Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis (CA-32) gave the following statement at a House Telecommunications Subcommittee hearing on proposals to reform our nation's video franchise system. Solis is a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

"Thank you Mr. Chairman for the opportunity to offer an opening statement today.

"As a member of the full Committee, I have been following this issue closely. Prior to my election to Congress, I served on the California Senate committee which tackled the state implementation of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. While the world of telecommunications has changed drastically since then, some issues, such as the digital divide and redlining, remain a challenge for many communities, including the one I represent in Los Angeles County, California.

"That is why I strongly support inclusion of strong, enforceable, anti-discriminatory language in the Committee bill. Non-discrimination in telecommunications is critical to bridging the digital divide, particularly in the Latino community.

"While Latinos are the fastest growing demographic of on-line users, only one in eight Latino households has access to broadband services. Indeed, any reform must ensure that Latino communities get access to the latest broadband technologies as quickly as non-Latino communities.

"Hispanic Members of Congress and numerous civil rights, consumer, and Latino advocacy organizations support enforceable anti-discrimination language in video franchise agreements, including the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL)and the National Hispanic Bar Association.

"To be truly effective, any non-discrimination broadband deployment provision adopted by the Committee should carefully specify both the scope and method of enforcement.

"Some have suggested that the non-discrimination provision only apply to communities self-selected for access to video services by new service providers. But such a policy would actually encourage discrimination. It would allow a service provider to narrowly select only the few, elite communities for video services, so long as the provider does not discriminate within that community. In Los Angeles, for instance, such a policy would allow a video service provider to provide service only to residents in Brentwood, while disenfranchising the rest of Los Angeles, so long as the provider did not discriminate within Brentwood!

"I share my colleagues' goal of passing legislation which will promote increased competition, lower prices, improved quality, and development of new advanced services. But the digital divide remains a reality for my constituents and many others and we should not let this opportunity pass without addressing this fact in an effective manner.

"Again, thank you Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Markey for the opportunity to speak today. I look forward to working with you and other members of the Committee on this important matter."