Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006
COMMUNICATIONS OPPORTUNITY, PROMOTION, AND ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2006 -- (House of Representatives - June 08, 2006)
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Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman.
In a post-GATT, post-NAFTA global world, global economy, you need an ongoing plan as to who is going to gain access to telecommunications technology, Information Age technology.
Well, the Republicans have constructed a defeatist policy. Knowing that 50 percent of the children in America will be minorities by the year 2020 in our country, they have refused Congresswoman Solis, Congresswoman Watson, representing the Hispanic and the Black Caucus, to come out here to make an amendment that would require the telephone companies to build out on the poor side of town, because we know they are going to the wealthy side of town, and they want this decision to be made at the Federal Government level.
Every mayor in the past has made this decision because they negotiate the contract with the cable company, but the Republicans say we are not even going to have a debate on that issue on the House floor.
On net neutrality, 20 minutes, 10 minutes for either side. Net neutrality, an issue which is going to fundamentally change the nature of the Internet forever. On the naming of post offices, the Republicans give 40 minutes of debate. On changing the Internet for the rest of eternity, 20 minutes, evenly divided.
It is so disrespectful of the importance of these issues that it almost defies description, but it is a reflection of the telephone company agenda, and the Republicans have decided to take that agenda 100 percent.
Now, what did the telephone companies have to do with inventing the Internet? Nothing. The browser? Nothing. The World Wide Web? Nothing. What have they had to do with the Internet from the beginning of time? Nothing.
But what the Republican Party has done is side in this bill, in a gag rule that does not allow us to debate the important issues, with the telephone company against every entrepreneurial company in America, the future Sergey Brins, the future Marc Andreessen of Netscape and Google. They are going to have to pay a broadband tax to the telephone company to gain access. It will be their highway. That is what they say.
Well, that runs fundamentally contrary to the agenda which we need to have for the future of America as the entrepreneurial telecommunications Information Age giant in a modern world. This is our strength, and it also completely ignores the role that these 50 percent of minority children are going to have in terms of access to it.
No requirement to build out into the poor parts of town. Now, what kind of plan is that for America? It is a defeatist attitude, and the Republicans have just basically put in this bill the tech agenda for America in a rearview mirror. It is a sad commentary.
Now, Congresswoman Solis wants to have an amendment out here so we would debate red-lining to make sure the telephone companies just do not go to the good parts of town. They are going to my part of town. They are going to anybody's part of town that has money in their pocket over $100,000 a year. Sure, that is great. Members of Congress, they are going to be fine. But what about the people in the neighborhoods that people drive around? Are they going to get access to it? Not under their bill, and by the way, not a debate to be had on the House floor.
It is so disrespectful. It is so defeatist. It is so lacking in vision as to what our country needs for entrepreneurs and for minority children, and I beg the Members to vote ``no'' on this rule, to open it up. Forty minutes on the naming of a post office, 20 minutes on the future of the Internet. Vote ``no'' on this Republican rule.
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