'Baby Bells' wait; hope judge relents: Is Judge Greene a law unto himself or an antitrust archangel?

Article Abstract:

Controversy rages around Judge Harold H. Greene, who is currently seen as the nation's most important person in setting telecommunication policy. Since the mid-1980s, when Judge Greene presided over the breakup of AT&T, the judge has retained authority to tell regional Bell companies what they can and cannot do. Critics say Judge Greene is a 'one man regulatory agency,' stripping Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of their rightful authority. They further contend that Greene understands neither technology nor the market, and the telecommunications industry ought not to be regulated by one judge. According to Raymond W. Smith, chairman and CEO at Bell Atlantic Corp, Judge Greene is denying Americans of information-age services that are being offered in other Asian and European countries. According to Greene himself, he is concerned that without restrictions, Bell companies might use profits from regulated phone businesses to subsidize entry into other markets, or they might use their local monopolies to discriminate against rivals.

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The local call goes up for grabs; now, it's Baby Bells that are the focus of deregulation. And Teleport is ready

Article Abstract:

Teleport Communications Group exemplifies the type of company that is moving to break the local telephone monopoly. As government regulators begin the process of deregulating local markets, aiming to bring rates down and improve service by means of competition, companies such as Teleport are responding. Teleport, which already operates in 25 cities and plans to establish networks in 40 more, provides various services including high-volume connections that allow banks, stock exchanges and brokerages to reach long-distance networks without using the facilities of one of the local telephone companies. Companies such as Teleport, which are growing, now control about 1.5 percent of a local telephone market that is estimated to be worth $100 billion. Public telephone companies are concerned, saying that companies such as Teleport will 'cream-skim,' taking the valuable and easy-to-serve customers for themselves and leaving the rest.

COMMUNICATION, Management, Monopolies, Market share, Marketing Strategy, Local Communication, Teleport Communications Group Inc.

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Phone case arguments are heard

Article Abstract:

Federal District Court Judge Harold Greene will rule on whether restrictions should be lifted that bar the regional Bell holding companies (RBHCs) from offering information services. Greene did not give any indication that he would defer the decision to the US Department of Justice, which is siding with the RBHCs. Greene has consistently resisted giving up control over issues that revolve around the consent decree that broke up AT and T in 1984 and barred the RBHCs from the information services industry. Many in the information services industry, including newspapers and television broadcasters, believe that the RBHCs will have an opportunity to compete unfairly if they are given the chance to enter the market.

Antitrust Laws

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