Barbara Cubin: “I introduced H.R. 3850 to lessen the burdens on small and mid-size telephone companies and to allow them to shift more…”

“I introduced H.R. 3850 to lessen the burdens on small and mid-size telephone companies and to allow them to shift more of their resources to deploying advanced telecommunications services to consumers in all areas of the country. Small and mid-size companies are truly that. While the more than 1,200 small and mid-size companies serve less than 10 percent of the Nation's lines, they cover a much larger percentage of rural markets and are located in or near most major markets in the country. Some of these telephone companies are mom and pop operations, typically serving rural areas of the country where most other carriers fear to tread, in high cost places where it is much less profitable than in more populated areas. In 1996, Congress passed historic legislation in the form of the Telecommunications Act. Section 706 of the act sent a clear message to the American people and to the Federal Communications Commission that the deployment of new telecommunications services in rural areas around the country must happen quickly and without delay. Unfortunately, the FCC has not made it any easier for small telephone companies to deploy advanced services in rural areas.”