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Chairman Stevens Sees Communications Reform Bill as Measure to Speed Broadband Deployment
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) today received the Government Accountability Office (GAO)’s report detailing certain shortcomings in broadband deployment and penetration in the . In response, Chairman Stevens urged his colleagues to support S. 2686, the Communications, Consumers’ Choice and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006, which respond to many of the GAO report’s findings.
The GAO report found that only 28 percent of American households subscribe to broadband Internet service, another 30 percent subscribe only to dial-up service, and 41 percent of American households are not connected to the Internet at all. The GAO report also found that rural Americans are much less likely to subscribe to broadband than those living in cities. In all, only 17 percent of rural households have to broadband service.
“The disparity of broadband deployment between rural and urban America cited in the GAO report raises serious concerns,” said Chairman Stevens. “High-speed Internet access is absolutely essential to all Americans, whether you live in Manhattan or a remote village in
Alaska . Numerous provisions in the Communications, Consumers’ Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006 focus on addressing this broadband deployment problem.”
S. 2686 helps bring high-speed Internet access to rural areas by creating incentives for broadband deployment, and specifically creating a $500 million fund to speed the deployment of broadband to unserved areas.
In addition, the Communications, Consumers’ Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of speeds broadband deployment and adoption by:
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introducing more competition in the market for a bundle of services, including phone, video and broadband, leading to lower prices and better broadband options for more Americans;
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allowing unlicensed devices, which would provide communities with wireless broadband and home networking services, to operate in the portions of the television broadcast spectrum not being used by the television broadcasters; and
- permitting municipal broadband services.
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18th - |
Senator Hutchison Calls for Improved Bus Safety Standards
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today called for improved safety of over-the-road buses and enhanced National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations governing bus safety during a Senate Surface Transportation Subco...
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18th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for DTV Transition Hearing
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces the witnesses for the Full Committee hearing on Oversight of the DTV Transition: Countdown to February 2009, scheduled for Tuesday, September 23, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. The full witness list is below.
With February 17, 2009 less than five months away, the Committee will assess the Federal Communication...
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18th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for U.S.-Korea Automobile Trade Imbalance Hearing
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces the witnesses for the upcoming Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism Subcommittee hearing on The Imbalance in U.S.-Korea Automobile Trade, scheduled for September 24, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. A full witness list is below.
The hearing will examine the reasons for the imbalance in U.S.-Korea bilateral ...
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17th - |
Commerce Committee to Examine Consumer Privacy Issues Related to Broadband Service Providers
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces a Full Committee hearing on Broadband Providers and Consumer Privacy, scheduled for Thursday, September 25, 2008, at 10:00 a.m.
The Committee will examine broadband provider practices with respect to consumer privacy.
Broadband Providers and Consumer PrivacyFull CommitteeDate: Thursday, Septemb...
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16th - |
Senator Hutchison Commends Dept. of Commerce for Helping Nursing Homes with DTV Converter Box Program
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) today commended the U.S. Department of Commerce and Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez for allowing residents with post office boxes and those living in nursing homes to participate in the digital television (DTV) converter box coupon program. Previously, only residents with physical addresses could participate. This meant that those who ...
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16th - |
Inouye Calls for Immediate Passage of S.1492, the Broadband Data Improvement Act
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) delivered the following statement at today’s hearing on why broadband matters.
“In our hearing today we explore why broadband matters. Broadband matters because broadband communications have become the great economic engine of our time. Broadband deployment drives opportunities for business, education, ...
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16th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for Bus Safety Hearing
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12th - |
Commerce Committee to Hear Testimony from Corporation for Public Broadcasting Nominees
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12th - |
Commerce Committee to Review Progress of DTV Transition with FCC, NTIA
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12th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for Hearing on Consumer Benefits of Broadband
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11th - |
Commerce Committee Releases MARAD Bill Financial Disclosure Certification
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today filed its report on S. 2997, the Maritime Administration Act for Fiscal Year 2009. In accordance with Senate Rule XLIV, the Committee provides the attached financial disclosure certification.
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11th - |
Commerce Committee Cancels Hearing to Examine Marine Protected Areas
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10th - |
Senator Hutchison Cosponsors Calling Card Legislation to Help Consumers
- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today signed on as a cosponsor to legislation that would assist consumers with pre-paid calling cards and ensure that fees and terms are easier to understand. The bill, S. 2998, would require pre-paid calling card providers and distributors to disclose the numbe...
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9th - |
Commerce Committee to Hold Hearing on Consumer Benefits of Broadband
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8th - |
Commerce Committee to Examine Marine Protected Areas
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8th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for Prepaid Calling Card Hearing
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