Baldwin Cites Failures of Telecom Bill

Baldwin Cites Failures of Telecom Bill
Will Continue to Push for Universal Service

Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin says the bill approved Wednesday by the House Energy & Commerce Committee to revise the 1996 Telecommunications Act favors industry giants and fails to provide universal service to all citizens. Baldwin voted no on the bill that passed in committee by a vote of 42 - 12 and will now go to the full House, which is expected to take up the legislation next week.

"Video, voice and data communication are essential to today's economy, democracy and educational system," said Baldwin. "Our nation has long recognized that fact, and thus Congress has made universal service to all citizens a fundamental tenet of our nation's communications policies. This bill fails to meet that promise and may further widen the gap in our society between those who can afford any luxury and those who are struggling to meet their family's needs," she reasoned.

Baldwin said the bill failed to address a number of her concerns including:

* build-out requirements, i.e., guarantees of service to every household;
* anti-redlining, i.e., guarantees of non-discrimination;
* adequate Public, Educational, and Government Access (PEG) funding, i.e., funding support for public access channels;
* and network neutrality, i.e. open access to all material on the Internet.

Baldwin introduced an amendment that would allow local community franchising authorities to self-determine discriminatory practices in their areas and an amendment to preserve the current funding structure for public access TV channels. Both were narrowly defeated along near party-line votes.

Other amendments Baldwin supported included one to incrementally ensure universal service by national franchisees in return for their use of the public rights-of-way; and to prohibit discrimination based not only on income, but also based on race, color, religion, national origin, or sex. She also voted in favor of an amendment that would allow open access to content and services on the Internet (so-called "network neutrality"), a provision most emphatically supported by her constituents' calls and letters. They were all defeated on near party-line votes.

In this digital age, a bill on delivery of video communication services also has enormous ramifications on the deployment of broadband Internet services and voice communication. "Given how central the delivery of video communication and broadband Internet services are to our economy, our democracy and our educational system, we must make sure that the promise of universal service does not fall by the wayside," Baldwin said.

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