Boycott This

The Columbia Institute for Tele-Information,and the School of Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University and the Federal Communications Bar Association present "The Telecommunications Act of 1996: Ten Years Later"

Bruce Kushnick:

Turns out that the two representatives for the CONSUMERS are Sam Simon, of TRAC,  (who runs the largest Bell Skunkworks' and astroturf group,) and APT''s Daniel Pythyon, who is also the lawyer for the Bells' lobbying arm, USTA. APT is funded by the Bell companies.

More information at our Skunkworks. Still more below the fold:

Here is what I wrote the Federal Communications Law Journal in an attempt to fix this:

Before we start sending out an email to boycott your  upcoming DC event
on the Telecom Act (see below),  I thought you should know about the
speakers  you have chosen, specifically, TRAC and APT and Sam Simon.

These groups do not represent consumers. They are astroturf groups who
are directly funded by the Bell companies and are controlled by "Issue
Dynamics"

Sam Simon of Issue Dynamics is the foremost lobbyist for the Bell companies.
And yet, you have him talking about 'consumer issues'.

As a former member of the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee, 2003-2004,
Teletruth has written extensively about the conflict of interests.

And it is about to get more embarrassing with the upcoming new data
and  an FTC complaint we are filing against these groups.

Finally, a letter to CyberTelecom concerning how embarrassing this all is to them.

This is truly embarrassing conference. It has fake consumer groups, funded
by the Bell companies, discussing how the Telecom Act of 1996 didn't
work.... I'd be appalled, but this is what we come to expect these days...

Let's talk about Comedy --- You have TRAC, a bell-friendly consumer group
funded by the Bell companies (or run at a loss owed to) and  run by Issue
Dynamics. And they're talking about RESIDENTIAL customers..... Now that's
funny. And TRAC is on the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee! ---Issue Dynamics
runs the Bells' skunkworks, creating multiple 'consumer groups coalitions'
all funded by the Bell companies. TRAC helped to harm AT&T and MCI and allow
the Bells into long distance with questionable data.

Dirck Hargraves is Secretary and Counsel for Telecommunication Research and Action Center (TRAC) as well as General Counsel and Senior Consultant with Issue
Dynamics, Inc.

"Are You Better Off Today Than You Were Ten Years Ago? Residential Consumers
and Telecommunications Reform "

My favorite is this one --- It doesn't say that Dan Phythyon is also Counsel
for United States Telephone Association, USTA, the Bells lobbying arm....
Did you know that Dan is on the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee  as a
CONSUMER ADVOCACY GROUP, even though they are funded by SBC and Verizon.
Notice that the bio doesn't mention the role with the phone company lobby,
or who funds the group. Alliance For Public Technology is run out of the Issue Dynamics' offices.

Dan Phythyon, Policy Director and General Counsel for the Alliance for
Public Technology (APT); former Chief of FCC Wireless Communications Bureau

"On the tenth anniversary of the 1996 Act, it's time to stop agonizing over
why it hasn't worked as "intended" and move on to the process of enacting
new legislation. Since that act will likely be outdated within a few years,
too, let's also think about how we can make the process of legislating on
telecom matters more palatable."

And Chris, how dare you say there are no CLECs. ---Here Stalin talks about
Lenin, and that poor CLEC Verizon. They're registered in every state as a
CLEC when they were supposed to merge and compete, remember?

John Thorne, Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Verizon;
Adjunct Faculty, Columbia Law School

"As Lenin once remarked on the subject of tanks, quantity has a quality all
of its own. Lenin never knew Google. The drafters of the 1996 Act and the
1996 FCC didn't know Google either. This may explain how the legal regime
alternately attracts or repels investment in the new broadband media."

Actually, the funniest is this ----

Michael Botein, Professor of Law and Director, Media Center, New York Law
School

In its creation of "Open Video Systems" ("OVS"), the 1996 Act attempted to
create a new hybrid mass communications/telecom regulatory status, with both
cable television's programming services and common carriers' obligations to
third parties. The purpose of the provision seemed to be attracting local
exchange telephone (LEC) and other companies to the multichannel video
business. This plan never worked out, however, because of overly onerous
regulation and lack of LEC interest. Ironically enough, however, the major
Regional Bell Operation Companies have announced campaigns to offer video,
voice, and data directly to the home.

Onerous Regulation? The Bell companies lied to the American public about
fiber optic deployments, collected billions per state, and then pulled out
of every state committment. The Reason --- Notice the word "open", meaning
that the companies had to have these services open to competition --- common
carrier. This is what customers paid for, state by state --- for a fiber
optic service they never received. About $200 billion, about $2000 per
household.  The New Networks mentioned are all closed because of bad FCC
rulings.... Onerous? But more to the point --- the networks customers
subsidized and didn't receive is because --- THE NETWORKS COULDN'T BE BUILT
WHEN THE CONTRACTS WERE SIGNED! ---oops.

What a great group of truth-sayers... This is a must-attend, though I think
that rotten tomatoes, good for throwing, will be hard to find this time of
year.

Bruce.