Today's Quote 06.20.06

Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, Monday refused to endorse the newest version of a sweeping telecommunications bill sponsored by chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), calling the third draft released last Friday "a further step backward for consumers." Without support from Inouye, Stevens might have trouble producing a bill that won't spark a partisan battle on the Senate floor. "I had hoped throughout the process that our committee members could work together to develop a bipartisan bill that would encourage innovation, promote fair competition, and ensure that all consumers would get the full benefits of modern communications networks," Sen Inouye said. "Regrettably, [I and some committee Democrats] believe the latest draft of communications legislation marks a further step backward for consumers, and it calls into question our commitment to passing a bipartisan communications reform package in this Congress."