AT&T, Verizon, Centurylink & ALEC
ALEC MEMBERS 2013
About ALEC:
The American Legislative Exchange Council, ALEC, is a skunkworks organization who puts together member corporations in many industries — including the phone and cable companies — with state and federal politicians — who are also members. Together they write ‘model legislation’ to make sure that the communications companies win — and you lose.
- Who is ALEC?, Common Cause
- The United States of ALEC, Bill Moyers
- Outing ALEC, Center for Media and Democracy
Reverse ALEC: The Threat:
Currently, the phone companies, working with ALEC have been able to create state legislation to close down all regulations and obligations. On the Federal level AT&T has filed the ALEC principles as a Petition, and even got the FCC to create a working group and task force to help close down your rights.
READING:
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ALEC & Your Communications: Part 1: How AT&T, ALEC and the Other Communications Companies Created Model State Legislation to Harm You
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AT&T, ALEC, FCC, Part 2: The AT&T FCC Petition is ALEC Model Legislation.
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Verizon’s Wireless ‘Voice Link’ as a Replacement of the Wires? The Downgrading and Disconnecting of America’s Communications Networks
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Report NRRI— Telecom Deregulation Scorecard – provides the most in-depth information about the current ALEC-telecom legislation by state .
Articles: Huffington Post
Here’s some articles about the current state of the communications battle.
- AT&T’s FCC Petition Should Be Denied: AT&T Should be Investigated Here’s some of the basics about the AT&T Petition.
- AT&T U-verse Is a Copper-Based PSTN Service: Lawmakers and the Media Were Duped. AT&T’s entire networks are based on the old copper wiring so any changes are simply to remove obligations to serve customers.
- AT&T’s $14 Billion Dollar ‘Bribe’ to Get Rid of Telecom Regulations Is a Multi-Layered Hoax AT&T claims it will upgrade the networks — if the petition goes through. AT&T has historically made up stuff just to get laws changed– and this falls into that category.
- New Networks Comments Filed New Networks has filed comments to stop the AT&T petition. .
- See Who Else Filed Comments at the FCC. Click here to see who else filed Comment in Support of AT&T or to Deny their Petition
Learn More
- Backgrounder The Immediate Threat:AT&T-Verizon-CenturyLink-ALEC:The Dismantling of the Public Telecom Utilities and the Closing Down ofTelecommunications Regulation in America.
- Petition: (Filed August 2012.) Stop All Proceedings to Close down the PSTN: Investigate Conflicts of Internet of the Technical Advisory Council and the Presentation of Manipulated Data.
- Report: Verizon’s State-Based Financial Issues & Tax Losses: The Destruction of America’s Telecommunications Utilities, the Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN).”
How the Game is Played:
Harvard Nieman Foundation for Journalism Watchdog.
- Wisconsin: A case study in how corporations get the legislation they want January 31, 2008, Telecom and broadband expert and activist Bruce Kushnick describes how model corporate bills get introduced and enacted in Wisconsin, to the detriment of the common good. (Second of two articles.)
- How much of your state’s legislation is being drafted by industry?, November 30, 2007, The American Legislative Council, or ALEC, lets corporations cultivate legislators and win support for industry-written bills while not technically breaking lobbying rules – and paying no taxes. (First of two articles)
- Corporate-funded research designed to influence public policy, October 01, 2007 Reports by well-known think tanks and individuals funded by telecoms are helping quash competition, increase phone rates and set up a corporate-oriented Internet system. Is there any reason to trust these reports? Or to trust experts who testify before regulators without revealing the sources of their funding?
- Press gives a free pass to citizens groups allied with telecoms, May 07, 2007 At a New Jersey utilities board hearing on cable franchises, three guys from Verizon – the elephant in the room – go unnoticed by the regulators, and by the press.
- Verizon, AT&T and the manipulation of public opinion April 04, 2007 Needed: Blacks, Hispanics, disabled, deaf, low-income and the elderly to support the telecoms’ positions on anti-consumer FCC rulings and legislation.