December 5, 2008
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House

H.R. 260, Wireless Privacy Protection Act
Sponsor: Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J.
Introduced: Jan. 30, 2001
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 260 seeks to prevent cell-phone spam before it becomes a serious problem. they can touch that dial. The bill would require customer consent before advertisers and marketers could obtain wireless call location information, which would determine whether marketers could use that information with third parties. The bill, referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee is should be welcomed by privacy advocates.
H.R. 496, Independent Telecommunications Consumer Enhancement Act
Sponsor: Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo.
Introduced: Feb. 7, 2001
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Final Action: Passed by the House
Description: H.R. 496 would exempt small and mainly rural telecommunications providers from many tariff, merger and reporting regulations. The bill would relax many Federal Communications Commission rules for so-called 2-percent carriers. Among other things, the measure would exempt such carriers from Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which requires local providers to set up separate subsidiaries for offering advanced telecom services, such as Internet or paging services.
H.R. 646, Federal Communications Commission Reform Act
Sponsor: Rep. Paul Gillmor, R-Ohio
Introduced: Feb. 14, 2001
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 646 would establish a commission to study the Federal Communication Commission's structure. The panel would be charged with determining whether the FCC should be changed to reflect the current state of telecommunications, including the rise of the Internet, and whether there should be fewer commissioners.
H.R. 1268, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Philip Crane, R-Ill.
Introduced: March 28, 2001
Committee: House Ways and Means
Description: H.R. 1268 would amend the tax code to change the rules for determining the depreciation rate for wireless telecommunications equipment. Currently, the Internal Revenue Service determines the assets' worth on an ad hoc basis. Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., introduced a companion measure, S. 640.
H.R. 1735, Telecommunications Development Fund Improvement Act
Sponsor: Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y.
Introduced: May 3, 2001
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 1735 seeks to improve operations of the Telecommunications Development Fund (TDF), a private corporation created under the 1996 Telecommunications Act to foster telecom innovation. The bill would require bidders for spectrum licenses to deposit their down payments in interest-bearing accounts while the FCC considers their applications. When an application is approved, the amount of the bid would go to the federal treasury, and the accrued interest would go to the TDF.
H.R. 1765, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich.
Introduced: May 8, 2001
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 1765 would boost the FCC's enforcement power. The measure would increase the fines the FCC can charge a company for violating the 1996 Telecommunications Act from $100,000 per violation to $1 million per violation. House Energy and Commerce Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., offered, but later withdrew, similar language as an amendment to another telecom bill, H.R. 1542.
H.R. 1837, Call Responsibly and Stay Healthy Act
Sponsor: Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y.
Introduced: May 15, 2001
Committee: House Transportation and Infrastructure
Description: H.R. 1837 would deny some federal highway funds from states that allow drivers to use mobile telephones while on the road. The measure would not apply to mobile phones that can be used in the car without the hands or to the use of hand-held phones in emergencies. A House companion bill, S. 927, also was introduced.
H.R. 1877, Child Sex Crimes Wiretapping Act
Sponsor: Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn.
Introduced: May 16, 2001
Committee: House Judiciary
Description: H.R. 1877 would allow police to use wiretapping equipment to intercept the communications of people suspected of sexual predators and child pornographers. Bill sponsor Nancy Johnson, R-Conn., said she introduced the measure in part to protect "millions of children" from being targeted by sexual predators via the Internet. She said some men are using the Internet to lure teenage girls into prostitution. The bill would allow police to tap the phone calls of people suspected of such activity. It also would allow wiretaps of U.S. citizens suspected of bringing children from other countries to the United States for sexual exploitation, and of people suspected of using travel agencies to arrange illegal "sex tours" in other countries.
H.R. 2535, Spectrum Resource Assurance Act
Sponsor: Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla.
Introduced: July 17, 2001
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 2535 would permit wireless carriers to obtain sufficient spectrum to meet the growing demand for existing services and ensure that such carriers have the spectrum they need to deploy fixed and advanced services.
H.R. 2706, Medicare Telehealth Validation Act
Sponsor: Rep. Doug Ose, R-Calif.
Introduced: Aug. 1, 2001
Committees: House Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means
Description: H.R. 2706 seeks to improve telehealth services offered under Medicare. The bill would authorize $40 million each year for seven years to fund telehealth grants for areas lacking such services. One provision would eliminate the existing emphasis on rural areas. The bill also would call on federal and state officials, healthcare professionals, and patient advocates to work toward multi-state licensure for telehealth services so people who live or practice medicine near state borders have access to the benefits. Other telehealth bills, S. 1273 and S. 1283, also were introduced the same week.
H.R. 3268, Foreign Government Ownership Act
Sponsor: Rep. W.J. (Billy) Tauzin, R-La.
Introduced: Nov. 8, 2001
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 3268 aims to limit foreign-government ownership of U.S. telecommunications firms. The bill would amend the 1934 Communications Act to bar companies that are more than 25 percent-controlled by foreign governments from owning U.S. telecom firms. It closely resembles a bill from the 106th Congress. That measure was introduced after European telecom giant Deutsche Telekom, which is partially owned by the German government, sought to purchase U.S.-based VoiceStream Wireless. A Senate companion measure, S. 1668, also was introduced.
H.R. 3397, HERO Act
Sponsor: Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif.
Introduced: Dec. 4, 2001
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 3397 would require the FCC to free designated airwaves for use by the public-safety community. The bill seeks to close a loophole in a 1996 law, said sponsor Jane Harman, D-Calif. The law mandated that broadcasters relinquish 24 megahertz of spectrum currently used for analog television (channels 63, 64, 68 and 69) to public-safety officials in an effort to allow them to communicate with each other via wireless telecommunications devices. It gave broadcasters until 2006 to vacate the spectrum -- but only if 85 percent of U.S. households had TVs capable of receiving digital signals by then. Harman said only 1 percent of households currently are fit for digital TV. Her bill would lift the 85-percent rule and require that the spectrum identified in the 1996 law be relinquished for public-safety uses by the end of 2006.
H.R. 3484, Prompt Utilization of Wireless Spectrum Act
Sponsor: Rep. W.J. (Billy) Tauzin, R-La.
Introduced: Dec. 13, 2001
Committees: House Energy and Commerce, Judiciary, Ways and Means, Budget
Description: H.R. 3484 would codify an agreement between the federal government and bankrupt NextWave Telecom to settle a dispute over spectrum used for wireless telephone service. Under the proposed deal, NextWave would relinquish claims to the licenses it won years ago in exchange for about $5.85 billion. The government would get $10 billion from other wireless firms that won the licenses in a re-auction since ruled illegal. Congress has until Dec. 31 to pass a measure to insulate the deal from legal challenges.
H.R. 4012, Rural Wireless Telecommunications Consumer Enhancement Act
Sponsor: Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo.
Introduced: March 20, 2002
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 4012 aims to encourage the development of wireless technology in rural areas. The measure would require that the FCC separately evaluate its regulations for rural wireless carriers and consider waiving any regulations that would require rural carriers to relinquish resources that could benefit rural businesses or residents. The bill also would create an Office of Rural Advocacy at the FCC to promote the expansion of rural wireless technology.
H.R. 4560, Auction Reform Act
Sponsor: Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La.
Introduced: April 24, 2002
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Final Action: Signed into law (PL 107-195)
Description: H.R. 4560 delays the FCC auction of spectrum used by analog television broadcasters that was scheduled to occur in June 2002. The auction of the 700-megahertz band of spectrum would have come before the completion of a Pentagon study on the merits of releasing to wireless telecommunications firms additional spectrum that is currently occupied by the Defense Department. The lack of a decision on that issue would have made it more difficult for firms to determine whether to bid in the spectrum auction. President Bush signed the bill into law June 19, 2002. A Senate companion measure, S. 2454, also was introduced.
H.R. 4738, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla.
Introduced: May 15, 2002
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 4738 would refund money to companies that successfully bid on spectrum in the FCC's auction that ended in January 2001. NextWave Telecom had won the spectrum in a previous auction, but the FCC reclaimed the airwaves when NextWave filed for bankruptcy and failed to pay its bill. The agency re-auctioned the spectrum to other wireless firms, but a federal court then ruled that the FCC could not reclaim assets protected in bankruptcy proceedings. The issue remains in litigation, and the companies that won the spectrum in the second auction have not been able to use it. The bill would refund all deposits and down payments to the winning bidders and also would allow those bidders that have not received their spectrum to retroactively withdraw their bids without liability.
H.R. 5602, Rural Issues Advisory Board Act
Sponsor: Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb.
Introduced: Oct. 10, 2002
Committees: House Energy and Commerce, Budget
Description: H.R. 5602 would establish a Rural Advisory Board to advise the FCC on the impact its decisions have in rural markets. The board would consist of five members selected by the president. Four of them would have to be employees of rural telephone companies and one would have to be an employee of a rural wireless carrier. A Senate companion bill, S. 3103, also was introduced.
H.R. 5631, Local Control of Cellular Towers Act
Sponsor: Rep. Bernard Sanders, I-Vt.
Introduced: Oct. 10, 2002
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 5631 would close a loophole that allows federal regulators to overrule local officials on the building of cellular and broadcast towers. The 1996 Telecommunications Act gave the FCC the power to overrule decisions made by local authorities. The bill would allow local officials to make decisions regarding the placement of the towers and make telecommunications companies subject to the same zoning laws as average citizens.
H.R. 5638, Commercial Spectrum Enhancement Act
Sponsor: Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich.
Introduced: Oct. 10, 2002
Committees: House Energy and Commerce, Budget
Description: H.R. 5638 would establish a fund to reimburse federal telecommunications users who relinquish their spectrum to commercial firms and move to other frequencies. The fund would cover the costs of new equipment, software, training, economic analysis and engineering studies, among other things. When spectrum is identified for transfer to commercial use, the FCC would have to notify the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which in turn would inform the federal user and provide alternative spectrum options. The money for the fund would come from auction proceeds. The proposal is similar to model legislation that the Bush administration sent to Capitol Hill earlier this year in an effort to facilitate spectrum reallocation.
H.R. 5685, TV Consumer Choice Act
Sponsor: Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.
Introduced: Oct. 16, 2002
Committee: House Energy and Commerce
Description: H.R. 5685 would reverse an FCC ruling forcing television and electronics makers to install digital TV tuners in their products by 2007. The measure was introduced a day after the Consumer Electronics Association sued to overturn the FCC's August decision, which is part of the effort to shift the nation from analog to digital broadcasting.
H. Con. Res. 434
Sponsor: Ronnie Shows, D-Miss.
Introduced: June 27, 2002
Committee: House Financial Services
Description: H. Con. Res. 434 would express Congress' concern about the financial collapse of the WorldCom telecommunications firm, which filed the nation's largest corporate bankruptcy case in 2002. The resolution would request an investigation into any wrongdoings related to the collapse and would call for the strongest punishment for anyone found to have illegally withheld information or engaged in misleading conduct that fostered the firm's collapse.

Senate

S. 640, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn.
Introduced: March 28, 2001
Committee: Senate Finance
Description: S. 640 would amend the tax code to change the rules for determining the depreciation rate for wireless telecommunications equipment. Currently, the Internal Revenue Service determines the assets' worth on an ad hoc basis. Rep. Philip Crane, R-Ill., introduced a companion measure, H.R. 1268.
S. 696, Third-Generation Wireless Internet Act
Sponsor: Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan.
Introduced: April 4, 2001
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Description: S. 696 seeks to foster the deployment of third-generation wireless services by lifting the current cap on the amount of spectrum one company can use.
S. 761, Native American Telecommunications Improvement and Value Enhancement Act
Sponsor: Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont.
Introduced: April 24, 2001
Committee: Senate Indian Affairs
Description: S. 761 seeks to expand basic telecom services to American-Indian regions by authorizing low-interest loans to Indian tribes working cooperatively or tribal groups working with telecom providers. The money could be used to install telephone or wireless infrastructure.
S. 927, Mobile Telephone Driving Safety Act
Sponsor: Sen. Jon Corzine, D-N.J.
Introduced: May 22, 2001
Committee: Senate Environment and Public Works
Description: S. 927 would deny some federal highway funds to states that allow drivers to use mobile telephones while on the road. The measure would not apply to mobile phones that can be used in the car without the hands or to the use of hand-held phones in emergencies. A House companion bill, H.R. 1837, also was introduced.
S. 1164, Location Privacy Protection Act
Sponsor: Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C.
Introduced: July 11, 2001
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S. 1164 would require wireless technology providers to notify their customers about their policies on collecting call-location information and obtain prior consent before disclosing or selling such data. Under the measure, businesses that gather location data would have to let people know what information has been assembled, provide a way to correct errors and safeguard the data against unauthorized access.
S. 1273, Improving Health Care in Rural America Act
Sponsor: Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa
Introduced: July 31, 2001
Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Description: S. 1273 would expand on past efforts to make sure that people in rural states have access to quality healthcare. Among other things, the legislation would authorize five grants for "telehomecare" demonstration projects. Under the projects, healthcare professionals would be trained to use telecommunications and other technologies to monitor and manage the home care of patients in distant, rural areas. The goals would be both to improve healthcare quality and reduce costs. Other telehealth bills, S. 1273 and H.R. 2706, also were introduced the same week.
S. 1283, Telehealth Mental Health Services Act
Sponsor: Sen. Timothy Johnson, D-S.D.
Introduced: July 31, 2001
Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Description: S. 1283 would establish a program for the technology-driven delivery of mental health services. The legislation would provide clinical services and educational and wellness programs to targeted rural areas. Other telehealth bills, S. 1273 and H.R. 2706, also were introduced the same week.
S. 1335, Linking Educators and Developing Entrepreneurs for Reaching Success (LEADERS) Act
Sponsor: Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.
Introduced: Aug. 2, 2001
Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Description: S. 1335 would authorize the Education Department to make grants to support academic-affiliated business incubators that are designed to help startup entrepreneurs. The incubators provide new businessmen access to telephones, Internet service, good computer systems and technology support, among other things. Under the bill, preference for the grants would go to incubators in economically distressed areas. Recipients also would have to match the federal grants and have the backing of local community leaders.
S. 1359, Facilitating Access to Speedy Transmissions for Networks, E-commerce and Telecommunications (FASTNET) Act
Sponsor: Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont.
Introduced: Aug. 3, 2001
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S. 1359 would exempt small and mainly rural telecommunications providers from many tariff, merger and reporting regulations. The bill would relax many Federal Communications Commission rules for so-called 2-percent carriers. Among other things, the measure would exempt such carriers from Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which requires local providers to set up separate subsidiaries for offering advanced telecom services, such as Internet or paging services. A similar House bill, H.R. 496, was introduced.
S. 1364, Telecommunications Fair Competition Enforcement Act
Sponsor: Sen. Ernest (Fritz) Hollings, D-S.C.
Introduced: Aug. 3, 2001
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S. 1364 would separate the regional Bell telephone companies into distinct wholesale and retail companies and increase the fines for violations of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. Within one year of enactment, the bill would require the Bells to place their retail and wholesale divisions into separate units. An ardent supporter of the 1996 act and a critic of the Bells, bill sponsor Ernest (Fritz) Hollings, D-S.C., seeks to fine the Baby Bells $10 million for not meeting the local competition requirements in the telecom law and $2 million for each day of each violation. His measure also would allow the FCC to seek treble damages for repeated violations.
S. 1445, Internet Equity and Education Act
Sponsor: Sen. Michael Enzi, R-Wyo.
Introduced: Sept. 21, 2001
Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Description: S. 1445 would change the rules governing how many Internet- and telecommunications-based courses colleges may offer and how many students may take. The bill would implement recommendations of the Web-Based Education Commission by repealing a limit on the number of online courses that colleges receiving federal student-loan funding may offer. It also would repeal the so-called 12-hour rule, which requires students who receive federal aid to take at least 50 percent of their courses in a classroom. Both a House companion bill, H.R. 1992, and related measure, H.R. 1349, were introduced.
S. 1668, Foreign Government Ownership Act
Sponsor: Sen. Ernest (Fritz) Hollings, D-S.C.
Introduced: Nov. 8, 2001
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S. 1668 aims to limit foreign-government ownership of U.S. telecommunications firms. The bill would amend the 1934 Communications Act to bar companies that are more than 25 percent-controlled by foreign governments from owning U.S. telecom firms. It closely resembles a bill from the 106th Congress. That measure was introduced after European telecom giant Deutsche Telekom, which is partially owned by the German government, sought to purchase U.S.-based VoiceStream Wireless. A House companion measure, H.R. 3268, also was introduced.
S. 1928, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn.
Introduced: Feb. 11, 2002
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S. 1928 would require consumers to give written consent before their telecommunications providers could share personal information. Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., introduced the bill after Qwest Communications announced plans to share such information among its corporate divisions without consumer consent. Qwest later reversed that decision, but Wellstone expressed concern that the FCC, under the language of the 1934 Communications Act, still could allow telecom firms to share "customer proprietary network information."
S. 2063, Digital Opportunity Investment Trust Act
Sponsor: Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.
Introduced: June 10, 2002
Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Final Action:Passed by the Senate
Description: S. 2603 would reserve money from spectrum auctions and spectrum license fees for technology investments aimed at furthering education and training. Under the bill, 50 percent of the money the government collects from allocating spectrum would be deposited into the Digital Opportunity Investment Trust every quarter through fiscal 2020. The director and deputy director of the trust, along with an eight-member advisory board from the private sector, would decide what projects to fund. The money could be used to develop online courses, training materials, archives and software, among other things.
S. 2075, Rural Electromagnetic Spectrum Access Act
Sponsor: Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont.
Introduced: April 9, 2002
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S. 2075 seeks to increase the availability of spectrum for wireless telecommunications carriers who are willing to provide service to rural areas. Under the bill, the FCC would have to distribute spectrum licenses by smaller geographic areas so that rural companies would be more likely to bid on them. The measure also would allow the FCC to withdraw licenses from carriers that are not providing adequate service to the rural areas.
S. 2077, Securing Our States (SOS) Act
Sponsor: Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine
Introduced: April 9, 2002
Committee: Senate Environment and Public Works
Description: S. 2077 would authorize $4 billion in grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the states so they could improve public safety. States could use the funds to hire, train and purchase equipment for firemen, police officers and emergency medical teams. FEMA also would be instructed to help states develop disaster-response plans and communications systems.
S. 2454, Auction Reform Act
Sponsor: Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev.
Introduced: May 2, 2002
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S. 2454 would have delayed the FCC auction of spectrum used by analog television broadcasters that was scheduled to occur in June 2002. The auction of the 700-megahertz band of spectrum would have come before the completion of a Pentagon study on the merits of releasing to wireless telecommunications firms additional spectrum that is currently occupied by the Defense Department. The lack of a decision on that issue would have made it more difficult for firms to determine whether to bid in the spectrum auction. President Bush signed the House companion bill, H.R. 4560, into law June 19, 2002, making S. 2454 moot.
S. 2479
Sponsor: Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
Introduced: May 8, 2002
Committee: Senate Finance
Description: S. 2479 aims to increase home access to computers and the Internet for low-income families. The bill would make access to high-speed Internet infrastructure part of the criteria states must consider when they award low-income housing tax credits, thus encouraging developers to add the necessary wiring to their buildings. The legislation would not require that new housing developments include Internet access.
S. 2481, Auction Completion Timing Act
Sponsor: Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska
Introduced: May 8, 2002
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S. 2481 would have required the FCC to hold a spectrum auction on the 700-megahertz band used by analog television broadcasters that was scheduled to occur in June 2002. Because broadcasting companies still use the band, other lawmakers proposed postponing the auction. The bill also would have required that the proceeds of the auction be available no later than Sept. 30, 2002, and it would have given the FCC the power to set auction dates on its own in the future, without relying on congressional input. President Bush signed a competing House bill, H.R. 4560, into law June 19, 2002, making S. 2481 moot. The new law postponed the auction.
S. 2664, First Responder Terrorism Preparedness Act
Sponsor: Sen. James Jeffords, I-Vt.
Introduced: June 20, 2002
Committee: Senate Environment and Public Works
Description: S. 2664 would create a program to aid the "first responders" to terrorism and other emergencies. The bill would establish an Office of National Preparedness with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the office would establish standards for a national, interoperable emergency communications and warning system, among other things. The measure also would authorize aid to the states to upgrade emergency operating centers and provide equipment for the emergency communications system.
S. 2810, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Ernest (Fritz) Hollings, D-S.C.
Introduced: July 26, 2002
Committee: None
Description: S. 2810 would extend the deadlines for the initial public offering of stock for Intelsat, a global satellite communications provider. The Oct. 1, 2001, deadline would be changed to Dec. 31, 2003, and the Dec. 31, 2002, deadline would be changed to June 30, 2004. Bill sponsor Ernest (Fritz) Hollings, D-S.C., said the extension is necessary because of current troubles in the telecommunications industry. The Senate passed the bill by voice vote July 26, 2002.
S. 2869, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
Introduced: Aug. 1, 2002
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Final Action:Passed by the Senate
Description: S. 2869 would require the FCC to refund money to companies that successfully bid on spectrum in January 2001. Those companies have not received their spectrum or a refund because the airwaves are an issue in litigation over whether the FCC could reclaim them from the previous owner, NextWave Telecom, when that company failed to pay for the spectrum and filed for bankruptcy. The bill would refund all deposits and down payments to the firms that won NextWave's spectrum in the re-auction and also would allow those bidders to retroactively withdraw their bids with no liability.
S. 2922, Emergency Communications and Competition Act
Sponsor: Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La.
Introduced: Sept. 10, 2002
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S.2922 would address the security issue of emergency response time by making wireless telecommunications networks more readily available in order to more adequately execute the Emergency Alert System. One of the bill's main goals is to ensure that emergency personnel have access to communications equipment during crises and that equipment and technology can be used to expedite rescues. The bill also aims to provide high-speed data and video services to underserved populations, including schools, libraries, senior centers and tribal lands.
S. 2946, Federal Trade Commission Reauthorization Act
Sponsor: Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.
Introduced: Sept. 17, 2002
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S.2946 would reauthorize FTC programs from fiscal 2003 through fiscal 2005 and allow the agency to regulate and investigate consumer practices in the telecommunications industry. Until now, the FTC has not been allowed to regulate consumer activities for telecom carriers. The FCC regulates all telecom practices, including advertising and consumer protection. But with the explosive growth in the industry, the FTC asked Congress for some authority. The Senate Commerce Committee approved the bill by voice vote Sept. 19, 2002.
S. 3103, Local Control of Cellular Towers Act
Sponsor: Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.
Introduced: Oct. 10, 2002
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S. 3103 would establish a Rural Advisory Board to advise the FCC on the impact its decisions have in rural markets. The board would consist of five members selected by the president. Four of them would have to be employees of rural telephone companies and one would have to be an employee of a rural wireless carrier. A House companion bill, H.R. 5602, also was introduced.
S. 3112, The Telecommunications Ownership Diversity Act
Sponsor: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Introduced: Oct. 15, 2002
Committee: Senate Finance
Description: S. 3112 would give a tax deferral to people who sell the assets of their telecommunications businesses to small telecom companies. The bill seeks to prevent telecom monopolies and inspire the growth of smaller markets.

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