Post Everywhere - Free Download of "$200 Billion Broadband Scandal"
Teletruth News Alert: June 20, 2006
Contact: bruce@teletruth.org <mailto:bruce@teletruth.org>
“200 Billion Broadband Scandal” is NOW a FREE download for
ONE WEEK ONLY ---Starting TUESDAY, June 20th, 2006
Free download page: (more about the issues, Teletruth)
http://www.newnetworks.com/scandals.htm
The Senate Should Stop and Investigate Verizon, AT&T, BellSouth and Qwest's
Broadband Deployments and Internet Control -- FOLLOW ALL THE MONEY TRAILS.
Read the FREE ebook, then please take action.
Last week the House of Representatives caved in and gave the phone companies
new financial concessions, including national franchises, and took away more
of your rights for an open, competitive, broadband and Internet. This
includes eliminating/ignoring Net Neutrality.
And this Thursday, the Senate is about to do the same bad vote.
Why should there be an investigation? In many states, you paid (and are
still paying) for a
fiber optic network service you never received and it cost you thousands of
dollars - and now Congress wants to give the companies who didn't deliver
--- AT&T, Verizon, BellSouth and Qwest--- more concessions and more of your
money. Worse, America is 16th in the world in broadband because these
companies didn't deliver --- and may never deliver. Plus, their proposed new
services, FiOS and Lightspeed are crippled networks that can't compete
globally— inferior services at high prices.
Worse, the Steven's bill has massive increases to the out of control
Universal
Service Slush Fund --- More taxes on your already overtaxed phone bills,
wireless
broadband and VOIP bills..
And Net Neutrality? When the companies control the ‘pipes’ they control
everything over them --- from which competitor you can use to which
video service.
This is larger than the Internet. This is the future of the American economy
and infrastructure.
The Proof?--- "$200 Billion Broadband Scandal". Teletruth is putting our
data
where our mouth is. You should understand the issues and get the facts. This
week the ebook is yours, free ---over 400 pages, 526 footnotes of
documentation. - a $20 value.
Write the Senate. Send them a free copy of the ebook with your compliments.
Tell your friends. Get 10 more involved.
ASK THESE SIX BASIC QUESTIONS:
1) FACT: Customers paid the phone companies billions of dollars per state in
'extra fees’ for open, ubiquitous, fiber optic, 45 mbps, high-definition
video, 500+ channel service (in both directions) that was never delivered.
--- About $2000 per household.
Where's all the money? What happened to the networks? Should we trust these
companies to do anything different now?
Here's a summary from Harvard's Nieman Watchdog Project, "Where's that
broadband fiber-optic access?".
_http://www.niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Ask_this.view&askthisid=186
<http://www.niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Ask_this.view&askthisid=186>_
This is NOT history. Verizon, New Jersey is supposed to have the entire
state wired
with 45Mbps to the home (in both directions), by 2010. – Customers have been
paying for it since 1993.
http://www.newnetworks.com/OpportunityNewJerseyFiber.htm
2) Verizon's FiOS, and AT&T's Lightspeed are inferior, crippled services
that
can't compete globally today and may never be fully deployed. America is
16th in broadband now, and it will get worse with the Bell companies' plans.
Compare the speed and price of FiOS and DSL with Asia.
http://www.newnetworks.com/fiosvsasia.htm
Read: "Verizon's FiOS, AT&T's Lightspeed - The Rise of the Crippled
Networks"
http://www.newnetworks.com/fioslightspeed.htm
Do we really want these companies in control of our Digital Future? Is it
really $40 bucks for 100 Mbps bi-directional broadband in Asia?
3) Customers continue to be charged a de facto "Broadband Tax" for FiOS and
Lightspeed. --- Ed Whitacre of AT&T said that Lightspeed budgets are coming
directly out of existing local service budgets.
Why am I paying this hidden tax for something I may never get or want?
4) FCC-Bad Data Harmed the Economy. Broadband Scandal contains hundreds of
documents that were omitted by the FCC in their broadband analysis. Didn't
the GAO find flaws in the FCC's broadband data? How much worse are the real
facts?
Here's Teletruth's letter to Chairman Martin, outlining how bad data created
bad broadband laws and harmed the entire independent Internet industry.
http://www.newnetworks.com/TeletruthBroadbandDQAmartin.htm
How bad are the data? The FCC and the Senate bill defines broadband as 200K
in one direction --- that's 500 times slower than what Asian companies
deliver
today for the same price. - We can't compete globally with this broadband
future.
5) AT&T, Verizon, and BellSouth want to charge Google and others more money
for the same service and block where I can go. If we paid extra fees for
open, competitive networks, what right do they have to charge more or block
services?
6) Out of Control Universal Service Slush Fund. This Senate Bill would
almost
double this TAX because they want to put it on your local and toll
calls, broadband
and VOIP services, besides the current cell phone and long distance calls.
Worse, it’s now mostly a Corporate Subsidy, given to wealthy phone
companies
with no audits. .
Here's Teletruth's summary of just how bad the USF charge has become. We're
for Universal Service, but not being over-taxed.
http://www.newnetworks.com/universalservicefundsummary.htm
Shouldn't Congress audit the USF and stop giving corporate pork subsidies
before adding new taxes?
Solution: The Senate should conduct hearings about these issues before it
votes on any new financial concessions - Follow the Money, the failed
broadband
deployments, and compare the US to the rest of the world.
Get your Free download Then go send a copy to the Senate.
(more about the issues, Teletruth)
http://www.newnetworks.com/scandals.htm
LINK TO THE SENATE:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Two page synopsis http://www.newnetworks.com/ShortSCANDALSummary.htm
Teletruth is an independent, nationwide customer alliance and was a member
of the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee, 2003-2004.
Bruce Kushnick, Teletruth
Author $200 Billion Broadband Scandal
bruce@teletruth.org <mailto:bruce@teletruth.org>
Tom Allibone, Teletruth Director of Audits
