FIND YOUR SENATOR AND SEND THEM A LETTER, THE QUESTIONS --- DEMAND AN INVESTIGATION!
The Link to the Senate:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
=====================================================================
Teletruth News Alert: June 20, 2006
Contact: bruce@teletruth.org
Free download page: (more about the issues, Teletruth)
http://www.newnetworks.com/scandals.htm
Read the FREE ebook, then please take action.
Last week the House of Representatives caved in and gave the phone companies new financial concessions, including national franchises, and took away more of your rights for an open, competitive, broadband and Internet. This includes eliminating/ignoring Net Neutrality.
And this Thursday, the Senate is about to do the same bad vote.
Why should there be an investigation? In many states, you paid (and are still paying) for a fiber optic network service you never received and it cost you thousands of dollars - and now Congress wants to give the companies who didn't deliver --- AT&T, Verizon, BellSouth and Qwest--- more concessions and more of your money. Worse, America is 16th in the world in broadband because these companies didn't deliver --- and may never deliver. Plus, their proposed new services, FiOS and Lightspeed are crippled networks that can't compete globally- inferior services at high prices.
Worse, the Steven's bill has massive increases to the out of control Universal Service Slush Fund --- More taxes on your already overtaxed phone bills, wireless broadband and VOIP bills..
And Net Neutrality? When the companies control the 'pipes' they control everything over them --- from which competitor you can use to which video service. This is larger than the Internet. This is the future of the American economy and infrastructure.
The Proof?--- "$200 Billion Broadband Scandal". Teletruth is putting our data where our mouth is. You should understand the issues and get the facts. This week the ebook is yours, free ---over 400 pages, 526 footnotes of documentation. - a $20 value.
Write the Senate. Send them a free copy of the ebook with your compliments. Tell your friends. Get 10 more involved.
ASK THESE SIX BASIC QUESTIONS:
1) FACT: Customers paid the phone companies billions of dollars per state in 'extra fees' for open, ubiquitous, fiber optic, 45 mbps, high-definition video, 500+ channel service (in both directions) that was never delivered. --- About $2000 per household.
Where's all the money? What happened to the networks? Should we trust these companies to do anything different now?
Here's a summary from Harvard's Nieman Watchdog Project, "Where's that broadband fiber-optic access?".
http://www.niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Ask_this.view&askthisid=186
This is NOT history. Verizon, New Jersey is supposed to have the entire state wired with 45Mbps to the home (in both directions), by 2010. - Customers have been paying for it since 1993.
http://www.newnetworks.com/OpportunityNewJerseyFiber.htm
2) Verizon's FiOS, and AT&T's Lightspeed are inferior, crippled services that can't compete globally today and may never be fully deployed. America is 16th in broadband now, and it will get worse with the Bell companies' plans.
Compare the speed and price of FiOS and DSL with Asia.
http://www.newnetworks.com/fiosvsasia.htm
Read: "Verizon's FiOS, AT&T's Lightspeed - The Rise of the Crippled Networks"
http://www.newnetworks.com/fioslightspeed.htm
Do we really want these companies in control of our Digital Future? Is it really $40 bucks for 100 Mbps bi-directional broadband in Asia?
3) Customers continue to be charged a de facto "Broadband Tax" for FiOS and Lightspeed. --- Ed Whitacre of AT&T said that Lightspeed budgets are coming directly out of existing local service budgets.
Why am I paying this hidden tax for something I may never get or want?
4) FCC-Bad Data Harmed the Economy. Broadband Scandal contains hundreds of documents that were omitted by the FCC in their broadband analysis. Didn't the GAO find flaws in the FCC's broadband data? How much worse are the real facts?
Here's Teletruth's letter to Chairman Martin, outlining how bad data created bad broadband laws and harmed the entire independent Internet industry.
http://www.newnetworks.com/TeletruthBroadbandDQAmartin.htm
How bad are the data? The FCC and the Senate bill defines broadband as 200K in one direction --- that's 500 times slower than what Asian companies deliver today for the same price. - We can't compete globally with this broadband future.
5) AT&T, Verizon, and BellSouth want to charge Google and others more money for the same service and block where I can go. If we paid extra fees for open, competitive networks, what right do they have to charge more or block services?
6) Out of Control Universal Service Slush Fund. This Senate Bill would almost double this TAX because they want to put it on your local and toll calls, broadband and VOIP services, besides the current cell phone and long distance calls.
Worse, it's now mostly a Corporate Subsidy, given to wealthy phone companies with no audits. .
Here's Teletruth's summary of just how bad the USF charge has become. We're for Universal Service, but not being over-taxed.
http://www.newnetworks.com/universalservicefundsummary.htm
Shouldn't Congress audit the USF and stop giving corporate pork subsidies before adding new taxes?
Solution: The Senate should conduct hearings about these issues before it votes on any new financial concessions - Follow the Money, the failed broadband deployments, and compare the US to the rest of the world.
Get your Free download Then go send a copy to the Senate.
(more about the issues, Teletruth)
http://www.newnetworks.com/scandals.htm
Two page synopsis http://www.newnetworks.com/ShortSCANDALSummary.htm
Teletruth is an independent, nationwide customer alliance and was a member of the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee, 2003-2004.
Bruce Kushnick, Teletruth
Author $200 Billion Broadband Scandal
Tom Allibone, Teletruth Director of Audits
==================