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To: Stephen B. Temple who wrote (2207)	12/17/1998 2:37:00 PM
From: Stephen B. Temple	Respond to of 3178

Seems the Chicane-ILECs have united> MACC Criticizes Latest Bell Atlantic Attempt to Freeze Local Competition In Its Tracks Maryland Competitors Cite Bell Atlantic's 'Local Service Provider Freeze' As <> December 17, 1998 /PRNewswire/The Maryland Alliance of Competitive Carriers (MACC), a statewide coalition of competitive local telephone providers, today condemned a new policy by Bell Atlantic -- called the "Local Service Provider Freeze" -- as a deliberate attempt to cast a deep chill over the growth of competitive local telecom services in Maryland by inhibiting customers' right to conveniently and efficiently choose an alternative provider. Typically, customers who wish to switch local telephone companies give their service order to their new local telephone company, which notifies Bell Atlantic of the change. The two phone companies then follow a set of provisioning procedures to transfer the customer to the new carrier's network. Bell Atlantic's "freeze" puts the local monopoly -- whose best interests are served by preventing customer defections -- in charge of the change, further delaying the processing and fulfillment of new customer conversions. Concurrently, three national trade associations -- the Association for Local Telecommunications Services (ALTS), the Competitive Telecommunications Association (CompTel) and the Telecommunications Resellers Association (TRA) -- have sent separate letters to regulators in all Bell Atlantic states urging them to suspend the "Local Service Provider Freeze" and investigate this latest step by the monopoly to ensure its local market dominance. "Bell Atlantic's Local Service Provider Freeze is just another attempt to ice the competition, and to make it even more difficult for competitors to gain new customers from the incumbent monopoly," said Jim Falvey, Executive Director of MACC and Vice President-Regulatory Affairs of e.spire Communications, a Maryland-based competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC). "In this case, Bell Atlantic is attempting to do so under the guise of consumer protection. State regulatory commissions should take immediate action to preclude this anticompetitive action, whose sole intent is to further impede an already slow market share erosion process." Bell Atlantic implemented the "freeze" ostensibly to prevent unauthorized changes to end users' local service providers, but in reality to make it more difficult for businesses and consumers to exercise choice. Once the freeze goes into effect for customers, they must notify Bell Atlantic by phone or in writing of their intention to change local phone companies. Consumer protection is a high priority to all MACC members. These companies encourage and support regulatory policies that protect the public and ensure consumer freedom of choice by allowing a fairly contested local phone market. "The process of transferring customers to a competitor is already a difficult one because Bell Atlantic's systems and processes do not facilitate customer switches," said Falvey. "Bell Atlantic wants to cement its control over the order entry and provisioning process in order to protect its embedded market share -- a customer base created by a prior government-mandated monopoly, not by customer choice." "Consumers will suffer because the delay will make it more difficult for them to obtain the lower prices, higher quality service and increased innovation that competitors bring to the market," said Falvey. " Competitors will be harmed by a procedure that will inconsistently reject or delay customer orders." The Maryland Alliance of Competitive Carriers is a statewide organization of alternative local telephone service providers committed to an open, fairly contested marketplace and customer choice. MACC's membership includes: Allegiance Telecom, AT&T, ATX, the Association for Local Telecommunications Services, Commonwealth Telecom Services, Inc., the Competitive Telecommunications Association, e.spire Communications, the Maryland-Delaware Cable Television Association, MCI WorldCom, Net2000, TCG, Starpower Communications LLC, the Telecommunications Resellers Association, and WinStar. SOURCE Maryland Alliance of Competitive Carriers /CONTACT: Jim Falvey of MACC, 301-361-4298; or Jim Crawford of Crawford Public Relations 703-715-0844, for MACC/ [Copyright 1998, PR Newswire]