Jim Sensenbrenner: “Mr. Chairman, I will support final passage of H.R. 1542, the Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act. While I did…”

“Mr. Chairman, I will support final passage of H.R. 1542, the Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act. While I did not support this legislation in the Committee on the Judiciary, I am persuaded that sufficient changes will be made to the bill today that merits supporting the bill and moving the process forward. I believe two changes negotiated between the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin) and myself significantly improve the bill. There is general agreement that rapid deployment of broadband could dramatically improve communications, electronic commerce, and more easily deliver digital goods to consumers. However, there is disagreement over how broadband should be deployed. The Committee on the Judiciary had several days of hearings on these complex and difficult issues. As the chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, which has jurisdiction over unlawful restraints of trade, I am cognizant of antitrust problems which gave rise to our modern telecommunications policy.”