ATX/CoreComm Achieves Early Success Against SBC/Ameritech; Court Upholds Company's Anti-Trust and Misrepresentation Claims Against SBC/Ameritech.Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 30, 2002 Telecommunications provider ATX See ATX motherboard. (hardware, standard) ATX - An open PC motherboard specification by Intel. ATX is a development of the Baby AT specification with the motherboard rotated 90 degrees in the chassis. Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:COMM), said today that it applauds the decision of the United States District Court United States District Court In the U.S., any of the 94 trial courts of general jurisdiction in the federal judicial system. Each state, as well as the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, has at least one federal district court. in Cleveland upholding its anti-trust and misrepresentation misrepresentation In law, any false or misleading expression of fact, usually with the intent to deceive or defraud. It most commonly occurs in insurance and real-estate contracts. False advertising may also constitute misrepresentation. claims against Ameritech Ohio and Ameritech's Texas-based parent company, SBC (1) (SBC Communications Inc., San Antonio, TX, www.sbc.com) A large, national telecommunications company that grew from a multitude of local and regional companies, including Southwestern Bell, Pacific Bell and Nevada Bell, into a single, unified brand by 2002. Communications, Inc. ATX, an integrated communications provider of local and long distance telephone, Internet, and high-speed data services to residential and business customers in the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic states Mid-At·lan·tic States See Middle Atlantic States. Noun 1. Mid-Atlantic states - a region of the eastern United States comprising New York and New Jersey and Pennsylvania and Delaware and Maryland U.S.A. , filed its lawsuit through its CoreComm subsidiary late last year alleging that SBC/Ameritech had, through a series of anti-competitive and unlawful acts, maintained its monopoly over the market for local telephone services in the Cleveland and Columbus areas. The Company also alleged that SBC/Ameritech has made various negligent misrepresentations concerning the quality of its services. SBC/Ameritech responded by asking the court to dismiss CoreComm's claims instead of allowing them to be heard by a jury. In a thoughtful and well-reasoned decision released late yesterday, District Court Judge Donald C. Nugent denied SBC/Ameritech's motion, holding that a monopolist such as Ameritech Ohio may not "use its market power, whether obtained lawfully or not, to prevent or impede competition." Judge Nugent also found that, in enacting the Telecommunications Act There are several laws named the Telecommunications Act
As a result of the ruling, the Company will be allowed to proceed with its case. "This is a very significant win, not only for ATX, but also for the many people in Ohio who are tired of being treated poorly by SBC/Ameritech and want choice in local phone service," said Thomas Gravina, ATX's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are extremely pleased with the court's ruling and we're looking forward to getting our evidence in front of a jury so they can have a closer look at the sort of anti-competitive conduct that we've been forced to endure since we began providing service in Ohio. "The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was supposed to bring the benefits of local phone competition to the people of Ohio and the rest of the nation," continued Gravina. "We believe that the jury is going to be appalled at what SBC/Ameritech has done in an effort to prevent us from delivering those benefits." About ATX Founded in 1985, ATX Communications, Inc. is a facilities-based integrated communications provider offering local exchange carrier and inter-exchange carrier (communications) inter-exchange carrier - (IXC) A company allowed to handle long-distance calls following the break-up of the Bell system in the US by anti-trust regulators. telephone, Internet, e-business, high-speed data, and wireless services to business and residential customers in targeted markets throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions of the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . ATX currently serves approximately 400,000 business and residential customers. CoreComm Newco, Inc. is the subsidiary of ATX that provides telecommunications services in the state of Ohio. For more information on ATX, please visit www.atx.com. For further information, contact: Bruce Bennett, Vice President for External Affairs: 312-445 1161. Safe Harbor Safe Harbor 1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated. 2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive. Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995 - Certain statements contained herein constitute "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be different from those contemplated. We assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in factors affecting such statements. |
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