Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. opening statement for Trade and Consumer Protection hearing, 2000?

NEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 315 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 OPENING STATEMENT Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade and Consumer Protection Hearing 5-3-00 Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing today on the issue of Internet taxation. This is an issue that will dominate the work of this Committee and Congress for years to come. I applaud the leadership of Chairman Tom Bliley on telecommunication issues. As we know, it was Chairman Bliley’s leadership that led to the enactment of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which has provided the road map for deregulation of the telecommunications industry. In addition, I want to recognize my colleague, Fred Upton, and his bill to prohibit access fees, which I support. Mr. Chairman, of all the constituent letters I have received during my tenure in Congress, Internet taxation, specifically, the imposition of per-minute fees, is by far the most popular issue. To date, I have received more than 3,700 letters asking me to oppose any efforts by Congress or the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to impose charges on Internet service. Regardless of whether those fees come in the form of direct or indirect charges, my constituents have made it clear they do not want their Internet bill to resemble their telephone bill — comprised of outdated taxes and a multitude of confusing service charges. In an effort to prevent government from imposing fees and taxes that increase the cost of 1