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M$ Hearing Action Alert
The Micro$oft Monitor
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Published by NetAction Issue No. 22 February 23, 1998
Repost where appropriate. Copyright and subscription info at end of message.
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In This Issue:
Microsoft Hearing Action Alert
About the Micro$oft Monitor
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ACTION ALERT:
SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HEARING SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 3, 1998
Fax or phone committee members to urge action against Microsoft and the
inclusion of consumer voices at committee hearings.
Send a fax from NetAction's fax server, at: <http://www.netaction.org/fax/>
On March 3, 1998, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will scrutinize
Microsoft's monopoly power during a hearing on the subject of "Market Power
and Structural Change in the Software Industry." Bill Gates has been
invited to appear as a witness along with the CEO's of Microsoft's most
vocal competitors, Scott McNeally of Sun Microsystems, Inc., and Jim
Barksdale of Netscape.
As Internet users, we must keep up the pressure on our representatives in
Congress in urging a full review of all of Microsoft's monopolistic and
anti-competitive practices.
NetAction is asking everyone who is concerned about Microsoft's growing
monopoly to fax and/or phone the committee to thank the members for holding
the hearing and pushing for a full review of Microsoft's practices, and also
to ask that more consumer voices be included in the committee's
deliberations. While hearing from Microsoft's industry competitors is
important, consumer and non-industry technology users have different and
equally important concerns about the dangers of Microsoft's proprietary
approaches. And since consumer welfare is the purpose of antitrust law, it
is crucial that our voices be heard during these hearings.
The hearings are an important event since Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah),
chairman of the Judiciary committee, has expressed significant criticisms of
Microsoft in recent months, most recently at a technology conference
sponsored by the Progress & Freedom Foundation. At this conference, Hatch
stated, "Many certainly do believe that this is what Microsoft is out to
achieve, in effect a proprietary Internet." He argued, further, that "It is
dangerous, unhealthy, and harmful to innovation and consumer welfare where
that firm (indicating Microsoft) can exploit its existing monopoly to
prevent new competitors with innovative, paradigm shifting technologies,
from ever having a fair shot at winning and becoming the new market leader
or de facto standard." (Hatch's talk is online at
<http://www.pff.org/pff/Hatch98.html>.)
NetAction has set up a fax server to help Internet users convey concerns about
Microsoft to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and to urge
committee members to support our recommendations for restraining
Microsoft's anti-competitive practices.
Go to: <http://www.netaction.org/fax/> to send a fax now, or
phone the committee members at the numbers listed below.
Faxes and phone calls should be directed to the Judiciary committee and to
the Senators serving on the committee.
Committee members and their phone and fax numbers are:
Phone: Fax:
Judiciary Committee Office (202) 224-5225 (202) 224-9102
Orrin G. Hatch, Utah, Chairman (202) 224-5251 (202) 224-6331
Patrick J. Leahy, VT, Ranking Mem. (202) 224-4242 Not available
Republicans
Strom Thurmond, South Carolina (202) 224-5972 (202) 224-1300
Charles E. Grassley, Iowa (202) 224-3744 (202) 224-6020
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania (202) 224-4254 (202) 228-1229
Fred Thompson, Tennessee (202) 224-4944 (202) 228-3679
Jon Kyl, Arizona (202) 224-4521 (202) 228-1239
Mike DeWine, Ohio (202) 224-2315 (202) 224-6519
John Ashcroft, Missouri (202) 224-6154 (202) 228-0998
Spencer Abraham, Michigan (202) 224-4822 (202) 224-8834
Jeff Sessions, Alabama (202) 224-4124 (202) 224-3149
Democrats
Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts (202) 224-4543 (202) 224-2417
Joseph R.Biden, Jr., Delaware (202) 224-5042 (202) 224-0139
Herb Kohl, Wisconsin (202) 224-5653 (202) 224-9787
Dianne Feinstein, California (202) 224-3841 (202) 228-4741
Russell D. Feingold, Wisconsin (202) 224-5323 (202) 224-2725
Richard Durbin, Illinois (202) 224-2152 (202) 228-0400
Robert Torricelli, New Jersey (202) 224-3224 (202) 224-8567
This is a critical time in our campaign, so we urge you to take a few
minutes right now to use the NetAction fax server, and/or call the Senate
Judiciary committee members.
Questions or comments? Write to Nathan Newman, NetAction's Project Director
for the Consumer Choice Campaign, at: <nathan@netaction.org> or send a
message now from <mailto:nathan@netaction.org>.
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About The Micro$oft Monitor
The Micro$oft Monitor is a free electronic newsletter, published as part of
the Consumer Choice Campaign <http://www.netaction.org/msoft/ccc.html>.
NetAction is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to educating the
public, policy makers, and the media about technology-based social and
political issues, and to teaching activists how to use the Internet for
organizing, outreach, and advocacy.
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at any time, send a message to: <majordomo@netaction.org>. The body of the
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For more information about contributing to NetAction, or sponsoring the
Micro$oft Monitor, contact Audrie Krause by phone: (415) 775-8674, by
E-mail: <mailto:audrie@netaction.org>, visit the NetAction Web site at:
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Copyright 1998 by NetAction/The Tides Center. All rights reserved.
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