Yea right! AT&T, spank them again while howling at the moon !!!
AT&T Wants Halt to BellSouth Program
February 2, 1999
WASHINGTON - The Associated Press:
AT&T Corp. has asked federal regulators
to stop BellSouth Corp. from continuing
to market a prepaid card that people can
use anywhere in the country to make
long-distance and other phone calls.
AT&T contends the arrangement violates a
provision of a 1996 law that bars BellSouth
and the nation's four other regional Bell
telephone companies from providing
long-distance service to their local phone
customers.
BellSouth defended the legality of the card,
which the company began marketing inside
and outside the company's nine-state local
phone region in December.
''It is completely legal,'' said Jim Harralson,
general counsel for BellSouth Long Distance.
BellSouth has been selling various forms of
popular prepaid cards since 1992.
Long-distance service for the card is being
provided by an unaffiliated company, U.S.
South Communications, although the card is
being marketed by BellSouth, said BellSouth
spokesman Bill McCloskey.
McCloskey did not know how many of the
disputed cards, which people also can use
for local and other phone services, the
company has sold since December.
AT&T filed its complaint to the Federal
Communications Commission on Jan. 29, but
announced the action Monday. It was filed
under a new process to quickly resolve
disputes. Under that process, the FCC must
resolve the complaint by March 30.
The 1996 law says a Bell company must open
its market to competitors and get FCC
approval before it may provide long-distance
service to local customers. No Bell has done
so.
Last year, the FCC declared that separate
marketing alliances US West Communications
Inc. and Ameritech Corp. _ both Bell
companies _ had with long-distance
company, Qwest Communications Corp.,
violated the 1996 law.
Under the pacts, Qwest paid US West and
Ameritech an undisclosed recruiting fee for
each client in the Baby Bells' local phone
regions that chose Qwest for long-distance
service.
AT&T said the FCC's decision against
Ameritech and US West bolsters its complaint
against BellSouth. But BellSouth disagreed.
[Copyright 1999, Associated Press] |
