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Published byCecily Logan Modified over 9 years ago
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Bruce Kushnick New Networks Institute Reverse AT&T-ALEC
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“They Will Not Close Down the Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN) on My Watch. Period.” Welcome to Brooklyn
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Ma Bell 1 million employees Owned the hardware, including the phones. Owned the 22 local phone companies. Owned AT&T Long Lines. Owned Bell Labs. Was regulated on local service prices. Not Regulated on Long Distance charges.
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Judge Harold Greene
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The Seven “Baby Bells”
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Al Gore’s Information Superhighway, 1992
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Telecom Act of 1996 Open the “Last Mile”. Lower prices and advanced services *(broadband) though competition. Allowed indie ISPs to use “line sharing” for DSL. Allow AT&T & MCI to offer local Service. If the networks were open, the Bells could enter long distance.
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AT&T and Verizon Merger Mania at&t Southwestern Bell (SBC) Pacific Bell SNET Ameritech AT&T BellSouth Verizon Bell Atlantic NYNEX GTE MCI Alltel
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3 Big Bells, No Competition.
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Rise and Fall of Internet Service Providers
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AT&T & Verizon AT&T U-Verse – Copper-to-the-Home Bait & Switch. Verizon has FiOS. – Fiber-to-the-home AT&T --only 4.3 million U-Verse TV Verizon only 4.7 million FiOS TV Digital Dead Zones: AT&T stopped deploying-abandoning 50%. Verizon stopped deploying -abandoning 50% NO CABLE COMPETITION.
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America was Charged $360 Billion Dollars for Networks We Never Got. You Paid About $3000.00
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Wireless Wireless: AT&T and Verizon split up the market– enhanced revenues– 200 million customers. Wireless is a wired product. Special Access 80%profits Collusion of wireline-wireless Deals with the cable companies.
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Cable Companies? Lobby with the phone companies. Closed Networks – Can’t choose channels or video providers. Bandwidth caps to block outside video. Can’t replace Set Top Box. “Social Contract” – Customers Paid $42 Billion for Upgrades.
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CommTrust-ALEC Close PSTN. 23 states removed telecom regulation. 19 states block municipalities. Damage: Remove “Carrier of Last Resort” – Phone breaks – too bad. Shut down remaining competitors. No Net Neutrality. Remove Regulatory Oversight.
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Immediate Threat Federal: AT&T -FCC –Technical Advisory Council- ”Sunset the PSTN” AT&T Gets FCC Task Force started AT&T, USTA Petition filed -- Active Congressional Hearing Feb 6 th, 2013
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12 Competitors– One Big Bell. 7 RBOCs Ameritech Bell Atlantic BellSouth NYNEX Pacific Bell Southwestern Bell US West Long Distance AT&T MCI ILECs SNET GTE Alltel
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Why We Will Lose ALEC- key state legislators, whole legislatures. AT&T-funds state legislators AT&T ‘foundation’ grants –legislators Skunkworks: CommTrust -Skunkworks- multi-state “Legit” funded groups – Caucus Astroturf groups-multi-state Co-opted Non-profits Media has no clue
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Our Side? No ‘other side’. AT&T is now at&t. Co-opted basic terms. No unified messaging. No Education No deep pockets. No ‘coordinated’ group response. Our allies can be our own enemies. –Tech and Internet community. –Unions, competitors, --- ‘middle ground’ No media campaign. Pot shots, small wins SOPA, etc. No Offensive Plan, Tit-for-Tat.
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Reverse ALEC Which Future do you Want?
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Read My Lips Privatized Public Property – Investigate. Upgrade the Networks – We Paid Them to do it. Open the Networks– Customers Choose their Internet, Phone, Cable or Broadband Provider. “Keep your hands off my bits.”
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