Vigorous Enforcement

investmenttool.com Opinion

After our experience with SBC/Ameritech, there are a few things that should happen in the Telecommunications industry. The first step would be vigorous enforcement of the laws that are currently on the books. Another helpful step would be encouraging real competition in the market place.

The Telecommunications act of 1996 clearly obligated Ameritech to open its network to competitors. To an extent it does. On the extreme north side of Chicago, it is possible to obtain voice phone service from other vendors, over Ameritech copper. If there is a problem with Ameritech's network, they don't have to fix it. As a matter of fact they have avoided any investment in their network since the act went into force.

As their spokeswoman aid, why should they bend over backward to provide a network that their competitors can also use? My first answer is because their competitors are paying sometime exorbitant fees to use the network. The second answer is because their network is nearly a century old and can't handle modern communications.

The extreme north side of Chicago is not exactly Siberia. There should be choices in fast Internet access in this area. AT&T has upgraded a dilapidated cable system and provides high speed Internet. Their system is about as reliable as their cable system, which is down several hours a month. They won't let us consolidate our web servers in our local office. RCN has a brand new fiber optic network, but refuses to allow our web server to operate in our office.

No DSL providers are able to provide service because they all need to use Ameritech's lines and SBC/Ameritech doesn't feel obligated to fix them. That leaves us with no providers that can give us reliable, two way access. I have real sympathy to those poor people who are really gripped in the arms of the monopoly.

The FCC needs to take a serious attitude about enforced the existing laws on the books. They need to make sure that consumers have a number of flexible choices to meet their needs. They need to remember they work for us, the people of the United States of America.

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Shmuel Protter
investmenttool.com

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