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> Letter to the editor to major daily newspapers in support of
the local telephone wholesale system (UNE-P)
Letter to the editor to major daily newspapers in support
of the local telephone wholesale system (UNE-P)
February 13, 2003
To the editor:
Consumers deserve the ability to choose who provides their local
telephone service, but a proposal the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) will consider on February 20 would stop competition dead in
its tracks. While the decision will be made in Washington, DC, it
will impact everyone around the country who pays a monthly phone
bill.
If approved, the proposal would deny competitors the ability to
lease vital parts of the network, called the Unbundled Network Element
Platform (UNE-P), from the "Baby Bells" at reasonable
rates. What would this mean for consumers? Those who have been able
to participate in the competitive market would be left with fewer
choices and higher local phone bills. Millions more consumers would
never get the chance to enjoy the benefits of telephone choice.
Growth and competition must be allowed to continue. We cannot afford
to take a giant step backward and ignore the interests of those
who deserve and demand the benefits of choice - our nation's consumers.
Sincerely,
Robert S. Tongren
President, National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates
Ohio Consumers' Counsel
(614) 466-8574
National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates
8380 Colesville Road, Suite 101, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Phone: (301) 589-6313 Fax: 589-6380
e-mail: nasuca@nasuca.org |