Our fun friends at SBCAT&T are at it again. This is a particularly good column at directing attention towards what the actual point is in regards to the true nature of the situation regarding recent moves by SBC/AT&T against local municipalities control over their own public rights-of-way. Here are a few paragraphs….

After their novel and brilliant gambit of suing Geneva to “protect” the very citizens they’re taking legal action against, SBCAT&T managed to con the FCC into ruling that cities cannot unreasonably stop companies from competing with cable operators. But, just as the Greek Fates shared a single eye, the FCC commissioners share one brain which makes their finding that much easier to understand.

While children, abandoned to the video babysitter by negligent parents, witness 25 acts of violence per hour, the FCC is saving us all from Nicole Ritchie using the ‘S’ word and Bono dropping the ‘F’ bomb. Perhaps they’ve never walked down a high school hallway during passing period.

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As we all know, Mr. Brannock believes that SBCAT&T’s Project Lightspeed, and its refrigerator-sized emitters, should not be subject to local cable franchise agreements. At every opportunity he echoes the need for competition and lower cable bills. In fact, he spouts these arguments so frequently that SBCAT&T might save some money by replacing him with a digital voice recorder.

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To quote my favorite TV judge Marilyn Millian, “Ni te crees a ti mismo” or “Not even you believe what you’re saying.” Yes, SBCAT&T loves to promote competition, that is, unless it’s competition with them.

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In 2002 ten companies filed a complaint with the Texas Public Utilities Commission also accusing them of anti-competitive practices. When these competitors tried to set up T1 data lines, SBCAT&T claimed “lack of facilities.” Shockingly when Birch Telecom disputed SBCAT&T’s woeful tale, the missing “facilities” magically reappeared.

In 2005 Qwest Communications lodged a similar complaint with the FCC maintaining SBC was limiting the ability of rival companies to lease SBC lines at the cheaper government-regulated rates. They also said that SBC demanded smaller companies not merge with “blacklisted” competitors.

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I spoke with Geneva’s Information Technology Manager, Pete Collins, who had some very interesting observations. The next time you get your SBCAT&T phone bill, take a closer look at their new logo. It does look just like a Death Star. We have Emperor Whitacre and Darth Brannock using Jedi mind tricks on us. “This is not the broadband you’re looking for.” “You don’t need competition — move along.”

Read The Full Article from The Batavia Sun