November 23, 2008
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House

H.R. 1697, Broadband Competition and Incentives Act
Sponsor: Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich.
Introduced: May 3, 2001
Committees: House Energy and Commerce, Judiciary
Description: H.R. 1697 would require the Baby Bell telephone companies to keep their infrastructure open to competitors that offer high-speed Internet access. The measure also would prohibit the Bells from offering long-distance services if they retain an 85 percent share of their local telephone markets and prohibit discriminatory taxes on broadband Internet services. In addition, the legislation would offer up to $3 billion in direct loans to companies deploying broadband services. The measure was one of two introduced by Reps. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Chris Cannon, R-Utah, to compete with another broadband bill, H.R. 1542, cosponsored by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman W.J. (Billy) Tauzin, R-La., and ranking Democrat John Dingell, D-Mich. The second bill is H.R. 1698.
H.R. 1698, American Broadband Competition Act
Sponsor: Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah
Introduced: May 3, 2001
Committees: House Energy and Commerce, Judiciary
Description: H.R. 1698 seeks to ensure competition in the telecommunications industry by applying antitrust laws to telecom services. Under the measure, if a court found that a firm violated the 1996 Telecommunications Act, it also would be deemed to have violated antitrust laws. The measure was one of two introduced by Reps. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Chris Cannon, R-Utah, to compete with another broadband bill, H.R. 1542, cosponsored by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman W.J. (Billy) Tauzin, R-La., and ranking Democrat John Dingell, D-Mich. The second bill is H.R. 1697.
H.R. 2120, Broadband Antitrust Restoration and Reform Act
Sponsor: Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah
Introduced: June 12, 2001
Committee: House Judiciary, Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 2120 seeks to ensure the application of the antitrust laws to local telephone monopolies. The bill, introduced to compete with another measure, H.R. 1542, would grant the attorney general authority to deny a Bell long-distance data application if the company "is likely to use its monopoly power" in an anti-competitive way. The House Judiciary Committee rejected H.R. 2120 on a 15-19 vote. Two related measures, H.R. 1697 and H.R. 1698, were introduced.
H.R. 2325, Antitrust Modernization Commission Act
Sponsor: Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.
Introduced: June 27, 2000
Committee: House Judiciary
Description: H.R. 2325 would establish a commission to study ways to modernize antitrust law. The bill would authorize $4 million a year for three years to fund the activities of the new 12-member panel. The president and congressional leaders would appoint the members of the commission, which would consist of six representatives of each party. The president would name the chairman. The measure would call on the panel to address three areas -- the role of intellectual property in antitrust law, how enforcement of the law should change in the global economy, and the role state attorneys general play in enforcing the law -- but it would not limit research to those topics.
H.R. 2435, Cyber Security Information Act
Sponsor: Tom Davis, R-Va.
Introduced: July 10, 2001
Committee: Committees: House Government Reform, Judiciary
Description: H.R. 2435 would exempt businesses from added liability when they share information about their cyber-security efforts. Bill sponsor Tom Davis, R-Va., said companies have been unwilling to share information about computer viruses and other network vulnerabilities with each other and with the government because of three concerns: antitrust prosecution; new lawsuits; and potential disclosure, via the Freedom of Information Act, of confidential information shared with the government. The legislation is designed to address those concerns.
H.R. 4849, Standards Development Organization Advancement Act
Sponsor: Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.
Introduced: May 23, 2002
Committee: House Judiciary
Description: H.R. 4849 aims to promote consensus technical standards among private companies and the federal government by extending antitrust exemptions to organizations that develop such standards. Although the federal government develops many technical standards, nonprofit groups may develop them, too, and the bill aims to prevent antitrust suits against organizations whose standards are used by the government. Under current law, the companies could be charged with antitrust violations because of their collaboration and the necessity for other companies to follow government-supported standards to do business. The bill would remove that liability but would require full disclosure to regulatory agencies of any collaboration on the standards.

Senate

S. 124, Children's Protection Act of 2001
Sponsor: Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-MS
Introduced: Jan. 22, 2001
Committee: Senate Judiciary
Description: S. 124 would exempt from antitrust law any agreements related to voluntary guidelines for Internet content, telecasts, movies, videogames, and music lyrics. The legislation would allow the entertainment industry to collaborate to address growing concerns about the effects of media violence on children, and to develop voluntary programming guidelines.

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