Letter from Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-MO) and others to Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT). Re: Broadband Internet Access Act. Date: October 25, 2001. Source: Office of Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA).

October 25, 2001

Dear Majority Leader Daschle and Chairman Baucus,

As you prepare your version of the economic stimulus package, we urge you to include a version of The Broadband Internet Access Act, a bipartisan proposal to foster the spread of "broadband" high-speed Internet service around the United States. This measure provides temporary tax incentives to stimulate deployment of broadband service to rural, low-income, and residential areas not currently enjoying the benefits of high-speed communications.

There are a number of reasons why broadband infrastructure is important at this moment.

• Security. As the U.S. Postal System has become the target of terrorist attacks, electronic mail has become increasingly important. To quickly deliver large documents and images, however, more bandwidth is necessary.
  
• Productivity. Linking computers via the Internet greatly increased U.S. productivity in the latter half of the 1990's. In fact, the Federal Reserve estimates that information technology investments were responsible for over 60 percent of such productivity increases. By deploying broadband across the country, we have the opportunity to improve productivity even more and include rural and underserved users now deprived of broadband service.
  
• Investment Stimulus. A sudden decline in telecommunications spending has been a key factor in the current economic downturn. A broadband tax credit will spur new investment in telecom infrastructure, thereby helping all industries. Importantly, the credit will be available only when new broadband service is actually delivered to underserved subscribers.
  
• International Competitiveness. A number of other countries, including Canada, Japan, Sweden, and Singapore, are moving aggressively to surpass the United States in broadband infrastructure. We cannot afford to lose our edge in a technology so quintessentially American as the Internet.
  
• Social Benefit. By providing widespread broadband service, Americans can receive an array of benefits such as teleconferencing, telecommuting, telemedicine, and distance learning. As a result, workers can improve their efficiency and companies can increase their profitability.

The Broadband Internet Access Act is a bipartisan bill with 189 bipartisan cosponsors in the House and 62 in the Senate. Clearly, such broad support indicates the need to extend a high-speed information system to all Americans. This legislation provides the vehicle for delivering such a system, and we urge you to include it in the stimulus package.

Thank you for considering our views on this critical issue.

Sincerely,

Minority Leader Richard Gephardt
Rep. Bob Matsui
Rep. Anna Eshoo
Rep. Rush Holt
Rep. Zoe Lofgren
Rep. Ellen Tauscher
Rep. Rosa DeLauro
Rep. Mike Honda
Rep. Nancy Pelosi