National Governors Association
National Conference of State Legislatures
The Council of State Governments
National Association of Counties
The U.S. Conference of Mayors
National League of Cities
International City/County Management Association

July 20, 2006

The Honorable Bill Frist
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Harry Reid
Minority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator Frist and Senator Reid:

We urge you oppose the Advanced Telecommunications and Opportunity Reform - Consumers' Choice and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006 (H.R. 5252). The cumulative impact of the measure's preemptions on state and local government runs counter to our federal system and applies a federally-mandated command-control model approach to traditionally state and local issues.

The measure's sweeping preemptions eviscerate the long-standing partnership between federal, state and local governments in shaping the nation's communications policies. For example, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee mark would unilaterally preempt carefully crafted state and local laws to encourage competition and protect the public interest; unnecessarily interfere with state and local revenue systems; and replace robust state consumer protection standards with federal standards established by federal bureaucrats not accountable to state and local communities or consumers.

History has shown states and local governments to be good stewards in the effort to promote competition, deploy broadband access and protect the public interest. Congress should honor its longstanding partnership with state and local governments by opposing legislation that unnecessarily preempts state and local authority.

We urge the Senate to avoid a rush to judgment this year by opposing H.R. 5252.

Sincerely,

Raymond C. Scheppach, Executive Director
National Governors Association

William T. Pound, Executive Director
National Conference of State Legislatures

Daniel M. Sprague, Executive Director
The Council of State Governments

Larry E. Naake, Executive Director
National Association of Counties

J. Thomas Cochran, Executive Director
The U.S. Conference of Mayors

Donald J. Borut, Executive Director
National League of Cities

Robert J. O'Neill, Executive Director
International City/County Management Association

Communications, Technology, and Interstate Commerce Committee