[U S WEST Asks Federal Court to Reconsider After Chicago Ruling That Lets Customers Continue Signing Up for Ameritech Offer of Long-Distance From Qwest]
Customers in One Part of Country Shouldn't be Denied Benefits of Virtually Identical Program Available Elsewhere, Says U S WEST --
DENVER, June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- U S WEST today is asking the federal district court in Seattle to reconsider its temporary suspension last week of a marketing alliance with Qwest that gives customers the benefit of one-stop shopping, following a ruling yesterday by a federal judge in Chicago letting Ameritech customers continue signing up for a similar offer of local service with the option of long-distance from Qwest.
In both decisions, the courts ruled that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should ultimately decide the merits of the issue. The federal district court in Chicago, however, refused to grant an injunction sought by the big long-distance companies to block customers from signing up while the FCC resolves the matter. In Seattle, the judge suspended the offer for new customers on June 5, letting U S WEST and Qwest serve only the 130,000 customers already signed up.
"We think the Chicago judge ruled correctly and in the interests of consumers," said Solomon D. Trujillo, president and CEO of U S WEST. "We are hopeful that the judge in Seattle will reconsider his ruling in light of this decision and do the same. The two programs are virtually identical. They both give customers the benefits of one-stop shopping. They both offer the convenience of local phone service with the option of long-distance from Qwest. The only difference is that today, customers in five midwestern states can sign up for it. And customers in our 14 midwestern and western states cannot.
"Our Buyers' Advantage program meets both the spirit and letter of the Telecommunications Act. Customers have voted by the tens of thousands for its no-nonsense simplicity and 10c-a-minute interstate rates from Qwest. It is imperative that the FCC move to resolve this issue expeditiously," said
Trujillo.
U S WEST began offering Buyer's Advantage in its 14-state region on May 7, giving customers the benefit of U S WEST local phone service with the option of Qwest interstate long-distance service at a rate of 10c a minute, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Demand for the program was overwhelming, with almost 130,000 consumers signing up for the program in just over three weeks.
The big long-distance companies, however, quickly moved to squelch the program. AT&T, MCI and others filed suit against U S WEST in federal district court in Seattle, seeking a preliminary injunction to suspend the offering, which the Seattle court granted. AT&T and MCI claim the program violates the 1996 Telecommunications Act which prohibits regional phone carriers from "providing" out-of-state long-distance service for customers in their region.
U S WEST and Qwest believe Buyer's Advantage complies fully with the spirit and letter of the 1996 Act, offering customers more choice and better value in their long-distance service. Furthermore, it is Qwest, not U S WEST, that provides the long-distance to customers and gets the revenue. And other qualified long-distance companies, interested in providing the same value to customers, have the opportunity to join the program. |
