HF 1942

as introduced - 79th Legislature (1995 - 1996) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                             A resolution
  1.2             memorializing the President and Congress to remove 
  1.3             barriers to competitive interLATA telecommunications 
  1.4             services. 
  1.5      
  1.6      WHEREAS, it is the policy of the State of Minnesota to 
  1.7   promote diversity in the supply of telecommunications products 
  1.8   and services in telecommunications markets throughout the state; 
  1.9   and 
  1.10     WHEREAS, it has been lawful in Minnesota for any company 
  1.11  providing interexchange telecommunications services to compete 
  1.12  for all kinds of interexchange telecommunications services so 
  1.13  long as it is properly registered with the Minnesota Public 
  1.14  Utilities Commission; and 
  1.15     WHEREAS, the one exception to the freedom of all companies 
  1.16  in this state to compete in all markets is that two of the 
  1.17  largest telecommunications companies serving most of the state's 
  1.18  citizens remain prohibited from providing interLATA 
  1.19  telecommunications services; and 
  1.20     WHEREAS, the legislature finds that these prohibitions and 
  1.21  restrictions are unreasonable and are frustrating diversity of 
  1.22  supply in the telecommunications markets in the state; and 
  1.23     WHEREAS, the United States District Court for the District 
  1.24  of Columbia, in the Modification of Final Judgment entered 
  1.25  August 24, 1982, in United States v. Western Electric, Civil 
  2.1   Action No. 82-0192, established barriers that prevent some 
  2.2   telecommunications companies from providing interLATA 
  2.3   telecommunications services; and 
  2.4      WHEREAS, Minnesota consumers and the state's economy will 
  2.5   benefit from increased and enhanced competition in the provision 
  2.6   of interLATA telecommunications services that will occur through 
  2.7   the elimination of the federal court barriers to this 
  2.8   competition; NOW, THEREFORE, 
  2.9      BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota 
  2.10  that the President and Congress be informed that the State of 
  2.11  Minnesota supports the elimination of LATA boundaries and open 
  2.12  competition by all providers of telecommunications services for 
  2.13  all types of telecommunications products and services, including 
  2.14  interLATA telecommunications services. 
  2.15     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State of the 
  2.16  State of Minnesota is directed to prepare copies of this 
  2.17  memorial and transmit them to the President of the United 
  2.18  States, the President and Secretary of the United States Senate, 
  2.19  the Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of 
  2.20  Representatives, the chairs of the appropriate Senate and House 
  2.21  Committees, and Minnesota's Senators and Representatives in 
  2.22  Congress.