[Congressional Record: November 18, 1999 (Senate)]
[Page S14795-S14796]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr18no99-151]


                      UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, there are a number of issues we are working
on, but we have one unanimous consent request with regard to the loan
guarantee for the satellite local situation we have worked out.
  I ask unanimous consent that no later than March 30, 2000, if no
Senate committee has reported a bill limited to providing loan
guarantees to establish local television service to rural areas by
satellite and other means, the Republican leader, or his designee, or
the Democratic leader, or his designee, be recognized to introduce a
bill limited to sections 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2006 of the conference
report accompanying H.R. 1554 providing such loan guarantees, and that
the Senate immediately begin consideration of the bill with relevant
first-degree amendments in order and second-degree amendments that are
relevant to the first-degree amendment proposed to be amended. Further,
that if legislation is reported that is limited to such loan
guarantees, it be considered on or before March 30 and be open to
relevant amendments as provided above. Further, that upon disposition
of all amendments, the bill be read a third time and passed, with no
intervening action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. DASCHLE. Reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Dakota.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I compliment the majority leader. This is
the result of ongoing discussions we have had for some time. I
appreciate very much the involvement and the work done by the
distinguished Senator from Montana. This accomplishes much of what we
hoped we could do. It is not everything. I am very hopeful we can get
this done before April 1, but the majority leader has made as strong a
commitment to me personally, and I am sure he is prepared to do it on
the record, that he will work with us to accomplish the objectives laid
out in this unanimous consent agreement.
  I appreciate, as well, the cooperation of the distinguished Banking
Committee chairman, and I believe as a result of the effort we have
been able to demonstrate in getting to this point, we will achieve our
goal. We cannot leave rural America out. We will have an opportunity to
provide service to them. This will give us the vehicle to make that
happen. So I do not object.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Reserving the right to object.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, before the Senator reserves the right to
object, I want to add my own personal comments rather than just the dry
UC that I gave.
  I, too, commend and thank the other Senator from Montana, Mr. Burns,
for his efforts in this area and for his tenacity. In fact, this very
day, he ruined my lunch talking to me about this issue. I know Senator
Baucus believes very strongly in it.
  It is not just a Montana issue. This is important in South Dakota and
this is important in Mississippi. This is important nationwide. If we
are going to get this satellite local-to-local service in these smaller
markets, we have to have this opportunity, but we want to make sure it
is a loan guarantee that will work, that is actually going to do the
job, that is not in some way going to improperly benefit any one
individual or group of individuals, for that matter, and that it has
been carefully thought through.
  Again, I am absolutely determined to get this done. I will not only
live up to this UC, which I have to, but I will do it with a great deal
of vigor and activity.
  I thank the Senator from Texas for his willingness to focus on this
and get it done by a date certain and make sure he and other committees
have added to it to make sure we do it right.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana is recognized.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I earlier objected to bringing up the
continuing resolution because I felt it made much more sense to include
the loan guarantee along with the other provisions in the omnibus bill
that will be taken up later providing for local-to-local satellite
network service.
  I thank the Senator from Mississippi, as well as my colleague from
Montana. I have been working with my colleague today to figure out some
way to lock in even more having loan guarantees passed by this body and
by the other body.
  The other body has made a similar commitment in a colloquy about 2

[[Page S14796]]

hours ago to make sure this is passed so rural viewers of America have
the opportunity to have local satellite service.
  I compliment my friend from Montana for working so hard on this. He
has worked very hard, as well as others. I am not going to hold up the
continuing resolution to shut down the Government. In the whole scheme
of things, we have our own priorities and know what the priorities
should be. But it is important to get this provision in here because it
does make it even more certain we are going to get this loan guarantee
provision passed in the next year.
  I thank the majority leader. He has been very gracious in working
this out, as well as the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, who
I know wants to work this out as well, and my good friend from Montana.
I also thank the Banking Committee chairman. He has been very helpful.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is a unanimous consent request before
the Senate. Is there objection?
  Mr. BURNS. Reserving the right to object, and I will not object, this
is a compromise to facilitate the passage of this omnibus bill. We have
worked a long time on this. We are working up to a deadline where we
could see some blue screens after December 31. But one cannot ignore
the fact that even our satellite viewers should be able to receive
local broadcasts or network stations in their local areas. The only way
we will ever provide any competition for the cables under the rules
they live by, under must carry, and still have a viable satellite
service that will compete with cables is through this method.
  I appreciate the commitment of the Senator from Texas, the chairman
of the Banking Committee. I thank my friend from Montana. He has worked
hard on this. I thank the majority leader. Without their commitments,
we would be talking a different tune now. I also commend the leadership
in the House of Representatives for making the same commitment that
this legislation be passed early next year.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. A unanimous consent request is before the
Senate. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BYRD addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Will the Senator from Texas yield to the
Senator from West Virginia?
  Mr. GRAMM. Mr. President, I was going to speak on this subject of the
satellite bill, but I yield to the Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be recognized
as one of the managers of the continuing resolution. I am entitled to
that recognition. I ask I be recognized immediately after the
distinguished Senator from Texas.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia has propounded
a unanimous consent request. Is there objection? Without objection, it
is so ordered.
  The Senator from Texas is recognized.
  Mr. GRAMM. Mr. President, I thank my colleagues. This has obviously
been a very difficult issue. We passed the satellite bill in the Senate
unanimously. I think every Member of the Senate realizes the ability to
receive television signals in America is critically important. On
Saturday, you want to watch Texas A&M. On Sunday, you want to watch the
Dallas Cowboys. And one's life is diminished if you cannot do either
one of those things.
  The problem we had was we passed a bill in the Senate to set up the
legal structure to get that job done. They passed a bill in the House
to do the same. Neither bill had any loan guarantee language in it. The
conferees realized there was a problem, but in their haste to get it
done, it is my opinion that we ended up with language that was as good
as anybody could have written during that short period of time.
  Under the agreement we have reached, we have an opportunity to have
representatives of the television stations, the satellite companies,
and potential Internet suppliers come in. We have the ability to look
at the technology.
  We have the ability to look at loan guarantees we have given in the
past. We have the ability to get the input of the Treasury. Hopefully,
we will have the ability to put together a bill that will maximize the
chances that every American will have access to their local television
station.
  I want my colleagues to know, as I have said many times as this
debate has evolved, I intend, by the 30th of March, to report a bill
from the Banking Committee. It is my goal not only to write a bill that
will deal with this problem, but I hope we can develop a prototype for
the future, where we recognize that there are some social goals that
are not necessarily met by market forces, and that the market by itself
might not provide this service which we have deemed to be important.
  The question then is: What can you do to provide this service at the
lowest possible cost and in the most efficient manner? It is my goal to
put together a bill that will achieve that goal and perhaps be a
prototype for similar problems in the future.
  So I thank my colleagues. Probably as much effort has gone into this
one little issue as anything throughout this whole process. It is an
important issue. It involved an important principle. I think we have
reached a good conclusion. I am happy about it. I believe, when we
complete it, that every Member of the Senate and every Member of
Congress and, hopefully, everybody who has a satellite dish or wants
one will be happy about it as well.
  I thank my colleagues.
  Mr. BYRD addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I send to the desk an amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  Mr. BYRD addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. BYRD. I yield to the majority leader first.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia is yielding to
the majority leader.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, would the majority leader yield?
  Mr. COVERDELL addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
  Mr. COVERDELL. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Burns). Objection is heard.
  The clerk will continue to call the roll.
  The bill clerk continued with the call of the roll.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. FEINGOLD. I object.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded so that the Senator from Minnesota can----
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I object until I can read this.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The clerk will continue the call of the roll.
  The bill clerk continued with the call of the roll.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The bill clerk continued with the call of the roll.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.

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