DJ House Leader Armey: House Vote On Broadband In September
01 Aug 08:15
By Mark Wigfield
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
(This report was originally published late Tuesday.)
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--House GOP Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, has promised a
vote in September on some kind of bill to promote so-called "broadband," or
high-speed, Internet.
But he stopped short of saying the vote would be on the ballyhooed
"Tauzin-Dingell" bill. That bill would essentially deregulate broadband service
offered by the Baby Bells, allowing them into national data markets without
clearing competitive hurdles and relieving them of the obligation to lease
fiber networks to competitors at cost.
But the Bells and their allies immediately seized on Armey's words as a
commitment for a vote on Tauzin-Dingell, as did Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., the
chairman of the House Commerce Committee and co-author of the bill.
"The bottom line is we have the votes to pass the bill," says Ken Johnson,
spokesman for Tauzin, who chairs the House Commerce Committee. "We're looking
forward to an enlightening debate."
The House is expected to adjourn at the end of the week for its August
recess, to return after Labor Day.
In the Commerce Committee, the bill has pitted allies of the Bell companies
against those of competitive local telephone companies, as well as AT&T Corp.
(T), WorldCom Inc. (WCOM) and Sprint Corp. (FON). While that split was acute in
the committee, Bell allies are expected to have a much wider margin of support
on the House floor.
However, Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., who chairs the Senate Commerce
Committee, has vowed to block the bill.
"On one level, it's an academic exercise," said Colin Crowell, a spokesman
for Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who opposes the bill. "Once it passes the House
floor, we can have the three initials 'R.I.P.' put over the bill number."
But Johnson said a vote in the House "will change the dynamics in the
Senate." The political momentum from a House vote could cause some senators to
go "from unimpressed to very impressed."
House leaders must still resolve a messy divide between the House Commerce
Committee and the House Judiciary Committee, which gave the bill unfavorable
marks. Johnson predicted the bill "will survive pretty much intact."
The bill has been lobbied heavily by both sides in an effort that has
included an expensive nationwide advertising campaign.
The Bells say it will spur the economy and stimulate deployment of high-speed
Internet by giving them an incentive to invest in the service. Competitors say
the bill could be the death knell for the competitive local telephone industry,
and will allow the Bells to lock in local monopolies.
-Mark Wigfield, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-828-3397; Mark.Wigfield@dowjones.com
(END) DOW JONES NEWS 08-01-01
08:15 AM |
