IP: Fwd: AGGRESSIVE VERIZON PLAYS EVERY ANGLE IN BATTLE OVER BROADBAND DEREGULATION

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Aggressive in Washington msybr  but damn if they do anything in rural 
Pennsylvania -- actually they get worse djf


> AGGRESSIVE VERIZON PLAYS EVERY ANGLE IN BATTLE OVER BROADBAND DEREGULATION
> Issue: Broadband
>
> As part of a vigorous campaign devoted to advancing legislation that would
> let the Bells offer long-distance Internet service via phone lines without
> having to prove that they have opened local phone markets to competition,
> Verizon has been backing an array of organizations that support letting the
> Bells sell high-speed "broadband" Internet connections for consumers. While
> Verizon isn't the only one in the broadband battle helping to fund advocacy
> groups, many consumer advocates find Verizon's aggressive approach
> particularly irksome. "Verizon has a multifaceted lobbying effort, from
> front groups to purchased academics to direct personal contacts with the new
> administration," said Gene Kimmelman, co-director of Consumer Union's
> Washington office. "They're pulling every lever."  After receiving a large
> grant from Verizon, Robert Crandall, an economist from the Brookings
> Institution, released a study concluding that widespread broadband
> deployment could add as much as $500 billion a year to the U.S. economy.
>
> [SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Yochi J. Dreazen]
> <http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB997823037806514151.htm>
> (requires subscription)



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