Congress debates whether the Information Superhighway needs an off-ramp
Top Stories · Tuesday, August 5, 1997
A Senate subcommittee spent most of Monday debating the Rural Modem Access Act of 1997, a bill that would require every county to build at least one "off-ramp" onto the Information Superhighway by the year 2000.
"Folks in my district don't even have an on-ramp yet," said one senator, holding up a 14.4k modem for the cameras. "How are we supposed to build an off-ramp before we've built the on-ramp?"
The bill's sponsors say an off-ramp would let users safely exit a download without losing their place. Critics call it an unfunded mandate. The subcommittee adjourned without a vote, citing a scheduled dial-up window.