Tauzin-Dingell Is Evil Homepage

Tuesday, November 20th, 2001

Bruce Kushnick, 212-777-5418

email: bruce@newnetworks.com

"TAUZIN-DINGELL IS EVIL" FACT SHEETS RELEASED.

TAUZIN-DINGELL, HR1542, ONLINE CLEARINGHOUSE ESTABLISHED

http://newnetworks.com/TauzinDingellisevil.htm

New York City --- New Networks Institute, (NNI) in its continuing role of providing research and analysis in the public interest, has established a clearinghouse for information about HR1542 --- commonly known as "Tauzin-Dingell". The site includes a new series of 10 Fact Sheets titled "Tauzin-Dingell is Evil", as well a copy of HR1542 legislation, a history of Tauzin-Dingell, "8 Reasons Why Tauzin-Dingell is Evil", the campaign- financing and Bell-ties of Rep. Billy Tauzin, articles, reports and criticisms of the bill from hundreds of companies, politicians, and concerned citizens, among other items.

"The 'Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act', HR 1542, presented by Representatives Tauzin and Dingell is an attempt by Bell campaign-financed Congressmen to forget history and give more money to the Bell monopolies, all in the name of Broadband. The Bells already received over $58 billion in added customer phone charges for fiber optic broadband services they never delivered. If this bill goes through, America has been cheated twice" states Bruce Kushnick, Executive Director, NNI.

"The Bells also claim that they are restricted by laws from delivering broadband. The truth is that laws were already "deregulated" in most states. That's how they got the billions of dollars in extra phone charges. Instead of giving the Bells more of America's money, it's time to hold them accountable for their actions and get what America was promised. Do not let history repeat itself" Kushnick states.

"To add insult to injury, a recent Department of Justice (DOJ) report on BellSouth's Georgia and Louisiana phone companies found that the monopoly networks are not fully open to competition. How can we trust Tauzin-Dingell to bring in broadband competition when Rep. Billy Tauzin's own state isn't complying with the law and is currently harming DSL and Broadband competitors -- and thus all customers in those BellSouth states" added Kushnick

(CLICK HERE FOR EACH FACT SHEET OR DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE 10)

FACT SHEETS INCLUDE:

(Note: These Fact Sheets are based on fully documented reports.)

  • Fact Sheet 1: The Bells' Broken Broadband Promises Cost Customers $58 Billion and Their Fiber-Optic Future (USING BELL ANNUAL REPORT INFO) By 2001, over half of America's households, and almost all schools, libraries, and government agencies should have been upgraded to fiber optics. Instead of delivering, the Bells pocketed some $58 billion dollars in extra phone charges, and America today is still using a 100-year-old copper network. Tauzin-Dingell wants to give the Bells even more money.
  • Fact Sheet 2: Broken Broadband Promises of Verizon, (NYNEX, Bell Atlantic, etc.) By 2000, Verizon was supposed to have over 11 million households wired with fiber optics. None exist today.
  • Fact Sheet 3: Bell Monopoly Profits Outrageous: America's Phone Customers Are Being Overcharged By Their Local Bell Companies About $200 Per Household In 2000. Excess Bell profits were garnered through their promises to rewire America. The Bells current profits are 250% above the Business Week 500 and violate every state and federal "fair and reasonable" statute.
  • Fact Sheet 4: Broken Broadband Promises Hurt the Entire Tech Sector. Our Report, "The Fiber-Optic Fiasco and America's Copper Dirt Road" clearly shows that the fiber-optic and Tech companies were harmed by the Bells' failed deployments. It includes a Verizon press release that demonstrates the ties between the Tech Sector crash and the ensuing recession, and the Bell's lies about their plans to replace copper wiring with fiber optics.
  • Fact Sheet 5: Liar, Liar, SBC's Pants on Fire ----Where's the Competition? In order for SBC to merge with Ameritech, SBC stated that it would compete in 50 of America's largest cities. They lied and today they have yet to compete in any significant way in any state. And now Tauzin-Dingell wants to give these companies new incentives based on their word?
  • Fact Sheet 6: The Bell Companies Have Harmed Competition. Local competitors are on life-support and the Bell companies have directly caused much of these problems.
  • Fact Sheet 7: The Bells Impeded Broadband Deployment, not the FCC or the States. Tauzin-Dingell blames the FCC and the states for "impeding" high speed access by imposing regulations. However, in virtually every case, the Bell companies had state and federal laws changed in their favor, known as "Alternate Regulations" or "Deregulation"-- and then never fulfilled the obligations.
  • Fact Sheet 8: Tauzin-Dingell is Evil. Tauzin-Dingell will harm America and competition if implemented. Instead, we believe that Rep. Billy Tauzin recuse himself because of the various ties with the Bell companies.
  • Fact Sheet 9: California's Fiber-Optic Fiasco This timeline reveals how the state of California's fiber-optic plans was a total disaster. It is based on an article written by the San Diego Tribune with the heading "Year by Year: A Plan that Failed: A timeline of Pacific Bell's California First plan."
  • Fact Sheet 10: BellSouth's Louisiana & Georgia Companies are not Open to Competitors. Rep. Billy Tauzin's own state, Louisiana, is still closed to competitors according to the DOJ.

New Networks Institute is an independently funded telecom & broadband market research and consulting firm, focusing on public interest issues.

For more information about NNI go to http://www.newnetworks.com or contact Bruce Kushnick at 212-777-5418, or email bruce@newnetworks.com