Consumers urge Governor to veto phone bill.TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 18, 1995--Consumer activists gathered on the steps of the state capitol Capitol, seat of the U.S. Congress Capitol, seat of the U.S. government at Washington, D.C. It is the city's dominating monument, built on an elevated site that was chosen by George Washington in consultation with Major Pierre L'Enfant. Thursday to urge the Governor to pull the plug on a sweeping phone measure pushed through the legislature by Southern Bell and other local phone companies. "We are sounding the alarm to Florida consumers: do not believe what you are told by your phone company -- this legislation is not pro-consumer," said Monte Belote, executive director of the Florida Consumer Action Network. "Our message to consumers is to speak up now or forever pay higher rates." The consumer activists are urging Floridians to call the Governor's office (904/488-7146) and their legislators to ask for a rewrite re·write v. re·wrote , re·writ·ten , re·writ·ing, re·writes v.tr. 1. To write again, especially in a different or improved form; revise. 2. of the telecommunications bill (SB1554). "Consumers want either competition or effective regulation and this bill gives them neither," said AARP's Ed Paschall. "Consumers deserve better treatment than this." AARP AARP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan national organization dedicated to "enriching the experience of aging"; membership is open to people age 50 or older. Founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus as American Association of Retired Persons, AARP now has over 30 million and the Consumer Federation of America The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1968 to advance the consumer interest through research, education and advocacy. According to CFA's website, its members are approximately 300 consumer-oriented non-profits, which themselves have recently issued a study of the bill that found that the legislation would cause higher rates in an industry that has steadily declining costs. Consumer Federation spokesperson Marc Cooper Marc Cooper is an American journalist, author, and . He is currently a contributing editor to The Nation. He also pens the popular "Dissonance" column for LA Weekly. warns that the bill would have the effect of "creating an unregulated Adj. 1. unregulated - not regulated; not subject to rule or discipline; "unregulated off-shore fishing" regulated - controlled or governed according to rule or principle or law; "well regulated industries"; "houses with regulated temperature" 2. monopoly." Consumer advocates say that the main problem with the bill is that it declares local markets open for competition and ends price regulation of existing monopolies before competition has been proven to exist. By allowing local companies to earn unlimited profits and with the Public Service Commission no longer able to protect consumers, rates could be increased by as much as $400 million a year. "We need people to help us convince the Governor to veto the fast freight train that zipped through this year's legislature called the telecomm bill," said Ernie Bach, Action Coalition of We the People. CONTACT: Florida Consumer Action Network, Tallahassee Monte Belote, 904/222-4006 or Steve Murchie, 305/563-6112 (Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale (lô`dərdāl), residential, commercial, and resort city (1990 pop. 149,377), seat of Broward co., SE Fla., on the Atlantic coast; settled around a fort built (c.1837) in the Seminole War, inc. 1911. ) |
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