For all competitive service providers, or other businesses offering
Internet
related products and or services, and their customers.
Tomorrow, or very soon thereafter, we will see the FCC deregulate Open
Access. What does this mean and what should you do?
While the answers are not clear on what the new terms and conditions for
access (if any) will mean to thousands of ISP's we do know that this does
not bode well for the future of our industry. While the argument on the
Hill has been that this will create greater competition, any first grader
who can count apples and oranges will recognize that when you take a
bunch
of them off the table there will be fewer to count and compete. It
defies
logic that the Bells have been able to sell this argument, but I suppose
if
you say it long and loud enough it mysteriously becomes a truth.
First, brace yourself for it is going to be a rough and bumpy ride.
Second,
while it will not change the immediate outcome, it is contingent upon us
to
mobilize and send a message to the FCC that we are watching and are
organizing our industry, business and consumers in opposition.
As soon as you read this message take a moment to send word to each of
the
FCC Commissioners about your concerns and the consequences to your
business
and that the ultimate impact of deregulation will be bad for America,
small
business, consumers and our economy. It would also be a good idea to
copy
your congressional representatives office when you send the message. You
can find congressional contact information in the WBIA Legislative Action
Center at http://capwiz.com/wbia/home/.
For your convenience we have provided the Email address for each of the
FCC
Commissioners and a sample letter which you are welcome to use in
crafting
your own message. Edit accordingly to give out to your customers.
For posting a letter (not comment) on the FCC Electronic Comment Filing
System, do one post each of the following dockets: 04-29, 04-416, 04-440
and
04-405. Copy, paste and edit the below sample letter, edit to your liking
and submit a PDF or Word .doc.
Make sure they know who you are and use company letter head. Create
another
for your customers and or have them sign off on a petition and list all
those separately on the letters and ECFS uploaded lists.
Chairman Kevin Martin - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Commissioner Michael Copps - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Dear Chairman or Commissioner _________;
We are an ISP, CLEC, or whatever in City_______, State_____ and serve
#'s______ of customers. Deregulation will harm our business and the
ability
to provide competitive services to our customers. Consumers need and
deserve the choice they enjoy today and deregulation will take away their
right to choose providers and services.
President Bush signed Executive Order 13272 on August 13, 2002 requiring
federal agencies to implement policies protecting small entities when
writing new rules and regulations. President Bush' Small Business Agenda
states that every new business starts with an idea for a better product
or
process, which has been the driving force of Internet innovation we enjoy
today.
These ideas become reality only when confident entrepreneurs are willing
to
take economic risks and ISP's have gallantly taken this risk. Small
businesses are the heart of the American economy because they drive
innovation - new firms are established on the very premise that they can
do
a better job and recognize that a one-size-fits all approach is not good
for
business and innovation.
A few legacy carriers cannot continue to benefit from valuable government
grants and licenses, including the use of public rights-of-way, and be
allowed to extend those rights in a way that bars others from offering
their
service to the public.
President Bush has called for recognition that supporting America's small
businesses is critical to ensuring continued job creation. Today, small
businesses create two-thirds of new private sector jobs in America,
employ
more than half of all workers, and account for more than half of the
output
of our economy.
The FCC has been entrusted with protecting consumers, encouraging
economic
development, and ensuring that competition is allowed to develop, rather
than being quashed by a deregulated monopoly. Already, we are seeing the
Bells move to increase prices, and without regulation, small business
will
be harmed, thousands of ISP's will be forced out business, highly-skilled
workers will lose their jobs and consumers will lose the choice of
platform
for broadband services and support.
Deregulation will be bad for America and we encourage to reconsider
deregulating open access.
Cynthia H. de Lorenzi
Co-founder
Washington Bureau for ISP Advocacy (WBIA)
http://www.wbia.us
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Frank Muto
Co-founder - Washington Bureau for ISP Advocacy - WBIA
Telecom Summit Ad Hoc Committee
http://gigabytemarch.blog.com/ www.wbia.us
"We believe that all Americans are entitled to freedom of choice and that
true competition is unbiased of its provider network. That we be allowed
access to those networks to give all Americans their right to choose any
mix
of service or services they choose."
"We recognize that laws and policies must maintain equal, fair and
nondiscriminatory access for all providers and that such laws and
policies
be upheld."
