Today’s telecommunications behemoths soon will rank right up there with journalists and used-car
salesman on the “Who don’t you trust” list.
As competition tries to come to the telecom industry, we’re
beginning to see more and more of the underbelly of this industry.
While press releases and court speeches
eloquently praise the desire to participate-and yes, even compete with others for the privilege of getting to serve you,
the valued customer-the battle in the trenches is going to be filled with devious tricks and four-letter words flying faster
than UFOs over New Mexico.
Even my own beloved North Dakota (Where people really are nice and good really
does overcome evil and the cold really does keep the riffraff out) has been dragged into this dirty pool.
Western
Wireless Corp.-which earlier this month in the tiny town of Regent, N.D., began offering wireless service that could
replace landline service-charges the local phone company, Consolidated Telephone Cooperative, disconnected all
Western’s lines.
I guess that’s one way to stop competition.
A different battle is being waged in the Midwest in
the name of competition. As is often the case, I’m not so sure who is slinging what to whom. Instead, I’m dizzy after
reading press releases on Ameritech vs. the Illinois Partnership for Fair Telecommunications Policy vs. MCI
WorldCom vs. The Ohioans for Phone Policy Reform vs. AT&T.
The Ohio group says it started an ad campaign
against the proposed merger between SBC Communications Inc. and Ameritech Corp., saying if SBC joins with
Ameritech, it will control 40 percent of the local phone lines in the country, which will not promote local phone
competition, but rather thwart it.
The Illinois group believes the same thing.
Ameritech counters the Illinois
group actually is “a thinly veiled front group for long-distance giants AT&T and MCI WorldCom.”
Ameritech points out in its press release that “AT&T and MCI WorldCom control 80 percent of the long-distance
market in this country and want to keep it that way …” Ameritech says it must grow to give customers the choices
they demand.
MCI WorldCom then issued a statement that it is not a member of the Illinois group and has not
contributed to the group, but by the way, the long-distance company happens to be against the SBC/Ameritech merger.
I would be remiss if I didn’t point out here that MCI WorldCom was in fact two companies at this time last year, but
they merged-again, to benefit their customers.
I thought competition was supposed to make you better. Instead, I
guess it makes you whine.
