Joe Barton: “on the facade behind me, there is a quote from Daniel Webster that begins, ``Let us develop the resources of our land.''…”

“on the facade behind me, there is a quote from Daniel Webster that begins, ``Let us develop the resources of our land.'' That is what we are about today. I was a cosponsor of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. I was on the conference committee where we worked out the final details with the Senate. In 1996, the Internet was in its infancy and we did not explicitly say in that Act how to legislate on broadband. So today we are on the floor to perfect the Telco Act of 1996. The issue is complex, but you can boil it down to several somewhat simplistic elements. Number one, everybody who wants to provide broadband through the Bell operating companies today has the right to do that. The question is what the reimbursement is to the regional Bell operating companies. The way the FCC has interpreted the current Act, they have to do it at a below-market rate. So, obviously, the regional Bell operating companies do not want to do it very much. This bill, if it passes, lets the Bells build out the broadband network but lets them charge a market rate to provide access. I think that is a good thing. I think that provides more competition.”