[1st-mile-nm] Qwest rate deregulation legislation

[Richard Lowenberg]

The following is from this week's NM Business Weekly.
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Friday, March 6, 2009

Qwest wants to set its own prices

Proposed telecom bill would deregulate rates

New Mexico Business Weekly - by Kevin Robinson-Avila NMBW Staff

http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/03/09/story1.html

Qwest Communications International wants the state Legislature to end rate
regulation.

The company is lobbying heavily for a bill that would allow it, for the first
time, to raise or lower prices at will for most telecommunications services.
Under current statutes, the Baby Bell must request approval from the New Mexico
Public Regulation Commission (PRC) for all rate changes.

Sen. Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa, introduced the bill (SB 445), but it?s a Qwest
initiative.

?It?s called ?the Qwest bill? because Qwest is taking the lead on it,?
Cisneros said. ?Qwest continues to be regulated while most other
telecommunications providers are not. It?s still the elephant in the room,
but Qwest is losing a lot of money to competitors that offer new, inexpensive
technologies and devices.?

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See the web site for a chart comparing CLEC landline percentage of state
markets.

rl

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Richard Lowenberg
1st-Mile Institute
P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504
505-989-9110;   505-603-5200 cell
rl at 1st-mile.com  www.1st-mile.com

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