Political Quotes

“I rise today first of all to commend those members on both sides of the aisle who have worked so hard to bring this important loan guarantee bill to the floor. It is the final piece--and in my view, the key piece--of a lengthy effort to enact comprehensive reform of our nation's satellite television laws. Last year, we passed a bill that I was proud to cosponsor, the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999. It restored service to thousands of Virginia households who had been cut off from their network signals, and more importantly, allowed satellite television companies to finally provide local network services to consumers. My only disappointment about the Act was that a last-minute deal removed a provision which would have made it easier for viewers living outside of major metropolitan areas to get satellite broadcasts of their local television stations. As a result, the only market in Virginia that can receive local-into-local service is the metropolitan D.C. area, leaving over 94% of satellite households in my state without this crucial service. The satellite industry is not required to start offering local service to all their customers, and they've made it clear that they don't intend to do so, leaving many Americans without this important service. I believe that every household in Virginia, and, indeed, across America deserves the same quality local television service.”