Sender: "W. Curtiss Priest" <•••@••.•••> CLINTON ATTACKS CONGRESS TELECOM BILL President Clinton has attacked the bill (now in a House-Senate conference committee) that would drastically overhaul the nation's telecommunications laws and encourage greater competition among local phone, long-distance and cable TV companies. The President objects to provisions that would allow regional Bell companies to enter the long-distance market before the Justice Department determines they are facing real competition in their own local markets; deregulate cable TV rates; allow telephone companies to buy as much as 49% control of local cable television companies; and relax restrictions that prevent a company that owns a newspaper from acquiring TV and radio stations in the same city. (New York Times 28 Oct 95 p17) @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Follow-up from moderator: In another posting today, I saw a quote from Clinton specifically criticizing media concentration because it "could reduce the diversity of news and information available to the public." This is precisely the point being made by public interest groups, and why the telecom bill is an important issue. Andy ~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~-~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~ Posted by Andrew Oram - •••@••.••• - Moderator: CYBER-RIGHTS (CPSR) You are encouraged to forward and cross-post messages for non-commercial use, pursuant to any redistribution restrictions included in individual messages. ~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~-~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~
