roundtable: Telecom Leg Update

roundtable: Telecom Leg Update

Telecom Leg Update

Benton Foundation (benton@benton.org)
Mon, 4 Dec 1995 15:51:33 -0500 

Message-Id: <v02110110ace90fc89ed0@[204.245.149.10]>
Date: Mon, 4 Dec 1995 15:51:33 -0500
To: roundtable@cni.org
From: benton@benton.org (Benton Foundation)
Subject: Telecom Leg Update


HR 1555/S 652 Update

On Monday, December 4 the New York Times reported a scramble on Capitol
Hill to address the telecommunications bill before the Christmas recess.
House Speaker Newt Gringrich has reportedly informed senior members of 
the House Commerce Committee that the Senate-House conference committee 
must conclude negotiations a deliver a compromise bill to both houses 
within a week.  Many expect that if the bill is not passed this year, 
it will not be on the agenda in 1996, an election year.

In both versions of the bill, the aim is to deregulate the
telecommunications industry and to encourage competition between local
telephone companies, long distance carriers and cable operators.  The
legislation also covers issues of media concentration and content
regulation on the Internet.  For a complete analysis of the two bills 
see a side-by-side comparison at the Benton Foundation Web site at URL
http://cdinet.com/Benton.

After a month of staff-level negotiations, the conference committee will
hold its first substantive meeting Tuesday, December 5.  A full list of
conference committee members appears on the Benton Foundation's World 
Wide Web site.  The major areas of dispute include:

   *  Media Concentration
   *  Universal Service Provisions
   *  Content Regulation of the Internet
   *  Spectrum Flexibility
   *  Regulation of Cable Rates
   *  Regional Bell Telephone Companies Entrance into the Long-Distance Market
   *  Pre-emption of State and  Local Authority

There are a number of opponents to the legislation; they include the
President, the long distance industry, state utilities, local authorities,
consumer groups, and public advocacy groups.  Educational institutions and
libraries want stronger universal service language.


Benton Foundation
<benton@benton.org>

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