March 1, 2002 -- "Yesterday, due to a rigged process that prevented House members from voting on -- and passing -- a popular amendment, the US House of Representatives voted to take the United States back 6 years to a time of monopoly telecom providers," said Royce Holland, Chairman and CEO, Allegiance Telecom. "Despite the Bell companies' rhetoric, this legislation has nothing to do with promoting broadband and has everything to do with re-monopolizing the consumer and small to medium-sized business
telecom markets. The action taken by the House showed yet again that the Tauzin-Dingell bill could not withstand a vote on its merits. Realizing this, Reps. Tauzin and Dingell and the Bell monopolies rigged the process against competition and the public interest."

According to Holland, the competitive telecommunications industry supported an amendment offered by Reps. Cannon and Conyers that would have removed the most blatant anti-competitive language from the bill. "The amendment was similar to the Wilson-Luther amendment that failed on a 27 to 27 tie vote in the House Commerce Committee, which Rep. Tauzin chairs," says Holland. "Remembering the close call in Committee markup and alarmed at the broad support that was building for the Cannon-Conyers amendment, the Bells and their sponsors resorted to parliamentary chicanery to deprive the members of the House a vote on the Cannon-Conyers amendment. This cowardly perversion of the legislative
process involved replacing Cannon-Conyers at the last minute with a Bell-crafted substitute -- a sham that was fraudulently advertised as correcting the anti-competitive aspects of the original Tauzin-Dingell bill."

"Although the Tauzin-Dingell bill was ultimately passed by the House, the bill suffered what I believe will be fatal damage," says Holland. "The Bells and their sponsors were unwilling to allow a vote on Cannon-Conyers due to the growing probability that they would have lost on the House floor and had the re-monopolization provisions gutted from the Tauzin-Dingell bill. I am confidant that the leaders of the US Senate understand not only the deception of Tauzin-Dingell but also that there are plenty of incentives to deploy broadband in the competitive environment initiated by the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The Senators know the only action needed to stimulate more rapid deployment is greater enforcement of the Act. "Parliamentary chicanery in the US House gave Tauzin-Dingell its day. I
am fully confidant that the US Senate will now ensure that it has no tomorrow."

"And as the one competitor battling the Bells -- and winning -- for small- to medium-sized businesses in 36 markets across America, Allegiance Telecom will continue to engage the monopolies on Capitol Hill," said Holland.

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