Conyers calls for probe of USTA plan

Rep. John Conyers, Jr., (D-Mich.) has called for a House Judiciary Committee investigation of the lobbying plan hatched by the U.S. Telecom Association, Verizon Communications, BellSouth, SBC Communications, CenturyTel and Alltel a couple of weeks ago, said the Los Angeles Times. Conyers, the ranking Democrat on the committee, reportedly said, "it would be impossible to know" whether any laws had been broken without an investigation. The plan calls for as many as 13 major equipment vendors– including Nortel Networks and Lucent Technologies–to join the incumbents in a three-year lobbying effort to enact comprehensive federal legislation that would end government management of competition and reform universal service. The suppliers would be expected to contribute up to $500,000 annually to support the effort. Competitive carriers led by the Association for Local Telecommunications Services and CompTel/Ascent Alliance said the plan would create a cartel whose goal would be to force CLECs out of business once and for all, in violation of antitrust laws.