congressional_record: CREC-2006-12-08-pt1-PgE2143-3
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| granule_id | date | congress | session | volume | issue | title | chamber | granule_class | sub_granule_class | page_start | page_end | speakers | bills | citation | full_text |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CREC-2006-12-08-pt1-PgE2143-3 | 2006-12-08 | 109 | 2 | REGARDING INTENT TO INTRODUCE THE BROADBAND EXPENSING ACT OF 2007 IN THE 110TH CONGRESS | HOUSE | EXTENSIONS | ALLOTHER | E2143 | E2144 | [{"name": "Doris O. Matsui", "role": "speaking"}] | 152 Cong. Rec. E2143 | Congressional Record, Volume 152 Issue 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006) [Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E2143-E2144] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] REGARDING INTENT TO INTRODUCE THE BROADBAND EXPENSING ACT OF 2007 IN THE 110TH CONGRESS ______ HON. DORIS O. MATSUI of california in the house of representatives Wednesday, December 6, 2006 Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss an important piece of legislation I will reintroduce early next year, along with my colleague, Mr. English of Pennsylvania, to encourage the deployment of broadband high- [[Page E2144]] speed Internet service throughout the United States. The Broadband Expensing Act of 2007 will allow immediate depreciation of the costs of new infrastructure investments providing broadband connectivity. In previous Congresses this measure has received extensive bipartisan support with as many as 225 House cosponsors and 65 Senate cosponsors. As the Congress and administration consider various methods of encouraging innovation in America, a broadband incentive of this nature must be of high priority. This bill was a priority for my late husband, who worked with Mr. English, Senator Rockefeller, Senator Baucus, and the late Senator Moynihan to craft it in 2000. They all worked hard on it for several years and built tremendous bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. My husband spent a lot of time discussing this measure with his colleagues in the House, explaining how it would work, seeking cosponsorships. It has been a popular measure. On three separate occasions it has almost passed the Congress, but each time fell short in the House. Three times this bill has passed the Senate, and three times it has been rejected in conference with the House, to the disappointment of my husband, my colleague Mr. English, and many other members of this body who supported it and felt it could make a significant contribution to improving America's telecommunications and information technology infrastructure. Now we are prepared to make another push for this bill in the 110th Congress. The Broadband Expensing Act will provide a temporary two- tiered tax incentive to stimulate new investment in this crucial infrastructure: 50 percent expensing for investment in ``current- generation'' broadband infrastructure in rural and underserved areas, and full expensing for ``next generation'' broadband investments in those same areas, as well as residential areas generally. Moreover, it is designed to be technology neutral, making delivery of service, not the delivery medium, the factor for eligibility. Any broadband provider meeting the required speeds, measured in megabits of data delivered to and from the consumer per second, is eligible, whether such service is provided over telephone wire, cable modem, optical fiber, wireless, satellite, or other forms of technology. It is important to act quickly. Recent reports by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the International Telecommunications Union find the United States lagging in broadband penetration compared to other nations. We should not sit idly by and allow the United States to fall behind in this crucial area. Just as the federal government stepped in to provide national availability of electrification and transportation in the mid-1900s, we must now ensure a national system of electronic information. I urge all of my colleagues to support this important measure. I look forward to working with my cosponsors and the leadership of both parties to see the Broadband Expensing Act become law in 2007. ____________________ |