For Immediate Release November 17, 2004

RURAL CAUCUS HOLDS FORUM ON TELECOM CHALLENGES FACING RURAL AMERICA IN THE 21st CENTURY

Washington – The Congressional Rural Caucus (CRC) held the first in a series of forums today to discuss the challenges rural telecommunications carriers face in providing affordable, modern services to rural customers. These issues are especially important as Congress prepares to re-examine the Telecommunications Act of 1996. President Bush has set a goal for affordable high speed Internet technology be available to all Americans by 2007.

The forum was chaired by CRC Telecommunications Task Force Co-Chairs Gil Gutknecht (R-MN) and Bart Stupak (D-MI), and was attended by CRC Co-Chairs John Peterson (R-PA) and Allen Boyd (D-FL), CRC Vice-Chairs Tom Osborne (R-NE) and Lincoln Davis (D-TN), and other Congressional Rural Caucus Members.

Witnesses included telecommunications industry representatives as well as officials from federal agencies including the Federal Communications Commission, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, USDA’s Rural Development Telecommunications Program, and Appalachian Regional Commission. Witness testimony and other information is available at http://www.house.gov/johnpeterson/ruralcaucus/telecomtaskforce.htm.

Attached are statements from Members of the Congressional Rural Caucus (CRC):

According to CRC Telecommunications Task Force Co-Chair Gil Gutknecht (R-MN), “As Congress prepares to re-examine current telecommunications policy, it’s vital that we join together to ensure that rural folks’ voices are heard. Many of the most challenging issues facing the industry directly impact rural America. I believe that future law needs to allow the free market to expand and encourage innovation and investment by all providers. However, we must also maintain our social commitment that all Americans have access to quality telecommunications services. This ‘Farm Team’ will work hard to ensure that rural America has a voice in the House.”

According to CRC Telecommunications Task Force Co-Chair Bart Stupak (D-MI), “Providing modern telecommunications and broadband services in rural America is not just a fairness issue. It’s an economic issue. Without it, our rural communities will be left in the dust in the economy of the 21st Century. As it re-examines current communications law, Congress needs to understand how these policies impact those communities.”

According to CRC Co-Chair John Peterson (R-PA), “The high-speed Internet is vital for any business that wants to compete in today’s global marketplace, and the lack of affordable broadband is a tremendous roadblock to economic growth in rural America. Broadband technology enables hospitals and health care providers to greatly improve patient care in rural areas, and is critical for improving our rural way of life. I look forward to working with my colleagues to improve access to affordable broadband in rural areas as we work to improve the 1996 Telecommunications Act.”

According to CRC Co-Chair Allen Boyd (D-FL), “Rural America is too often left behind when it comes to national policy decisions, and this forum is the first step to ensure that rural America has a voice in developing telecommunications laws for the new millennium. In order to retain and attract good jobs in rural America, we must have a fair price for rural broadband, and tackling this issue will be a priority for the Rural Caucus.”

According to CRC Vice-Chair Tom Osborne (R-NE), "In sparsely populated rural areas, information technology provides rural America the ability to open the door to a multitude of opportunities. The Internet enables businesses to build clienteles with no geographical borders; expands educational opportunities through distance learning; and facilitates revolutionary changes to healthcare through telemedicine. As we prepare to reauthorize the Telecommunications Act of 1996, it is vital that we recognize the needs of Internet Service Providers whose responsibility is to ensure that effective and efficient technology is readily available in both rural and urban America.”

According to CRC Vice-Chair Lincoln Davis (D-TN), “The hearing today represents the commitment of the CRC to ensure that future legislation affecting telecommunications infrastructure does not leave rural America behind. Without a solid telecommunications infrastructure it will become increasingly more difficult for rural areas to acquire new businesses and industries in their local communities. Additionally, young professionals have come to expect high-speed internet access in the workplace because that is what they use in their colleges and universities. If rural America is going to be able to bring their young professionals back home to work, then they must provide them with the telecommunications infrastructure they would expect to find in urban America.”

According to CRC Member Cliff Stearns (R-FL), “Advances in technology are creating new industries and services, especially in telecommunications. This being the information age, it is vital to promote wide access to affordable and reliable telecommunications services, and I am committed to seeing that rural Americans share in the benefit of these innovations.”

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