Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Hearing on Competition in the Telecommunications Industry

HOLLINGS:
Thank you.

Senator Smith?

SMITH:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I'd like to join my colleagues in welcoming the Commission.

We appreciate the important work that you do. And it's probably never been a more important time for your Commission.

I think if I have learned anything in six years in the Senate, it's that there are many good ideas and many things well intentioned, but passing them into law is very difficult. And there are few issues I've ever tried to grapple with more difficult of resolution than the whole broadband issue. And so the work that you are doing now and the proposals you're making, frankly, are where the action is because our ability to come to a consensus here is certainly unlikely, in my experience on this committee because there are some very well- intentioned, but—ideas, but certainly cross-purposes.

I would like to introduce, Mr. Chairman, into the record, if I may, a letter I received from the High Tech Broadband Coalition that is an...

HOLLINGS:
It's included.

SMITH:
... association.
Thank you, sir.

It's an association of six high tech trade associations in it. And it represents 15,000 companies, including Intel, Lucent, Alcatel and Microsoft. These are not phone companies, they are consumer electronics and software producers.

They point out that this whole area is in turmoil. It needs resolution. They have some wonderful ideas. There are some good ideas in here for your triennial review. So I recommend them to you.

I believe we need to continue to promote facility-based broadband competition among the—all telecommunication modes, including cable modem, DSL, fiber, satellite and wireless. And we need to ensure competition. The companies who take the risk of deploying broadband facilities should get the benefit if they succeed.

And, finally, I would like to express my interest in the Commission's status report regarding the broadcast flag issue. As we continue to deploy more broadband, we need to address the problem of on-line piracy.

As the commissioners are well aware, American copyright industries are responsible for over 5 percent -- 5 percent of the nation's GDP. And we need to direct our energies towards protecting the output of the country's copyright industry.

So, Mr. Chairman, thank you.