HUNDREDS OF VERIZON WORKERS RALLY AT FCC TO SPOTLIGHT JOBS IMPACT OF VERIZON WIRELESS-BIG CABLE DEAL

Nearly 200 CWA members from five states rallied outside the Federal Communications Commission, calling for conditions on the Verizon Wireless-Big Cable deal.

CWA Newsletter June 14, 2012

Verizon workers from five states and Washington D.C. rallied alongside consumer advocates and community organizations in front of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today to urge regulators to put conditions on the proposed anti-competitive deal between Verizon subsidiary Verizon Wireless and Big Cable.

CWA representatives and Verizon workers also met with FCC officials to explain why the FCC needs to impose conditions on the deal to ensure it is in the public interest. CWA members also delivered petitions and handwritten letters of concern to FCC officials from more than 130,000 workers and consumers. In addition, they distributed copies of a new report, Slamming the Door on Our High Speed Future, which details how the proposed deal will destroy jobs and widen the digital divide. Read the full story here.

Democrats worry Verizon-cable deal could undermine Telecom Act

By Brendan Sasso June 13, 2012

A group of Democrats, led by Reps. Edward Markey (Mass.) and John Conyers Jr. (Mich.), urged federal regulators on Wednesday to take a hard look at Verizon’s proposed deal with a group of cable companies, warning the deal could undermine the 1996 Telecommunications Act.

The Democrats, some of whom helped write the 1996 law, said the goal of the legislation was to promote competition between cable and telephone companies.  

Read full story here.