All Telecommunications Markets, Particularly Local Service, Must Be Opened For Meaningful Competition To Exist, Telecommunications Resellers Association Tells Washington State Governor's Task Force.

OLYMPIA, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 10, 1995--To promote diversity in the supply of telecommunications products and services pursuant to state law, Washington state must develop policies that support meaningful competition among multiple services providers in all markets, particularly local service, representatives of the Telecommunications Resellers Association testified today before the Governor's Telecommunications Policy Coordination Task Force.

Andrew O. Isar, TRA's director of industry relations, and Spencer L. Perry, director of government relations for TRA member, MIDCOM Communications Inc., Seattle, urged the task force not to allow local exchange carriers into new markets, such as long distance, until they ensure true local service alternatives to serve their subscribers.

They said, "The ability of small interexchange carriers such as TRA members to compete `fairly' and remain competitive hinges on two significant issues over which Washington's telecommunications policy will have a significant effect: 1) The development of meaningful local service competition, and 2) prevention of unfair and anti-competitive preferential treatment between major local service providers and their interexchange affiliates."

TRA also called for unrestricted resale of local services at wholesale prices as a key avenue to promoting a multicarrier competitive environment in the local market.

TRA is the national association for resellers of telecommunications services. For more information or full text of the comments, contact TRA at 1155 Connecticut Ave., N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C., 20036, 202/429-6601, fax: [phone].

CONTACT: Public Relations Counsel

Khali Henderson, 602/893-2057

or

Director - Industry Relations

Andrew Isar, 206/858-8369

or

Executive Director

Ernie Kelly, 202/429-6601