The fear is that if Dole and Gingrich make major changes to the draft at this point, it could jeopardize the whole bill. Of course, that's IF Dole and Gingrich ever get the chance to meet about the bill. Conference draft adopts House language requiring RBOC to face facilities-based competitor as req. Rural public health institutions can get rates comparable to those in urban areas. Some of their recommendations resulted in one or two word changes, but changed substantially the meaning of the language.
Conservative forces seem fairly content with what they've achieved.
Few members of Congress have expressed any real opposition to the provision. The Clinton administration also has indicated that they won't oppose the bill with such a provision. While opposition efforts are still ongoing in Washington, clearly the conservative groups have won this battle. If and when the bill passes, the fous will then shift to the courts, where civil liberties groups have vowed to continue fighting the provision.