Senate Commerce Chairman Collects Telecom Drafts

Ted Stevens, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee told his colleagues to turn in their telecom draft bills before leaving on recess.

"Following the Fourth of July recess we intend to find a day to have a hearing, a substantial hearing," he said Thursday.

Stevens said it would "take quite a long time... to explore some of the issues that we think are really in serious dispute," but that he hoped to have something for the floor by September, if not before the August recess.

"So if you have any suggestions you wish to have considered, I hope that you will give them to the staff so [they] can try to at least get us a side-by-side version of the various views of members... We've had already several portions of the industry itself give us their checklists of various items they wish us to consider."