Press
Coverage of Our Upcoming Event. Silicon Alley Station and New
Networks Institute presents: Infrastructure Held
Hostage: Fixing New York's DSL
Problems and How You Can Help. DATE: Monday February 5th, 2001
LOCATION:
ADMISSION: FREE, RSVP requested
rsvp@newnetworks.com Have you or has your business been
unfairly harmed in the process of getting DSL? Join us on
Monday, February 5th and become part of the
solution. The anecdotal evidence is overwhelming
- broadband delivery has lagged well behind the tremendous
demand. The Telecom Act was signed on February 8th, 1996 --
yet 5 years later getting a high-speed Internet connection
can still be a painfully slow process. The physical phone
networks have not been sufficiently opened up as mandated by
the '96 Telecom Act, often making DSL installation such a
tortuous process that nearly half of all DSL orders
fail. So, whose infrastructure is it
anyway? There is general agreement that
Verizon/Bell Atlantic, the local phone monopoly that
controls the infrastructure, (one of the original Baby
Bells) has been less than cooperative in providing
competitive DSL providers (Covad, Northpoint, Rhythms and
others) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) timely,
accurate, and complete access to these facilities. Despite
Federal fines and private litigation by DSL providers,
Verizon/Bell Atlantic has frequently missed install
appointments, erroneously disqualified locations and
inadvertently disabled working circuits. The overall competitive environment
for DSL has been severely wounded in the process, and the
choices available to businesses and consumers have
narrowed. This has had a serious negative impact
to New York City's economic growth. From the collective
damage done to those businesses that need broadband Internet
connectivity in order to compete, to the entire health of
Silicon Alley and New York's competitive technological
development, solutions need to be implemented
immediately. The evening's agenda
includes: 2. Discuss the flawed deregulatory
enforcement between the FCC and Public Service
Commission 3. Understand the economic harm of
these problems 4. Present The Broadband Bill of
Rights 5. Propose a complaint resolution
process with appropriate agencies Join consumer advocates, DSL experts,
competitive DSL companies, public officials, and other
concerned DSL customers to create a framework to ensure our
digital future is not delayed, denied or
degraded. A PARTIAL LIST OF SPEAKERS SPONSORS: New Networks Institute, (NNI)
established in 1992, is a research and consulting firm
focused on examining the critical telecom and broadband
issues that impact customers and
competitors.
http://www.newnetworks.com
CONTACT: Joe Plotkin, Bway.net,
212-982-9800 Can't make it but want to be updated?
-- Send e-mail to action@newnetworks.com
TIME: 6:30 - 8:30 PM
The Canadian Consulate
General
1251 Avenue of the Americas,
NYC
Concourse Level (between West 49th
& 50th St)1. Identify the biggest
hurdles in getting DSL
Silicon Alley Station, the
"Voice of Silicon Alley", is an Internet news and
information radio network at http://siliconalley.net
serving the new media and convergent industry
professional.
Bruce Kushnick, New Networks
Institute, 212-777-5418
bruce@newnetworks.com
bwayjoe@bway.net