The Honorable John Conyers
2426 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Conyers:

The members of the Competitive Broadband Coalition, and over 120 companies and organizations oppose the Goodlatte/Boucher bill, HR 1686.

HR 1686 would stifle competition in two critical markets: local data communications and Internet access services. The four Bell Operating Companies—Bell Atlantic, Bell South, SBC and U S WEST—could offer long distance data communications services without first opening their local monopolies to competition.

HR 1686 repeals crucial market opening requirements of the Telecommunications Act

1. HR 1686 repeals the Act’s requirements that the Bells and GTE provide essential local telecommunications facilities to competitors who provide local broadband services, relegating these competitors to inferior technology at inflated prices.

2. By permitting the four Bell Companies to provide InterLATA data communications services without first opening their local markets to competition, HR 1686 dramatically reduces the Bell Company’s incentive to provide competing broadband companies even outmoded and expensive telecommunications facilities.

Also, HR 1686 would permit the Bells and GTE to extend their monopoly to the Internet access market. Over 7000 Internet Services Providers (ISPs) rely on the local telephone company to reach consumers and businesses. The Bells and GTE could deny ISPs the right to purchase from the telephone company high-speed data communications services at economic prices. Thus, the Bells’ and GTE’s Internet service offering will have an unfair competitive advantage.

In addition, HR 1686 will provide the Bells’ and GTE a means to deny competitive broadband companies the ability to use the high-frequency portion of local telephone lines, thus granting the local telephone company another unfair advantage in the local data communications market. Why? Because without the ability to share the local telephone company’s lines competitors must then buy an additional line from the local telephone company and pass the added cost to the consumer. As well, ISPs will have far fewer choices for broadband telecommunications services. HR 1686 will create enormous obstacles to competition in the market for high-speed access to the Internet.

Over 120 companies and organizations ask that you reject HR 1686.

Sincerely,

Members of the Competitive Broadband Coalition

The Honorable Henry J. Hyde
2110 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Hyde:

The members of the Competitive Broadband Coalition, and over 120 companies and organizations oppose the Goodlatte/Boucher bill, HR 1686.

HR 1686 would stifle competition in two critical markets: local data communications and Internet access services. The four Bell Operating Companies—Bell Atlantic, Bell South, SBC and U S WEST—could offer long distance data communications services without first opening their local monopolies to competition.

HR 1686 repeals crucial market opening requirements of the Telecommunications Act

1. HR 1686 repeals the Act’s requirements that the Bells and GTE provide essential local telecommunications facilities to competitors who provide local broadband services, relegating these competitors to inferior technology at inflated prices.

2. By permitting the four Bell Companies to provide InterLATA data communications services without first opening their local markets to competition, HR 1686 dramatically reduces the Bell Company’s incentive to provide competing broadband companies even outmoded and expensive telecommunications facilities.

Also, HR 1686 would permit the Bells and GTE to extend their monopoly to the Internet access market. Over 7000 Internet Services Providers (ISPs) rely on the local telephone company to reach consumers and businesses. The Bells and GTE could deny ISPs the right to purchase from the telephone company high-speed data communications services at economic prices. Thus, the Bells’ and GTE’s Internet service offering will have an unfair competitive advantage.

In addition, HR 1686 will provide the Bells’ and GTE a means to deny competitive broadband companies the ability to use the high-frequency portion of local telephone lines, thus granting the local telephone company another unfair advantage in the local data communications market. Why? Because without the ability to share the local telephone company’s lines competitors must then buy an additional line from the local telephone company and pass the added cost to the consumer. As well, ISPs will have far fewer choices for broadband telecommunications services. HR 1686 will create enormous obstacles to competition in the market for high-speed access to the Internet.

Over 120 companies and organizations ask that you reject HR 1686.

Sincerely,

Members of the Competitive Broadband Coalition

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The Competitive Broadband Coalition members include the Association of Communications Enterprises (ASCENT), the Association for Local Telecommunications Services (ALTS), AT&T, the Commercial Internet eXchange Association (CIX), CompTel (Competitive Telecommunications Association), Cable & Wireless, Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), Montana Telecommunications Association, Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA), Sprint, Touch America and WorldCom. More information can be found at http://www.competitivebroadband.org/1041/home.jsp