February 27, 2002 -- The list of organizations opposing the Tauzin-Dingell pro-local-phone monopoly legislation, H.R. 1542, continues to grow, with the National Governors Association (led by Gov. John M. Engler), National League of Cities, National Association of Counties and the Council of State Governments joining consumer groups and small business organizations around the nation in opposing this bill.

The bill is up for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday. The Michigan Alliance for Competitive Telecommunications (MiACT) urges members to vote no on the bill.

In Michigan, opposition is being led by the Michigan Public Service Commission, which has said the bill "would, in our view, eviscerate years of effort that we and others have expended to bring competition to the local telephone market in Michigan."

Also joining MiACT and the MPSC in opposing the bill in Michigan has been the Michigan Consumer Federation, the Small Business Association of Michigan, the Competitive Local Exchange Companies Association of Michigan and many others.

Support has been limited to SBC/Ameritech, Verizon, and their employees and associations they control.

The Tauzin-Dingell legislation would place control over all DSL broadband services into the hands of the Bell monopolies, meaning they could deny their residential and business customers access to alternative high speed service competitors. As the MPSC says in its letter of opposition, "If the bill becomes law, we will be unable to assure high quality service in broadband and, due to the fact that the same lines are used for voice service, for that service as well."

"SBC Ameritech and the other monopolies say they need less regulation before they can invest more in broadband services," said Greg Boyd, executive director of MiACT. "They told Michigan lawmakers the same thing in 1995 before reneging on their promises of more investment and hiring."

"Instead, we've seen massive layoffs of workers by SBC/Ameritech. Michigan is last in the nation in investment by our major local phone company. We have some of the worst service standards in the nation, which SBC is content to continue. And our broadband availability is so deficient, Gov. Engler has been forced to step in.

"Michigan's congressmen should talk to their constituents before giving SBC/Ameritech what it wants -- again. We've just seen what inappropriate deregulation can do in the Enron scandal. It's important we avoid that same debacle in our telecom services."

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