United States Senator Jay Rockefeller for West Virginia
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Offices : Beckley • Charleston • Fairmont • Martinsburg • Washington, DC E-mail Senator Rockefeller

Press Room: Press Releases

January 23, 2001

ROCKEFELLER INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO ENCOURAGE "HIGH SPEED" INTERNET ACCESS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In his continued efforts to expand Internet access to rural areas, today U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) led a large group of bipartisan senators in introducing The Broadband Internet Access Act of 2001. The legislation is a two-tiered tax incentive designed to bring affordable high speed Internet services – or "broadband" – to rural and low-income areas in West Virginia and across the country.

Broadband technology refers to communications networks, such as conventional telephone lines, that are capable of transmitting very high quantities of electronic data.

Rockefeller said, "This bill represents my commitment to making sure that West Virginia is not left behind in the technology revolution. High speed Internet access is critical to our economic future, and this bill will ensure that communities across the state will have the tools necessary to be players in the new economy."

The two major features of this bill are:

**A 10 percent tax credit per year for five years to companies that will bring "current generation broadband" telecommunications technologies to both residents and businesses in rural or underserved urban areas.

**A 20 percent tax credit per year for five years to companies who invest in "next generation broadband" services to all residential customers.

Broadband services typically have much higher capacity than conventional "dial-up" Internet access. Current generation broadband refers to technologies that are capable of downloading 1.5 megabits of data per second. Next generation broadband refers to the most powerful new technologies that can download 22 megabits of data per second. At present, companies generally offer current generation broadband service only in areas of high population.

Rockefeller added, "Technology changes the way we live and work. By taking the right steps now, we can open doors for our kids, create new business opportunities for existing industries, and attract leading-edge companies to our state."