Digital Divide Issue - NARUC weighs in... ,
 Steve/Lara - this is the senate bill we discussed with George Foote. I had 
some discussions w/ Sen. Wyden about this last session and I think we should 
be on board to support it next Congress.


NARUC's ROWE VOICES `PERSONAL SUPPORT' FOR BROADBAND TAX CREDIT
BILL

National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC)
President Bob Rowe has expressed his "personal support" for a
Senate bill to establish a five-year, two-tier tax credit plan to
encourage telecom carrier investments in broadband services
equipment.  Mr. Rowe also is a member of the Montana Public Service
Commission.

Writing today to President Clinton and three top U.S. senators, Mr.
Rowe said the Broadband Internet Access Act, S 2698, is consistent
with a broadband services resolution adopted by NARUC's Executive
Board during the association's meetings in Los Angeles last summer
(TR, July 24).  He noted that "the resolution states that NARUC
generally supports legislation that encourages the deployment of
broadband technology and advanced services to underserved areas
without removing the market-opening incentives contained in section
271 of the Telecommunications Act."

"I believe [the] legislation is consistent with the view that while
the 1996 Act is generally working, additional incentives to serve
certain rural or urban communities are appropriate," he said in
letters to President Clinton, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott
(R., Miss.), Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Chairman John McCain (R., Ariz.), and Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan
(D., N.Y.), the author of S 2698.
sue.nord@enron.com, donald.lassere@enron.com, xi.xi@enron.com, 