March 22, 2002 -- The Senate Commerce committee held a hearing on the state of local telephone service competition in the U.S. Specifically, the committee looked at the performance of the country's four telephone giants and the extent to which they have abided by the letter and spirit of the pro-competition mandates of federal law.

"This hearing was a home-run for those trying to shine the light on the Bell giants' history of anti-consumer practices," said Steve Ricchetti, co-chairman of the Voices for Choices coalition. "Senator Hollings, in particular, deserves credit for forcing the Bells to account and for raising the tough questions about why Congress should roll back the consumer protections it put in place six years ago. The pointed questions from Sen. Hollings and other members of the Committee showed quite clearly two fundamental truths about the Tauzin-Dingell bill. First, it will not pass the Senate. Second, it cannot withstand dispassionate scrutiny. Why else would its backers have resorted to extraordinary parliamentary tactics to prevent consideration of competing alternatives on the House floor?"

"Lawmakers and federal regulators should recognize this reality and also consider the opposition to this measure from consumer groups, state regulators, internet service providers, and competitors and not tilt the playing field to benefit one well-connected group of companies over the interests of consumers and competitors," added Richetti.

Voices for Choices is a coalition of associations and companies that support fair competition in local telephone service and high-speed Internet access. Members include: The Association for Local Telecommunication Services (ALTS), The Competitive Telecommunications Association (CompTel), Citizens Against Government Waste, Small Business Survival Committee, Liberty Mutual, Worldcom, Sprint and AT&T.

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