. >> host: well, joining our conversation is brendan sasso, technology correspondent for national journal. >> thanks, peter. congressman, you were mentioning how the fcc's rules are based on section 706 of the telecommunications act, and that says the agency has the power to promote broadband. the law was passed in 1996 when you were in congress -- >> guest: subcommittee and full committee and on the conference committee. >> when congress wrote that provision, do did you see it as empowering the fcc to adopt internet regulations? [laughter] >> guest: there really wasn't an internet as we know it today when we passed the telco act in 1996. the big fight was between legacy telephone service and what we now call the wireless market. and we fought over that, and there was, there were fights in between the broadcasters and the cable companies and, but there wasn't any fight over internet because in spite of what vice president gore has said, there was not an internet as we know it today. so, no, there was no, there was not even any debate about the concept of net neutrality or any of that, and

. >> joining our conversation is brendan sasso who is a technology correspondent for "national journal." >> thanks. congressman, you're mentioning how the fcc's rules were based on section 706 of the telecommunications act. that says the agency has the power to promote broadband. the law was passed in 1996 when you were in congress. >> on the conference committee. >> when congress wrote the provision, did you see it as empowering fcc to adopt internet regulations? >> there was not an internet as we know it today when we passed the telco act in 1996. the big fight was between legacy phone service and what we call the wireless market. there were fights in between the broadcasters and the cable companies. there was not any fight over the internet because in spite of what vice president gore said there was not an internet as we know it today. there was not any debate about the concept of net neutrality or anything like that. we have an internet that is working today. it has provided probably billions of people access to information around the world. not just here in the united states, but

. >> host: joe barton is chairman emeritus of the energy and commerce committee, brendan sasso is technology corps sont with the national journal, this is the that iters. >> c-span, created by america's cable companies 35 years ago and brought to you today as a public service by your it's provider. .. and the pentagon, plus selected supreme court oral arguments and appearances by the justices. watch live or on your own schedule. federal focus on c-span.org. making it easy to keep tabs on what's happening in congress, the white house and the courts. >> next, discussion assessing u.s.-afghanistan relations. including a bilateral security agreement. speakers included former state and defense department officials and thand a representative withe u.s. agency for international development. the event was hosted by the u.s. institute of peace in washington, d.c. it runs about one hour 10 minutes. >> i would also like to thank all of you for coming. thank your distinguished guests, ambassador dobbins in particular. also our panelists for this first panel which is titled the united states and afghanis