Deregulation, Deregulation, Deregulation

Deregulation has not been good for any industry - look at banking and the airlines. Look at California energy. Deregulation is the PC word for "Get out of my industry and take your oversight with you." It's all about money - manipulating the laws, the stock market, the CEO compensation. The RBOCs have really stepped it up lately, passing Deregulation laws in many staes including KY, AL, and TN. As the California PSC expressed, "the Commission simply did not have the resources to devote to a proceeding of this magnitude while at the same time reviewing the SBC/AT&T and Verizon/MCI mergers." The FCC dockets and petitions are out of control - bordering IMHO on abuse of process. In AL, the bill was basically purchased by lobbying dollars by BellSouth. Those politicians should be taken out of office. But it is never going to happen. People don't vote. People don't get involved. Ever the companies that are being stampeded by these laws stand idly by and do nothing. As they watch the telecom industry become re-shaped by 4 companies, many CLECs and ISPs stick their heads in the sand and hope it does not affect their business. HEY! Here's some news: IT WILL!!! And by the time you realize it, it will be too late. You need to get involved. Join an ISP association. Contact politicians. http://capwiz.com/wbia/home/. Contact consumer groups. Write letters to newspapers and magazines. Get your customers involved. FCC Forbearance Docket 04-405 FCC Forbearance Docket 04-440 FCC Forbearance Docket 04-416 Pricing Docket 05-148 SBC - AT&T Merger Verizon - MCI Merger Next FCC Commissioner New Telecom Act Senate Bill S.1147 Federal Anti-Municipal Wi-Fi Bill Although much of it is hinging on the Supreme Court's decision on Brand-X, even if our side wins the Brand-X decision - we don't win anything; we just don't lose anything either. The next 6 months will change everything - the mergers, Brand-X, Forbearance, deregulation, another election. GET INVOLVED NOW! In Tennessee: Under new deregulation legislation (effective 6/1/05), the TRA no longer has jurisdiction to regulate "bundles or combinations of products and services." While deregulation is good for BellSouth and our customers, it does require that we replace the "tariff contract" with a "commercial contract." All Complete Choice customers will be deregulated because they have a bundle or combination of products or services. I think it is this bill: http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/bills/currentga/Amend/SA0322.PDF This is not Deregulation - It is Unregulation. Consumers Beware! Incumbents Again Press Legislatures for Telecom Deregulation Telecom deregulation legislation has emerged in several states as incumbents once more turn to lawmakers for regulatory relief they say will allow them the freedom to respond quickly to competition. There has been recent deregulation activity in Ala., Ind. and Ida. In other action, leading Va. lawmakers are calling for passage of telecom tax reform measures. Communications Daily "Meanwhile, [CLECs] are complaining that the battle is draining resources that should be focused on providing better, cheaper, more innovative service to consumers. " "There's nothing in any state commission rules that prohibits the RBOCs from reducing prices," she said. "They could provide better pricing, more innovative products and services. ... There's nothing that stops them from doing any of those things. "Instead of all of us investing money in better networks and better services, we spend our money on lawyers," Wanda Montano, vice president of regulatory and industry affairs for U.S. LEC said. "We think deregulation is the ultimate endgame." Even Bob Metcalfe, founder of Ethernet and 3Com, gets it: "I'm not an expert on regulation but I'm pretty sure allowing AT&T to re-form -- allowing all the RBOCs to buy each other and re-form -- is probably a really bad idea. I don't know how we're letting that happen." The best is when the Bells talk about wireless competition - THEY OWN THE WIRELESS COMPANIES (Verizon, Cingular, Sprint/Nextel, Alltel are all owned by ILECs; T-Mobile is owned by Deutche Telecom.) We need to join together and fight back this assault. Today!