AT&T comments on Senate bill revising 1934 telecom act

June 15, 1995 -- WASHINGTON -- AT&T released the following statement today
regarding the passage of legislation in the Senate revising the
telecommunications section of the Communications Act of 1934:

The Senate essentially preserved most of the language on telecommunications
issues approved by the Senate Commerce Committee weeks ago. Regrettably, a
series of changes were fended off that would have ensured the existence of
viable competition to give consumers a real choice in local telephone
service.

The Senate bill, as passed, falls far short of requiring that real local
phone competition exists before the Bell companies can use their monopoly
muscle to disadvantage long distance customers and competitors. The bill's
shortcomings were further compounded by limiting the Department of Justice
to an advisory role in determining whether the public would be harmed by
allowing the Bell companies into long distance with their monopolies
intact.

There is strong momentum this year for public policies that will encourage
competition throughout the communications industry. AT&T supports it. Over
time, the greatest hurdle for Congress has been to penetrate the
industry's last bastion of monopoly -- the local telephone exchange. The
House Commerce Committee bill, with its strong checklist and actual
competition requirement, and the House Judiciary Committee bill, which
proposes an active role for the Department of Justice, offer the most
promise for bringing the benefits of choice to the public.

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