USTelecom Statement on Senate Passage of Economic Stimulus Plan
Release Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Background: Today, the United States Senate passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which contains $7 billion in grants and tax credits aimed at promoting U.S. broadband deployment.  The following statement is from Walter B. McCormick Jr., President and CEO of USTelecom:

“We applaud the Senate for recognizing the important role of broadband as essential infrastructure for our modern information economy.  As this legislation heads to conference, we continue to urge Congress to focus on the urgent task at hand—creating jobs and driving economic recovery as quickly as possible throughout our nation. Stimulus legislation should take a streamlined approach that gives President Obama maximum flexibility move forward as quickly as possible, avoiding conditions and requirements that would hinder the legislation’s primary goals.

“This could be an important and historic step for our nation and the widely shared goal of universal broadband access.  There will be ample time in the 111th Congress for thoughtful and deliberate consideration of broader network policy issues, but our focus at this moment should be on helping President Obama and leaders in Congress shape final legislation that can quickly and efficiently create jobs, boost our economy, and bring broadband’s many benefits to more Americans.  From aiding in our economic recovery to advancing modern health care, education, and green technologies, broadband can be an extraordinary catalyst of our nation’s renewal.”