Jerry Nadler: “The best way we know to lower prices and improve customer service in any market is to increase competition. This bill…”

“The best way we know to lower prices and improve customer service in any market is to increase competition. This bill does exactly the opposite. It would make it easier for the big-money phone companies to squeeze their competitors and to force the remaining CLECs, competitive local exchange carriers, into bankruptcy. It would raise prices for competitors and decrease incentives for local monopolies to open their markets to competition. Less competition, higher prices and worse customer service will be the result. This bill turns the Telecom Act of 1996 on its head. It would allow the local Bell monopolies to have access to all long distance data markets, whether or not they face competition in the local level. The Tauzin-Dingell bill says, we do not care if the Bells have a monopoly at the local level, we are going to allow them to offer long distance data services. We all realize soon there will be no distinction between data and voice, since both data and voice can be reduced to the zeros and ones. Data is voice, for all practical purposes. Tauzin-Dingell says the Bells do not have to open their networks for competition. If they modify existing lines, they do not have to provide open access to their networks at prices that allow for competition. The Bells are essentially seeking the ability to price their competitors out of business and extend their local monopolies.”