Washington, D.C. – Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement today after bipartisan legislation that he co-wrote, H.R. 4596, the Small Business Broadband Deployment Act, unanimously passed the full House of Representatives by a vote of 411-0. This legislation, which Loebsack drafted along with the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee, Greg Walden (R-OR), extends the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) exemption from its enhanced transparency rules for small Internet service providers (ISPs) for 5 years.
When originally introduced, H.R. 4596 sought to exempt ISPs with 500,000 or fewer subscribers or 1,500 employees. While Democrats were initially opposed to this proposal, Loebsack worked closely with both Republicans and Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee to negotiate this smaller, short-term exemption, which allows small ISPs to focus their resources on broadband deployment, while giving Congress time to evaluate the rules’ impacts on consumers.
“Broadband deployment is a critical issue for my home state, especially in our rural areas. Our students need access to the internet to do their homework. Our businesses need the internet to participate in the global economy and engage in the ever-growing world of e-commerce. Our healthcare providers need internet access to serve patients with telemedicine tools. Folks simply can’t compete in the 21st century economy we live in without access to the internet,” said Loebsack. “In my home state of Iowa, we have 134 individual small ISPs. These companies simply do not have the same resources that the big guys do. This commonsense, bipartisan measure will give small internet service providers throughout the country flexibility to focus their resources on deploying broadband and serving our constituents. This bill will provide certainty to small ISPs, and help us achieve our ultimate goal of both expanding broadband access and enhancing consumer protections.”
VIDEO
Loebsack discusses his legislation on the House floor to extend the FCC’s exemption from its enhanced transparency rules for small Internet service providers (ISPs) for 5 years.
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