Thanking C-SPAN for its service to the House of Representatives on the 25th anniversary of its first coverage of the proceedings of the House.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I am delighted to join my distinguished colleague from Ohio and support this motion and associate myself with his remarks.

In the quarter century since its inception, C-SPAN has become an institution. No organization has done more to enhance America's understanding of its government, its history than the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network. More than 85 million households have access to C-SPAN today, and millions regularly tune in to see their government in action. That is the way it should be.

The gentleman from Ohio mentioned the outstanding contribution of Brian Lamb, and truly we should acknowledge the great efforts in his vision to bring government to the households of every single American. I am proud to say as well that in the State of Connecticut is CT-N, which again is modeled after C-SPAN, which provides an opportunity to view the local legislative bodies and municipalities and actions so, in fact, people from their homes, especially many who are inbound, get an opportunity to participate in government on a regular basis.

Madam Speaker, today, especially on the eve of St. Patrick's Day, it is great to acknowledge the true father of C-SPAN in this Chamber and that is the legendary Speaker Tip O'Neill. Tip O'Neill was fond of saying that social policies brought many poor into the great American tent of opportunity. During his years as Speaker, many Americans were brought into the Halls of Congress via television. His decision to support televised coverage of the House of Representatives ushered in a new era of government accessibility. House TV went through its growing pains, but its success eventually influenced the Senate to follow suit, voting to let itself be televised in 1986.

When future generations remember Tip O'Neill, the man who served the longest consecutive term as Speaker, they may well remember him as the man who let Americans see their government at work as well.

Madam Speaker, I am delighted to join my distinguished colleague in support of his motion. In the quarter-century since its inception, C- SPAN has become an institution. No organization has done more to enhance Americans' understanding of their government and history than the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network. More than 85 million households have access to C-SPAN today, and millions regularly tunein to see their government in action. This is as it should be.

Like microwave ovens, cellular telephones, the Internet, and other developments of this modern age, C-SPAN has become part of daily life for millions of Americans. Not only would we notice immediately if C- SPAN disappeared, most of us can't remember how we lived without it.

Think of it Madam Speaker. Before Brian Lamb transformed his vision of a television network devoted solely to public affairs into reality, Americans unable to visit the House gallery had to rely on others' reports about what their representatives said and did here. On March 19, 1979, all that changed. Beginning on that date, Americans could see and hear for themselves, immediately, directly, and unfiltered by others.

And while Americans may at times have disagreed with what they have seen or heard on the House floor since them, there is no question that Americans appreciate C-SPAN, and the cable-television industry, for enabling them to see and hear it. I know I was grateful for the opportunity to appear on C-SPAN for the first time on July 26, 2001, to talk about fuel cell technology.

Look how far C-SPAN has come in the past quarter-century. On that first day, four employees could broadcast gavel-to-gavel coverage of House proceedings, over one network initially available to fewer than 4 million homes.

Today, C-SPAN offers government and politics coverage over three television networks, one radio network, and over its website, c- span.org, all of it round-the-clock and accomplished without public funds. Not only can Americans now watch the floor debates of both the House and Senate, they can see interest groups, academics and ordinary citizens explore pending issues and offer their advice to policymakers. In addition to covering Congress, C-SPAN points its cameras at presidents and other executive-branch officials whenever possible. It covers state proceedings, including gubernatorial ``state-of-the- state'' messages, legislative debates, and even voting in the electoral college.

Madam Speaker, C-SPAN offers wonderful programming for everyone with a passion for public affairs. History have learned much by taking field trips to presidential libraries, birthplaces, and elsewhere on the ``C- SPAN School Bus.'' Viewers are again this year traveling the ``Road to the White House,'' with its through coverage of the 2004 campaigns. The ``Lyndon Johnson Tapes'' offer a fascinating glimpse into a turbulent period. Bibliophiles can explore authors and their works on ``Book TV'' all weekend long. Anglophiles can revel in British politics with ``Prime Minister's Questions'' when Parliaments is sitting, and enjoy the pomp of the state opening each November.

C-SPAN has even covered the Canadian and Australian parliaments which, like this Congress, derive their traditions from the ``mother of Parliaments'' in London.

I'm so proud that C-SPAN's commitment to educating Americans about their government has inspired individuals in my home State of Connecticut. The same historic leap of faith that was taken 25 years ago by C-SPAN, was also taken by State policy-makers and broadcast experts alike in 1999. That year marked the launch of CT-N, also known as the Connecticut Network.

From the beginning, the mission of CT-N has been to connect citizens to State government and public affairs programming. Connecticut Network provides unfiltered television and Web-cast coverage of all three branches of State government. CT-N viewers can watch the legislative sessions of the State Senate and House of Representatives, as well as committee meetings and public hearings, executive branch agency and commission meetings, and selected oral arguments before Connecticut's Supreme Court. The network is

managed and operated by the Connecticut Public Affairs Network, a not- for-profit company founded to educate citizens about State government.

Having served as Senate President Pro Tempore during the years prior to the launch of CT-N, I recall those early discussions about how we could provide television coverage of State Capitol proceedings. It was a daunting task, since at that time only a handful of State legislatures were airing government activities. Yet, no one doubted that such programming would one day exist in Connecticut. CT-N is now available in more than one million households in the State.

What a thrill it is for me to now see CT-N's camera persons walking the halls of the State Capitol when I'm back in the district. They are now part of the Capitol press corps, ready to cover breaking news at a moment's notice.

Why does CT-N's viewership continue to grow every year? It's because CT-N President and CEO Paul Giguere is constantly looking for new opportunities for government programming, and creating unique educational resources. For example, ``Joining the Debate: A Guide to Testifying at Public Hearings'' is a video produced by CT-N; ``CT-N State Civics Toolbox'' is a free teacher resource combining research, discussion, and mock legislature classroom activities with video of actual legislative debates from the Connecticut General Assembly; ``Capitol News Briefings'' are programming segments that follow the story from hearing rooms to assembly chambers; and ``State Agency Close-Ups'' are CT-N video segments that describe each executive branch agency in detail.

Americans are certainly more educated about national public policy issues that affect them thanks to C-SPAN. In Connecticut, CT-N gives citizens the tools and education needed to understand these same issues closer to home.

Madam Speaker, Senator Claude Pepper of Florida introduced legislation providing for broadcasting both houses of Congress in 1944. More than three decades later, in 1977, the House passed legislation to broadcast its proceedings, thus making C-SPAN possible.

The vote on the necessary resolution, sponsored by Trent Lott, now a Senator from Mississippi, was 342 to 44, an overwhelming expression of hope that broadcasting would benefit both the American people and the House.

I was not here then, but I bet the results of the last 25 years have exceeded the House's expectations many times over. On behalf of my constituents in Connecticut, and the House, I am proud to offer my congratulations to Brian Lamb and the entire staff of C-SPAN on its 25th anniversary of House broadcast coverage. Thanks to C-SPAN, our democracy is stronger, making America a better place for us all. I have no doubt that, 25 years hence, C-SPAN will have made even greater strides than it has in its first quarter-century. I urge everyone to tune in and watch C-SPAN prove me right.

Thomas P. ``Tip'' O'Neill

On many a pleasant Thursday night, his former aides say,

House Speaker Thomas P. ``Tip'' O'Neill would slip away to

his beloved Cape Code for a weekend of golf. After all, even

if the Congress were holding a Friday session, the speaker

could tune in to C-SPAN to keep an eye on the floor, and he

could phone instructions to his staff on Capitol Hill if he

saw something he didn't like.

Years later, former House Speaker Tip O'Neill would call

televising the House of Representatives ``one of the best

decisions I ever made.'' In 1977, his first year as speaker,

the Massachusetts Democrat agreed to put House television on

his agenda; by March 1979, the first live, gavel-to-gavel

telecast of the House went our by satellite to 3.5 million

cable homes. ``Thanks to television, the House of

Representatives is now recognized as the dominant branch of

Congress,'' wrote Speaker O'Neill in his 1987 autobiography,

Man of the House.

However, wary of its impact on the legislative process, Tip

O'Neill had not always supported House television. ``We were

disgusted with how the major networks covered the Republican

and Democratic conventions,'' he wrote. ``If a delegate was

picking his nose, that's what you'd see. . . . No wonder so

many of us were skittish.''

But after six years of debate on the issue, the new speaker

saw it was time to move ahead. So, with the help of

Democratic Party leaders, a proposal was crafted that gave

the office of the speaker control of the television cameras.

``That,'' he says, ``struck me as a reasonable compromise.''

On October 22, 1977, the House passed a measure permitting

full coverage of its sessions--on its own terms and with

tight controls--by a vote of 342-44.

After the measure passed, a telecommunications task force

headed by Rep. Charlie Rose (D-North Carolina) helped Speaker

O'Neill lay down the rules for the telecasts. A $1.6 million

system was installed. Cameras would be trained on the

speakers at the podium, and would not be allowed to pan the

chamber. During 15-minute votes, an electronic vote tally

would cover the screen. Proceedings of the legislative body

would be covered live, uninterrupted, and ``gavel-to-gavel''

and would be offered to all accredited news organizations.

Only C-SPAN, however, committed itself to telecasting the

House of Representatives whenever it was in session.

The speaker recalls that some members of the House

continued to grumble about the television measure after it

passed. ``Many of the members, of course, were skeptical. . .

. Today, of course, it's hard to imagine Congress without it,

and the results of our broadcasting experience have exceeded

my wildest hopes,'' he says.

It may have taken a few years, but House TV gained a loyal

following among those members who saw the potential of the

unblinking television eye. ``I see a young fellow come on the

floor with a blue suit and a red necktie, hair groomed back,

and an envelope under his arm,'' the speaker explained, ``and

I know that he's going to make a speech and that speech is

for home consumption. His office has already notified the

local media that he's going to be on and he's going to give a

talk.''

The audience for congressional telecasts grew as well. Just

five years into its run, the speaker was calling the audience

for Congress ``unbelievable.'' One avid viewer was the

speaker himself, who said, ``I really enjoy when I come in at

night and put it on and see a committee hearing.''

During his eight years of congressional TV coverage, the

speaker became a familiar figure to many Americans.

People began to recognize the speaker when they saw him in

airports or on the street. Appearing in a televised

interview with C-SPAN to mark House TV's fifth anniversary

in early 1984, Speaker O'Neill said, ``Television is here

to stay now. . . . Everywhere I go, people say, `Well, I

saw so-and-so on the show,' or `I listened to this bill,'

or `What are your views on that? '' He said he believed

that coverage of the House had ``whetted the curiosity of

America as far as the running of the government is

concerned,'' call it ``very informative for the American

people.''

Within months, though, a controversy would follow the

speaker's rosy assessment. In May 1984, Speaker O'Neill

asserted his control over the House cameras, provoking cries

of protest from House Republicans and leading to a disruption

on the House floor. In the process, the way that television

covers the House underwent permanent change.

On May 10, 1984, the speaker ordered House cameras to break

with precedent and provide a full view of the empty House

chamber during Special Orders speeches. With Rep. Robert

Walker (R-Pennsylvania) on the floor, the camera for the

first time showed a representative gesturing and talking to a

chamber of empty seats.

Minority whip Trent Lott (R-Mississippi), watching in his

office, dropped what he was doing and raced to the floor to

denounce the surprise camera angle as ``an underhanded,

sneaky, politically motivated change.'' The press picked up

on the story immediately and gave it the name of ``Camscam'';

Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales called it a ``knockabout

slugfest'' and wrote that ``the brouhaha over control of the

cameras has ignited the House and in the process served to

dramatize again the huge presence television has in the

political process.''

``Camscam'' came to a head on May 15, when harsh words flew

on the House floor between Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Georgia) and

Speaker O'Neill. Mr. O'Neill called a Gingrich speech `'the

lowest thing I have ever seen in my 32 years in Congress''--a

remark that the House parliamentarian ruled out of order. The

speaker's words were taken down and the phrase was struck

from the official congressional record, the first such rebuke

to a House speaker in this century.

In time, ``Camscam'' died down, but today the cameras

continue to show the whole chamber during Special Orders,

giving audiences a fuller view of the post-legislative

business proceedings. Later, in response to an initiative by

the Republican leadership, cameras also started showing

varied shots of the House members during votes. Slowly, the

early restrictions on what the viewing audience could see

through television were easing.

Speaker O'Neill, 75, likes to say that his social policies

brought many poor people into ``the great American tent of

opportunity,'' During his years as speaker, many Americans

were brought into the halls of Congress via television. His

decision to support televised coverage of the House of

Representatives ushered in a new era of government

accessibility. House TV went through its growing pains, but

its success eventually influenced the Senate to follow suite,

voting to let itself be televised in 1986. When future

generations remember Tip O'Neill--the man who served the

longest consecutive term as speaker--they may well remember

him as the man who let Americans see their government at

work.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey), the senior member of that delegation.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I just wanted to thank again the dean of the New England delegation and of Massachusetts for his thoughtful comments about the beloved Tip O'Neill and again associate myself with the remarks of the esteemed chairman from Ohio. Indeed, this is a very important event and certainly one where both Mr. Lamb and Mr. O'Neill deserve justified recognition.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much for yielding me this time.

I rise to commemorate this great anniversary. I was elected to Congress in 1976 just as the great Tip O'Neill was

rising to become the Speaker of this great House. And there was a debate that raged in Congress over whether or not television should be allowed into this Chamber, and it was a debate that went on and on behind closed doors catalyzed by Brian Lamb, who had this idea that he could bring the United States House of Representatives to the American people. And of course the younger Members felt that that was a great idea because we had all grown up watching television. But the older Members, they were not quite so sure that that was a great idea, that the cameras would roam around and look for a Member who is nodding off, look for a Member reading a newspaper on the floor. And so this debate continued until a compromise was reached that the cameras would just focus upon the locations where the Members were speaking. And it was an incredible discussion.

But going back that 25 years, it is now clear that C-SPAN has long served the American people by opening the House of Representatives, the Senate, and thousands of congressional hearings and public safety discussions around the U.S. and the globe for the American public to see and to hear. And it is all because of this decision made by Tip O'Neill, Massachusetts' great man of the House, that all of this was made possible.

As we honor Brian Lamb and C-SPAN for 25 years of televised coverage of the House floor proceedings, we must also honor the memory of Tip O'Neill, whose singular decision it was to begin televising House proceedings, bringing the House of Representatives into the television age. Tip took an enormous risk in opening the House floor to the cameras. Television coverage had been debated for years; and many of, as I said, the more senior Members of the House were vehemently against it. The discussions raged in the well of the House for months on end over whether or not it was a good decision. There were those who preferred the status quo and resisted opening the House floor proceedings to television. But one of Tip's first decisions after he assumed the House Chair was to turn on the cameras. Tip intuitively knew it was an idea whose time had come. And when Brian Lamb went to Tip with his idea to take the television feed and send it across the Nation, gavel to gavel, and Tip agreed, neither of them quite knew what they had wrought.

Jack Farrell and his great biography, ``Tip O'Neill and the Democratic Century,'' has Brian Lamb tell his story of his visit with the Speaker: ``I was a nervous wreck. I was shaking.'' He said, ``I don't think to this day that'' Tip ``understood what was going to happen, and I'll never understand why he did what he did. He had nothing to win in the process except a little openness.''

I would say that Tip achieved a world of openness and brought great credit to this institution by allowing the American public to see for the first time what had previously been restricted to those who travel to Washington and come to visit us in the visitors' gallery. Tip let the people all across our country get a chance to see the people's House at work. Why did he do it? I would say it was his instinct kicking in about what was the right thing to do. And we could always trust Tip's instinct. He was right to let C-SPAN in 25 years ago, and today we join in expressing our appreciation for Tip's decision and our appreciation to Brian Lamb and C-SPAN for asking Tip to create this huge revelation which has brought democracy into the homes of every single American as well as people around the world. And I think that much of the revolution that has happened over the last 25 years in the world relates to their ability to see how we create our laws and our country. And Tip O'Neill and Brian Lamb deserve the credit.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 551) thanking C-SPAN for its service to the House of Representatives on the 25th anniversary of its first coverage of the proceedings of the House.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise here today in support of House Resolution 551, a bill honoring Brian Lamb and C-SPAN's Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network for 25 years of service to the United States House of Representatives. Obviously, we all know today, Madam

Speaker, about the importance of technology and the media in order to get the message out to millions of Americans, and frankly millions of people around the world, of what is occurring here on the floor of the people's House. It is, I think, an important endeavor to be able to use technology, in fact, to bring the people's message into living rooms, again, not only in the United States but around the world. We have watched technology be a great tool of progress, in fact, for this Chamber and for the people, from the electronic voting board that was created under Chairman Wayne Hayes, the late Wayne L. Hayes, who was my Congressman from Belmont County, Ohio, when they automated the electronic voting board to save time in voting. And then we look into the late 1970s; and on March 19, 1979, with a staff of just four employees, C-SPAN first began broadcasting gavel-to-gavel coverage of the proceedings of the House of Representatives to millions of American households. So once again the Chamber was coming into the modern era with the use of technology.

Over the next quarter century, C-SPAN expanded its programming scope to include events and interviews featuring influential politicians, statespeople, scholars, and authors and provides opportunities for viewers to call and express their thoughts on important public policy matters. In addition, C-SPAN2 was created to furnish coverage of the U.S. Senate.

C-SPAN has become an essential tool in our country for fostering civic education and governmental accountability. It is now our turn today, Madam Speaker, and I am happy to be here with the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson), our distinguished ranking member, who cares deeply about the institution of the House and also about technology and the openness of the House to make itself available to the American people and to the world. So it is a pleasure to join our ranking member, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson), in honoring C- SPAN's founder, Brian Lamb, for his vision and public spiritedness.

Also, I would be remiss if I did not point out that downstairs is a House recording studio; and at that recording studio, there are employees of the U.S. House who, in fact, operate the cameras and provide the great service that then allows C-SPAN to take the feed from these cameras and to broadcast. So I want to thank our staff of the U.S. House.

But, again, it is a pleasure and an honor to be here today with the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson) and my other colleagues who cosponsored this legislation. Such interest in this legislation proves the extent to which C-SPAN has truly become the indispensable institution in our country.

Madam Speaker, I urge full support of House Resolution 551.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Let me say in closing, again, I think this is a great day, and considering the holiday, and, in fact, my relatives came here under the name O'Ney, I would like to thank also the late Speaker, Tip O'Neill, our current Speaker O'Hastert and Congressman O'Larson for joining us today in honoring C-SPAN.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the resolution honoring the service of C-SPAN for the past 25 years.

Since first broadcasting daily floor proceedings of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1979, C-SPAN has fulfilled a great service for the American people. C-SPAN did the extraordinary and unthinkable--it brought the Federal Government into the homes of millions across the country. No longer were the proceedings of the House a mystery--the veil was finally lifted and Americans could now see their Government in action.

C-SPAN has continued to grow with the changing face of technology. In 1986, service was expanded to cover the Senate and beginning in 1997, C-SPAN launched live web coverage of the House and Senate proceedings.

In particular, I would like to salute the creative work of Brian Lamb, founder and CEO, for bringing C-SPAN to life. He is a native Hoosier and hails from Indiana's Fourth Congressional District. Brian still speaks of the small town values he learned while growing up in Indiana and talks of the encouragement he received from family and teachers for having a tremendous impact on his life. He has not forgotten his roots and I thank him for his service to this country and to the Congress.

The vision of C-SPAN was for it to educate the country about the Federal Government and how it works on behalf of all of us. And for a quarter of a century, C-SPAN has connected people and government in a manner that puts the politics aside and focuses on the substantive issues. C-SPAN lives by the maxim that the better informed, the better we are as a society.

I am pleased to support this resolution commending Brian, C-SPAN, and its staff of 275 employees for 25 years of service and education to the American people.

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, March 16, 2004, I was unable to cast my floor vote on rollcall numbers 58, 59, and 60. The votes I missed include rollcall vote 58 on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. 551, Thanking C-SPAN for its service to the House of Representatives; rollcall vote 59 on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3733, the Myron V. George Post Office Designation; and rollcall vote 60 on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. 433, Honoring the life and legacy of Luis A. Ferre.

Had I been present for the votes, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall votes 58, 59, and 60.