basic telephone service, their basic cable service, and new broadcasting services as we begin the transition to digital and the age of compression--and from these choices, the benefits of competition flow to all of us as consumers--new and better technologies, new applications for existing technologies, and most importantly, to all of us, because of competition, lower consumer price.”