Hundreds rally for SBC bill

INDIANAPOLIS -- From rank-and-file data operators and linemen to the company's top state official, SBC Communications made a strident pitch Wednesday for legislation the company said would help protect jobs.\nAbout 1,000 people sporting signs, buttons and loud voices rallied at the Statehouse in support of a proposal that would remove broadband services, such as high-speed Internet, from the jurisdiction of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.\nThe bill also would require the IURC to consider an SBC-supported method for setting rates that former monopolies such as SBC and Verizon charge competitors for leasing their local phone-access lines.\n"It's a very simple proposition. It's about fairness. It's about us being treated like our competitors. It's about us being able to cover our costs," said George Fleetwood, president of SBC Indiana. "It's about whether we're going to have a strong telecommunications backbone to fuel high-technology jobs in Indiana."\nRep. Ed Mahern, the bill's sponsor, urged those attending the rally to demand action from their lawmakers.\n"There are no more profits. There is no more investment. There are layoffs," said Mahern, D-Indianapolis. "That's where we're headed if things don't change and SBC is not allowed to make a profit."\nSBC has said the bill would level the playing field for local service, in part by allowing it to charge more reasonable prices for leasing its network lines.\nThe company employs about 6,000 people in Indiana.\n"I think we're all concerned about loss of revenue for any reason," said Gregg Cammack of Noblesville, a 32-year SBC employee. "But I firmly believe that if something's not done to allow us to compete fairly in the state, we're going to continue to lose jobs."\nOpponents have argued the bill would stifle local phone competition and result in higher telephone bills for consumers.\n"It's interesting that SBC can afford to put on a $200,000 rally. But of course, they did make $7 billion last year," said David Dawson, a spokesman for Indiana Alliance for Telephone Choice, which opposes the bill.\nDawson also said the rally -- and the bill -- marked the first time he had heard fairness described as allowing a 13-state monopoly to continue.\nMary Beth Fisher, spokeswoman for the IURC, said the commission supports the concerns of SBC employees.\n"However, this legislation will not resolve those concerns," Fisher said. And if it should pass, she said, it should contain provisions requiring SBC to grow employment in Indiana.\nThe bill already passed the House 63-36, sending it to the GOP-controlled Senate.\nSen. James Merritt Jr., who will carry the bill in the Senate, promised the committee he leads would consider the impact on consumers, competition and jobs when it hears the proposal in March.\n"I promise you fairness," he said. "I know this is an important bill. We will not shove it aside"