Re: Gleaned from the telecomreg mailing list:

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

Date: Sat, 18 Dec 1993 09:38:21 -0800
From: "Brock N. Meeks" <brock () well sf ca us>


Regarding the Bell Atlantic-TCI merger files online.  I'd like to point
out that this didn't spring from some enlightened company wanting to
make all its business dealings public.


Bell Atlantic was *forced* to make these documents available to the public
and was *forced* to make them available electronically.  You can also get
a complete index of every document they file in this case, complete with
contact names and phone numbers of agencies where the document was filed,
from the Mich. BBS that's run by the State regulators.


There was a big fight over whether Bell Atlantic should be made to do this.
BA lobbied hard to defeat it.  This all took place last month in New York
during the annual meeting for all State Regulators.  The debate happened in
the Telecommunications Subcommittee which I just happened to be reporting
on for my publication, Communications Daily.


End the end, the resolution requiring BA to post the index was passed by
one vote:  the chmn. of the subcommittee had to cast the vote that broke
the tie.  FCC Comr. Barrett, part of the subcommittee, lead the vocal
debate *against* requiring BA to post this index.


Further, the idea for this came from the Pa. state regulators who demanded
all the documents from BA.  BA fought that, too, but as we see, they
lost.


Brock Meeks
reporter
Communications Daily