Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay special tribute to an outstanding student from Ohio's Fifth Congressional District. I am pleased to announce that Christian Soltis of North Ridgeville, Ohio, has been offered an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Christian's offer of appointment permits him to attend the United States Air Force Academy this fall with the incoming Class of 2029. Attending one of our Nation's military academies not only offers the opportunity to serve our country but also guarantees a world-class education while undertaking one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of their lives.

Christian brings a tremendous amount of leadership, service, and dedication to the incoming Class of 2029. While attending Elyria Catholic High School, he participated in National Honor Society, National Society of High School Scholars, Buckeye Boys State, and was on the honor roll. Throughout high school, Christian was involved in football, wrestling, and track and field, earning his varsity letter in all three. I am confident that he will carry the lessons of his student and athletic leadership to the Air Force Academy.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Christian Soltis on his offer of appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. Our service academies offer the finest military training and education available, and I am positive that Christian will excel during his career at the Air Force Academy. I ask my colleagues to join me in extending their best wishes to him as he begins her service to our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay special tribute to an outstanding student from Ohio's Fifth Congressional District. I am pleased to announce that

John Paul Gray of Findlay, Ohio, has been offered an appointment to the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.

John Paul's offer of appointment permits him to attend the United States Military Academy this fall with the incoming Class of 2029. Attending one of our Nation's military academies not only offers the opportunity to serve our country but also guarantees a world-class education while undertaking one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of their lives.

John Paul brings a tremendous amount of leadership, service, and dedication to the incoming Class of 2029. While attending Findlay High School, he participated in Gliding Stars Ice Skating, Buckeye Boys State, High School Business club, and was on the honor role. Throughout high school, John Paul was involved in track and field and cross country, earning his varsity letter in both. I am confident that he will carry the lessons of his student and athletic leadership to the Military Academy.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating John Paul Gray on his offer of appointment to the United States Military Academy. Our service academies offer the finest military training and education available, and I am positive that John Paul will excel during his career at the Military Academy. I ask my colleagues to join me in extending their best wishes to him as he begins his service to our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay special tribute to an outstanding student from Ohio's Fifth Congressional District. I am pleased to announce that Jayden Saxton of Fort Jennings, Ohio, has been offered an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Jayden's offer of appointment permits him to attend the United States Naval Academy this fall with the incoming Class of 2029. Attending one of our Nation's military academies not only offers the opportunity to serve our country but also guarantees a world-class education while undertaking one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of their lives.

Jayden brings a tremendous amount of leadership, service, and dedication to the incoming Class of 2029. While attending Ottoville High School, he participated in student government, FCCLA, National Honor Society, and was on the honor role. Throughout high school, Jayden was involved in soccer, earning his varsity letter and becoming team captain. I am confident that he will carry the lessons of his student and athletic leadership to the Naval Academy.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Jayden Saxton on his offer of appointment to the United States Naval Academy. Our service academies offer the finest military training and education available, and I am positive that Jayden will excel during his career at the Naval Academy. I ask my colleagues to join me in extending their best wishes to him as he begins his service to our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), for yielding. I really support and thank the gentleman for the work that he has done on this legislation to get it to where we are today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2482, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Reauthorization Act of 2025, which I am pleased to lead with the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, my good friend, the gentlewoman from the Seventh District of California (Ms. Matsui).

The NTIA is an agency within the Department of Commerce tasked with advising the President on matters related to telecommunications policy. It is responsible for a variety of activities, which include Federal spectrum management, administration of broadband grants, internet governance, representing the United States in international telecommunication forums, and developing cybersecurity policy.

As the chairman has mentioned, Congress has not reauthorized NTIA since 1992, before many of these responsibilities existed or were relevant. This legislation ensures that NTIA has the right structure and resources to fulfill its 21st century mission as directed by Congress.

Today's NTIA plays a key role in our effort to maintain global leadership in wireless communications. NTIA has important statutory obligations to manage Federal spectrum, which is especially important as Federal and non-Federal use of spectrum has intensified with the explosion of mobile phones and new connected technologies.

We must make sure NTIA's leadership reflects the important role it plays today, both domestically and internationally.

This legislation elevates the NTIA Administrator from an Assistant Secretary of Commerce to an Under Secretary of Commerce. This elevation will help NTIA best represent the United States as it coordinates with other agencies and works with other countries.

Finally, this legislation will codify two key offices within the NTIA, the Office of Spectrum Management and the Office of International Affairs.

NTIA's role has drastically changed since it was last reauthorized, and I appreciate the work from the agency and my colleagues to update its authorizing statute.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2482, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, the chair of the subcommittee, for yielding.

I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 866, the ROUTERS Act.

Routers and modems play a key role in communications networks. They are the entry point through which the public accesses the internet. Thus, we make sure that they are secure.

Bad actors can exploit vulnerabilities in routers to infect users' computers, access their information, or disrupt their network.

National security agencies, including the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security, have reported on the threat posed by vulnerabilities in routers and how some Chinese Communist Party-sponsored hackers have used these vulnerabilities to launch attacks. We should take these reports seriously.

Further, we know that companies with ties to the CCP could be forced to support Chinese intelligence activities. We can imagine how they could use vulnerabilities in their equipment to aid these efforts.

That is why I am pleased to sponsor the ROUTERS Act, which would direct the Secretary of Commerce through the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information to study the national security risk posed by routers and modems produced by companies with ties to foreign adversaries. This study will help Congress understand the scope and risk of this threat and will inform whether we need to remove this equipment from our networks.

The legislation builds on our bipartisan efforts to remove untrusted equipment from our communications ecosystem. In the past 5 years, we passed the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act to remove Huawei and ZTE equipment from our networks and the Secure Equipment Act, which prohibits the Federal Communications Commission from authorizing equipment from untrusted vendors.

It is imperative we move forward with these efforts to mitigate the widespread availability of this equipment.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 866, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is with a great deal of pride that I rise to pay a very special tribute to an outstanding high school basketball team in Ohio's Fifth Congressional District. The young women of the Columbus Grove High School girls' basketball team have represented their school ably on their way to achieving the Division VI State Girls Basketball Title. In their effort to surpass all other teams in the Division VI State Basketball Playoffs, the Columbus Grove Bulldogs overcame the challenges posed by intense competition.

In pursuing the State Championship, the Columbus Grove Lady Bulldogs defeated the Rootstown Rovers to win their first state basketball championship. The members of this very special team have shown that their sport requires an individual effort for a team result. Their hard work and dedication, both on and off the court, in achieving this accomplishment, is truly outstanding.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying special tribute to the Columbus Grove High School girls' basketball team. On behalf of the people of the Fifth District of Ohio, I am proud to recognize this great achievement. Congratulations and go Bulldogs.

Mr. Speaker, it is with a great deal of pride that I rise to pay a very special tribute to an outstanding high school basketball team in Ohio's Fifth Congressional District. The young women of the Bellevue High School girls' basketball team have represented their school ably on their way to achieving the Division IV State Girls Basketball Title. In their effort to surpass all other teams in the Division IV State Basketball Playoffs, the Bellevue Redmen overcame the challenges posed by intense competition.

In pursuing the State Championship, the Bellevue Lady Redmen defeated the Kettering Archbishop Alter Knights to win their first state basketball championship. The members of this very special team have shown that their sport requires an individual effort for a team result. Their hard work and dedication, both on and

off the court, in achieving this accomplishment, is truly outstanding.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying special tribute to the Bellevue High School girls' basketball team. On behalf of the people of the Fifth District of Ohio, I am proud to recognize this great achievement.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 161, I call up the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 20) providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Energy relating to ``Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Gas-fired Instantaneous Water Heaters'', and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation and to insert extraneous material on H.J. Res. 20.

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

Mr. Speaker, on December 26, while American families were enjoying the holidays, the Biden administration's Department of Energy issued a final rule once again, setting cost prohibitive energy conservation standards for gas-fired instantaneous water heaters.

Today, the House will consider the gentleman from Alabama's Sixth District's legislation, H.J. Res. 20, to overturn this egregious standard.

Under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, EPCA, in order to promulgate new or amended energy efficiency standards, the DOE must find that the standard be cost-effective, technologically feasible, and result in a significant conservation of energy. This amended standard does not meet those criteria and should be repealed.

In this final rule, the DOE fails to adequately estimate the cost difference between condensing and noncondensing water heaters. This difference will result in a significant cost increase for consumers, especially low-income households and seniors, by removing more affordable options from the market.

In fact, the DOE itself estimated that the amended standard would increase the cost of new water heater models by $231. However, the DOE failed to adequately estimate the cost difference between condensing and noncondensing models in this assessment.

On top of expensive installation costs, industry stakeholders estimate the actual cost increase for American consumers will range between $450 to $665 per unit. This staggering increase is not cost- effective, as stipulated by EPCA, and is unattainable for many families.

The Biden-Harris administration consistently ignored this stipulation in a number of rulemakings, and the gas heater rule is no different.

This amended standard will ban approximately 40 percent of the tankless gas water heaters currently available, forcing consumers to purchase significantly more expensive or less efficient models.

Not only do bans on gas appliances infringe on consumer choice, but it also increases strains on our Nation's grid, which cannot sustain such massive and rapid amounts of forced electrification without new, baseload generation coming online.

President Trump, understanding the serious concerns unjustified energy efficiency standards pose for consumers, issued an executive order on day one to unleash American energy. This EO stated that it is the policy of the United States to safeguard the American people's freedom to choose from a variety of goods and appliances.

Additionally, this administration has paused implementation of this final rule and issued a Statement of Administration Policy supporting H.J. Res. 20. Congress should pass H.J. Res. 20 to right the wrongs of the previous administration, execute President Trump's agenda, and protect our consumers.

I thank the gentleman from Alabama's Sixth District for his leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber), who is the vice-chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce's Energy Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from the Sixth District of Alabama (Mr. Palmer), the sponsor of the resolution.

Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from the Third District of Georgia (Mr. Jack).

Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, we have heard from various speakers today, but I think it is really important to point out that, once again, because of the Biden-Harris administration's gas heater rule, we are going to ban approximately 40 percent of the tankless gas water heaters currently available, forcing consumers to have to pay more and get less efficient models.

This doesn't make sense. Not only does this rule go on to ban these gas appliances and infringe on consumer choice, but it also increases strains on the Nation's grid, which cannot sustain

such massive and rapid amounts of forced electrification without new baseload generation coming online.

When we talk about this loss of consumer choice, the DOE underestimated the cost by $231 because when you look at the actual costs out there, industry stakeholders are estimating it is going to bring the cost up between $450 to $665 per unit.

I think it is also important to note that, in the last Congress, in the Energy and Commerce Committee's Energy Subcommittee, I asked everybody who came before us the same question when we had these testimonies: Do we have to have more energy in this country or less? Everybody said the exact same thing. We have to produce more energy in this country, but we also have to make sure we are producing the energy to make that energy in this country.

Republicans have led that way starting back in 2008 with our all-of- the-above energy policy, which said we weren't going to pick winners and losers. We were going to let the consumer decide and let the market decide, and that is important.

If we are going to make sure we become energy independent in this country, we have to start thinking about those things. It is important.

Madam Speaker, I urge the passage of H.J. Res. 20, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate a constituent of mine, Charles F. Konecny, on his 93rd birthday. Charles Konecny is a proud husband, father, grandfather, and Korean War Veteran. Konecny is a resident of Bowling Green, Ohio and has been a member of St. Aloysius Catholic Church for more than six decades.

Charles was born on February 13, 1932. He began his service to our country in the U.S. Army when he was drafted in September of 1952 during the Korean War. Serving as a Corporal and doppler transmitter operator in the U.S. Army, Charles was first sent to Fort Meade in Maryland and then headed to the U.S. Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County, Maryland. In October of 1952, Charles was transferred to Redstone Arsenal located in Huntsville, Alabama, where he studied missile maintenance. Then, in March of 1953, Charles was transferred to White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico and continued his service as a doppler transmitter operator. In July of 1954, Charles was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army.

Mr. Speaker, we are grateful to men like Charles who honorably served his Nation and fellow countrymen. Today, on Charles' 93rd birthday, we recognize his unwavering service to our country and thank him for his service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my Chief of Staff, Rebecca Card Angelson, who will leave my office at the end of this week.

Becky, as many know her by, has been a member of my team since 2019. Becky got her start on Capitol Hill over a decade ago when she interned for fellow Ohioan, Speaker John Boehner. Becky quickly rose through the ranks by working on the best committee in Congress, the Energy and Commerce Committee, and then with Congresswoman Susan Brooks of Indiana.

Since joining my office, Becky has committed countless--and often thankless--hours dutifully serving the people of Ohio's Fifth Congressional District. The hard work Becky has put in over the years has made an immeasurable difference in my life and the lives of my staff.

I'd be remiss without mentioning that during Becky's time in my office, she, and her husband Alex, welcomed two beautiful girls--Amelia and Daphne--into the world. In my view, they're members of Team Latta, too.

My office will not be the same without Becky helping to man the ship, but I can say with the utmost certainty that we are all better for knowing and working alongside her.

I am extremely grateful to Becky for her hard work, and I am sad to see her go, but I am excited to see what she will accomplish in the next chapter of her career.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 26, the Protecting American Energy Production Act, to prevent a ban on the use of hydraulic fracturing.

The shale revolution has unleashed American innovation, specifically hydraulic fracturing, and has led to the U.S. becoming an energy superpower, stabilizing global markets and lowering prices for consumers, farmers, and manufacturers.

In 2019, economists estimated this productivity reduced the domestic price of natural gas by 63 percent and led to a 45 percent decrease in the wholesale price of electricity. This resulted in an estimated savings of $203 billion annually for American consumers.

Unfortunately, some States have implemented misguided policies to ban or limit the use of fracking. It is imperative we protect this technology from weaponization, especially as global energy demand is projected to skyrocket.

Additionally, natural gas will be essential to ensuring our ability to meet the massive energy demand from the data centers coming online and lead the world in artificial intelligence development. More American energy means a safer, cleaner, and more advanced world.

In the last Congress, I asked every witness who came before us in the Committee on Energy and Commerce's Energy Subcommittee if we needed more energy or less, and every one of them said that we have to have more energy.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas' 11th District for his leadership. I ask my colleagues to support this legislation. I thank my friend, the chairman, for yielding the time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the full committee for yielding to me.

For 4 years, I have worked tirelessly with my colleague and friend, the gentleman from the Ninth Congressional District of Virginia (Mr. Griffith), to pass the HALT Fentanyl Act to permanently label fentanyl- related substances as a schedule I narcotic.

During this time, we have seen heartbreaking numbers of fentanyl poisonings across our country. There were 73,000 deaths reported in just 1 year alone.

If the current classwide scheduling were to expire, which is a little less than 2 months away, I can assure Members that drug traffickers would push deadlier drugs, and more Americans will die.

I am proud today that this House is finally stopping the temporary delay and permanently scheduling fentanyl-related substances as a schedule I. We owe it to our communities, our constituents, our families, and, most of all, the victims.

Cartels are literally killing Americans for 10 cents a pill. Illicit fentanyl poisoning among teens accounted for an average of 22 deaths each week in 2022 from drug poisoning, raising the death rate for teens to 5.2 deaths per 100,000, driven by fentanyl in counterfeit pills, thus making fentanyl the number one cause of death among adults aged 18 to 49. That is more than cancer, more than heart disease, and more than car accidents.

This isn't about criminal justice reform. This is about victims getting justice.

Mr. Speaker, currently, to trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum, an offense must involve 100 or more grams of a mixture containing a fentanyl analogue. Since the average lethal dose of fentanyl or a fentanyl analogue can be as small as 2 milligrams, the offense would need to contain roughly 50,000 lethal doses in order to trigger the 10-year mandatory minimum.

Mr. Speaker, I ask this House to approve this legislation, and let's start saving lives here in the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3343) to require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to submit to Congress a plan for the Assistant Secretary to track the acceptance, processing, and disposal of certain Form 299s, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3343, the Federal Broadband Deployment Tracking Act. This bill requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to develop a plan for tracking the broadband permitting applications on Federal lands.

Broadband is essential to participate in everyday activities. Americans rely on their internet for their work, healthcare, education, and more. Congress has provided billions of dollars to close the digital divide. The NTIA is in the process of administering the $42.45 billion BEAD program and must ensure that these dollars are spent wisely.

Too often, broadband deployment is delayed or prevented due to unnecessary red tape in the form of burdensome permitting requirements. Federal agencies are some of the biggest culprits behind the red tape, delaying the deployment of broadband to the communities that are in need.

The process of application approval for some of these permits has unfortunately become duplicative, ineffective, and time consuming. Worse, there is no transparency in the process.

Opaque Federal permitting review processes leave applicants in the dark on whether their application is complete, where it is in the review process, and when they can finally expect a decision.

The Federal Broadband Deployment Tracking Act addresses these concerns by providing clarity into the Federal permitting process, giving applicants transparency into the status of their reviews and improving the processing speed and disposition of applications.

Mr. Speaker, this is an important moment in time, and we must do all we can to ensure that every American can access reliable broadband.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger), the bill's sponsor.

Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers, if the gentleman is ready to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is very essential because, again, as we have seen, broadband is absolutely essential for everyday Americans.

As we think about what happened during COVID, Americans were shut in, and they relied on broadband for everything from education to telehealth to business. It went across the board.

It is absolutely essential we get this bill passed today, and I urge passage of this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1377) to direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to take certain actions to enhance the representation of the United States and promote United States leadership in communications standards-setting bodies, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1377, the Promoting United States Wireless Leadership Act.

For decades, the United States has led the development of next- generation wireless technology. To maintain leadership and defend against our foreign adversaries, we must continue to focus on bolstering the foundational elements, like standards development, to make sure the United States continues to lead on future technological advancements.

As these standards are set in global, industry-led standards bodies, we must enhance participation by U.S. companies and remain vigilant so that bad actors don't game the system for their own economic and national security interests. To keep accountability and ensure proper transparency, we must encourage participation by trusted, like-minded partners.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration plays a central role in these efforts as the executive branch agency with technical expertise on wireless innovation. They have decades of experience working with the industry and other stakeholders to develop these technical standards globally.

I thank the dedicated career staff who worked tirelessly to advance U.S. global wireless leadership. As we move into the next decade, it is critical that we continue to enhance participation in critical standards-setting bodies and preserve U.S. wireless leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg), the bill's sponsor.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, the Communications and Technology Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee has been very busy this past Congress making sure that we get broadband deployed across this country. This piece of legislation will help make sure that that happens.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3293) to require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to establish an interagency strike force to ensure that certain Federal land management agencies, including the organizational units of such agencies, prioritize the review of requests for communications use authorizations, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3293, Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act. This legislation establishes an interagency strike force to help prioritize permitting reviews for deploying broadband on Federal lands.

Broadband has become an essential part of everyday life. As we have seen, we need broadband for work, to stay connected with loved ones, and even for healthcare and education. Too many Americans still lack access to broadband. Thus, Congress has provided billions of dollars to ensure that every American gets connected.

Deploying on Federal lands is a critical part of closing the digital divide. Many unserved communities are near Federal lands and thus broadband providers must traverse these lands to reach these unserved homes and businesses.

Unfortunately, deploying broadband on Federal lands can be burdensome, particularly when it comes to the permitting process. Providers have testified that this complicated process moves slowly, and they are left in the dark on the status of their applications.

As a result, unserved communities are left without the broadband they need as providers wait for agencies to approve their permits.

We need to reform the broadband permitting process. Not only do we need to streamline how we review permits, we also need to ensure that agencies that manage Federal lands prioritize these reviews. H.R. 3293, the Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act, will help ensure this happens.

H.R. 3293 directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to create an interagency strike force that includes the head of each Federal land management agency to ensure that they are prioritizing the review of broadband permitting applications.

In addition to holding periodic calls, the strike force will establish goals for the review of the requests and monitor and hold each agency accountable for meeting those goals. This strike force is necessary to expedite the permitting process so that every American has access to broadband.

I thank the gentleman from South Carolina's Third District (Mr. Duncan) and the gentlewoman from Minnesota's Second District (Ms. Craig) for their leadership on this important piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina's Third District (Mr. Duncan), the bill's sponsor.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. Speaker, that was my last speaker on the bill. I am prepared to close if my friend, the gentleman from Florida, is.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier on the previous bills, the Communications and Technology Subcommittee of the Committee on Energy and Commerce has been moving legislation to make sure we get broadband deployed across this country. As the speakers have already mentioned, broadband is not something that is a luxury, but it is a necessity.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the legislation today, and I yield back the balance of my time.