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| Bell Atlantic to AT&T: Stop Complaining, Start Competing |
As Local Phone Competition Explodes, Bell Atlantic-NY Systems
Continue to Handle Thousands of Orders Daily
WASHINGTON, March 7 /PRNewswire/ -- BACKGROUND - Last December Bell
Atlantic (NYSE: BEL) became the first regional bell operating company (RBOC)
to be allowed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to offer long
distance service to consumers in New York State. That permission was granted
based on more than two years of testing and establishing a record that proved
that the local telephone network in New York is irreversibly open to all
competitors. In the first months of processing orders from its wholesale
customers -- who also are its competitors -- Bell Atlantic experienced some
software problems that have since been resolved. AT&T (NYSE: T) held a news
conference in Washington, D.C. today claiming that Bell Atlantic's Operating
Support Systems (OSS) are not working properly. The following statement may
be attributed to Tom Tauke, senior vice president for government relations at
Bell Atlantic.
"AT&T's statements are wrong.
"Competition is alive and well in New York. Local competitors have
captured more than 1.5 million local telephone lines throughout the state.
Our operating support systems (OSS) are now successfully handling more than
10,000 orders a day from our wholesale customers.
"We are committed to meeting the needs of all our wholesale customers.
And we are constantly updating, expanding, and improving our systems to
provide high quality service. Other carriers are taking advantage of these
system improvements; it's time for AT&T to stop complaining and do the same.
Today's comments are another skirmish in AT&T's decade long battle opposing
competition in the long distance marketplace. They lost the battle at the
state level, at the FCC, and have been losing in the courts. Yet they still
continue to play the regulatory blame game.
"AT&T's statements are wrong. Tens of thousands of orders have not been
lost. In fact, customers in New York have choice, and over a million
customers are being served by AT&T and others.
"AT&T should stop blaming others for every problem. It is AT&T that
billed New York customers toll rates for local calls. It is AT&T that cut off
long distance service to City Hall in Albany. And it is up to AT&T to compete
in the marketplace in New York."
SOURCE Bell Atlantic
back to topRelated links:
Company News On-Call:
800-758-5804, ext. 094251
CONTACT:
Susan Butta of Bell Atlantic, 202-336-7883,
or susan.butta@bellatlantic.com
