roundtable: US Senate Rejects DOJ Decision Making Role in Telecom

roundtable: US Senate Rejects DOJ Decision Making Role in Telecom

US Senate Rejects DOJ Decision Making Role in Telecom

Vigdor Schreibman - FINS (fins@access.digex.net)
Tue, 13 Jun 1995 13:38:12 -0400 (EDT) 

Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 13:38:12 -0400 (EDT)
From: Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access.digex.net>
To: Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access.digex.net>
Subject: US Senate Rejects DOJ Decision Making Role in Telecom
Message-Id: <Pine.SUN.3.91.950613130155.2712A-100000@access4.digex.net>


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FINS SPECIAL REPORT                                          June 13, 1995
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US SENATE REJECTS DOJ DECISION MAKING ROLE IN TELECOM
Motion to Table Thurmond Amendment Agreed to 57 to 43

Washington, DC--The US Senate today agreed to table an amendment 
sponsored by Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC) to provide for review by the 
Attorney General of the United States of the entry of the Bell operating 
companies into interexchange telecommunications and manufacturing markets
The vote was 57 in favor and 43 opposed.  The amendment proposed by 
Thurmond would have prohibited the Attorney General from approving any 
requests by the Bell Companies for entry into long distance service 
unless the AG finds "that the effect of such authorization will not 
substantially lessen competition, or tend to create a monopoly in any 
line of commerce in any section of the country."

  Under the bill now pending before the Senate [S.652], a 14-point
checklist would be followed as the basis for making such a determination
by the Federal Communications Commission.  The Department of Justice would
have only a consultation role.  Proponents of the amendment argued
unsuccessfully that the expertise of the DOJ was essential to making the
decision upon this matter, while those opposed argued that adding the DOJ
ruling would make the DOJ into a regulatory agency contrary to the
traditional role of the DOJ as a prosecutor, and they also claimed that
such a role would delay the entry of the Bell Companies into the
competitive arena for long distance service. 

  Under the procedure followed in the case, the Thurmond amendment was
tabled.  However, immediately following the vote Sen. Thurmond vowed to
bring the matter back for another vote later in the process, "We shall be
back" the South Carolina Senator stated on the floor of the Senate.  A
cloture motion was filed yesterday calling for a limitation of further
debate on the bill to 30 hours.  As things now stand the cloture motion
cannot be voted upon until tomorrow morning (Wed 6/14).  If the motion is
approved by a two-thirds vote, the 30 hour limitation would commence. 

  Pundits believe that the vote on the DOJ issue was a test that would
take the wind out of the opposition's sails and help move the process
toward passage of the bill.   The Senate stands in recess until 2:15 pm 
when the debate will continue on a long list of amendments.  How the 
winds are blowing will become evident thereafter.

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