ISDN in MD, VA, PA, DC or NJ...Help needed. (fwd)

[James Love <love@tap.org>]

  We are looking for individuals, organizations or firms that are located in
  or do business in the following states, to join in motions to intervene in
  ongoing Bell Atlantic ISDN cases.  The states are: 
  
         Maryland
         Virginia
         Pennsylvania 
         District of Columbia
         New Jersey
  
  We have to file something in New Jersey and Pennsylvania pretty quick.  A
  selection of our past filings in these state ISDN proceedings are at: 
  
  http://www.essential.org/cpt/isdn/isdn.html, or
  the Bell Atlantic Action page,
  http://www.essential.org/cpt/isdn/bellnews.html
  
     Todd Paglia from our office is going to write the pleading.  He can be 
  contacted at 202-387-8030 or tpaglia@tap.org
  
     BACKGROUND
  
     Last fall Bell Altantic (BA) filed terrible tariffs in each of its
  states.  These were about $30 per month plus 1 to 2 cents per minute for
  usage, which was the killer. After much criticism, BA has re-filed tariffs
  which are lower, but still way too high.  In the new filings, you can buy
  140 hours of one ISDN B channel (70 hours if you bond 2 together into a
  single 128 Kpbs line) for $60 per month.  This is about .7 cents per 
  minute per channel, and you pay for a block, even if you don't use it.
  (the actual rates are on the CPT ISDN page).  
  
      ISDN doesn't cost the Telco much more than an analog phone, according
  to several studies.  Some telephone companies have voluntarily filed much 
  lower tariffs for ISDN, such as $17.90 per month, flat rate, in Arkansas, 
  or $29.50 flat rate in parts of California.  Ameritech filed flat rate 
  tariffs of $28 to $35 in Ohio, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin.
  
  In states were the tariffs have been contested, good things have happened. 
  $27 flat rate in Tennessee, where a Commissioner was an ISDN user.  In New
  Mexico, US West wanted $184 for its flat rate, but the Commission set the
  rate at $40.  In Texas, the Commission just set a flat rate of $41 for
  GTE. In Delaware, a Bell Atlantic state, the Commission set a rate of
  $28.02 ($24.52 excluding the $3.50 interstate SLC charge).  In Washington
  DC, there is a proposal before the Commission for a $32 flat rate. 
  Studies of usage costs have ranged from 10 cents per hour to 5 cent per
  day. 
  
    In Delaware and Washington DC, Bell Atlantic has threatened to withdraw 
  the service if the Commissions insists on the lower rates.  But the new 
  telecom act requires them to provide such services, the Commissions have 
  the legal power to make it happen, and Bell Altantic wants to buy NYNEX, 
  and shouldn't be causing so much grief.  
  
     If we intervene, with local residents or organizations or firms, it 
  sends a signal to the Commission that the issue is important (how to 
  price the new digital services), and that people want to get the service 
  at reasonable rates.
  
     If you can help, send a note to Todd, at tpaglia@tap.org, or call him 
  at 202/387-8030.
  
    jamie
  
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  James Love / love@tap.org / P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036
  Voice: 202/387-8030; Fax 202/234-5176
  Center for Study of Responsive Law
     Consumer Project on Technology; http://www.essential.org/cpt
     Taxpayer Assets Project; http://www.tap.org
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~