By Ron Thaniel
June 27, 2005

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, Chair of the Transportation and Communications Committee, joined with committee members June 11 to approve resolutions that preserve local governments franchising authority, reaffirm that local governments must retain the unimpeded right to manage their rights'of-way and to receive rent in the form of fair market value for such use, protect the right of cities to offer broadband access to their citizens, declare strong support for Amtrak's national system, strengthen transportation security and urge Congress to approve a metropolitan-focused transportation law.

Under the leadership of Conference of Mayors Vice President and Vice Chair of the Transportation and Communications Committee for Telecommunications Policy, Dearborn Mayor Michael A. Guido detailed a Conference of Mayors campaign to preserve the role and rights of local governments as the legislative debate over modernizing the nation's telecommunications laws ratchets up in Washington.

Central to the campaign is the preservation of local franchising authority. Phone companies are planning to launch video services and have been lobbying Capitol Hill and state houses around the country for relief from local franchise requirements in favor of a national or statewide process. Highlighting the franchising resolution he co'sponsored with Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Guido said "local franchising authority include important provisions that protect the community and its residents, including public safety, economic redlining, and transportation movement."

Speaking on the telecommunications industry effort to bar municipal broadband networks, Guido noted the Conference's supports the right of cities to provide broadband access to their citizens and further noted that having this access to broadband is pivotal to eliminating the digital divide.

In closing, Guido noted that the Conference stands ready to engage with Congress as it considers the rewrite of the '96 Act with the goal preserving local government's role to ensure all citizens have timely and affordable access to broadband services.

Responding to congested metropolitan highways, transit demand exceeding resources, structurally deficient or functionally obsolete bridges, tunnels, and Amtrak facing a national shutdown and bankruptcy later this year, the committee was joined by Jonathan Jones, Chief of Staff to Senator Thomas R. Carper (DE) and J.C. Sandberg, Counsel with the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the United States Senate.

Speaking on the growing threat of a national shutdown of Amtrak later this year due to insufficient funding, past Chairman of the Amtrak Mayors Advisory Council and Amtrak Intercity Rail Investment Task Force member North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Henry Hays said, "cities large and small have a direct economic and social interest in not having an interruption of essential intercity rail service this fall due to the zero funding for Amtrak in the Administration's FY06 Budget."

Highlighting the mayors Amtrak Intercity Rail Investment Task Force recommendations for a national intercity rail policy for the 21st century, Mayor Hays said "even a temporary suspension of intercity rail operations would overwhelm our already congested metropolitan areas and economic impact would wreak havoc on our economies."

House appropriators on June 21 approved a FY06 Transportation-Treasury-HUD-Judiciary-DC spending bill after rejecting attempts to boost Amtrak's funding to $1.2 billion.

The bill would give $550 million to Amtrak - $657 million less than what was enacted last year. The bill would not allow any of the $550 million to be spent on routes that require more than a $30-per passenger subsidy. That would affect about 21 routes nationwide, effectively allowing federal money to be spent only on routes in the Northeast and California corridors and some Midwest spurs.

Amtrak's President and CEO David Gunn has said a $550 million appropriations will result in the termination of all intercity passenger rail service, including on the Northeast Corridor and result in significant disruption to Amtrak-provided services that are required for commuter and freight railroads to operate on the Amtrak-owned and operated Northeast Corridor, in Amtrak's Chicago Union Station, and in California and Washington.

The Senate appropriations committee is not expected to get to their transportation bill until after the July 4 recess.

More than 100 mayors signed a letter urging the House and Senate Conference Committee to pass a well-funded, six-year surface transportation bill to build a 21st century transportation system with modern transit, bridges, large scale transportation infrastructure projects, and metro highway systems with new technologies that link major metro areas, cut the time people spend in traffic, create more jobs, and move goods and services more productively.

The Transportation and Communications Committee considered and adopted the following resolutions, which were adopted by the Conference of Mayors' full body. The resolutions included the following:

Resolution #64: Supporting Local Governments Offering Broadband Internet Access Services To Citizens.

Resolution #44: Permanent Fix For The E-Rate And The Universal Service Fund: Exempting It From The Anti-Deficiency Act.

Resolution #65: Preserving the Role And Rights Of Local Governments In A New Telecommunications Age.

Resolution #66: Public Safety Access To 700 MHz Spectrum.

Resolution #67: Supporting Local Franchising Of Cable, Telecommunications Companies.

Resolution #68: Local Government Principles For Communications Policy Modernization: Protecting Local Government Interests.

Resolution #69: Urging Protection Of Local Taxing Authority In The Modernization Of The Nation's Communications Tax Laws.

Resolution #70: A National Intercity Rail Policy For The 21st Century: Recommendations Of The U.S. Conference Of Mayors Amtrak Intercity Rail Investment Task Force.

Resolution #71: Urging The Federal Government To Respond To Increasing Transportation Infrastructure Threats By Supporting A Well-Funded TEA-21 Reauthorization.

Resolution #72: In Support Of Creating A "Project Of National And Regional Significance" Or "Mega-Projects" Category In The Reauthorization Of TEA-21, And Funding It At The Highest Levels Possible.

Resolution #73: Assuring Safe Rail Transport Of Hazardous Materials Through Cities.

Resolution #74: Seaport Security.

Resolution #75: In Opposition To Proposed Cuts To The Airport Improvement Program (AIP).

Resolution #76: Urging Increased Funding For The Transportation Security Administration's Baggage And Cargo Screening Explosive Detection System Program.