CONTACT:
Bruce Kushnick, 212-777-5418, bruce@teletruth.org
Joe Plotkin, 212-982-9800, joe@teletruth.org
Bob Garnet, 201-239-0725, press@teletruth.org
Tom Allibone, 609-397-2257, audits@teletruth.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JANUARY 29th, 2002

TELETRUTH:A NEW NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR CUSTOMERS' TELECOM AND BROADBAND RIGHTS IS FORMED.

New York --- TeleTruth, a new national, independent, customer alliance focusing telecommunications and broadband service issues, was launched today by a pro-customers alliance of 25 companies and independent industry observers. The organization was created to defend the public's interests, educate and inform customers on how to combat monopoly control, promote competitive fairness and innovation within the industry and accelerate the deployment of advanced networks and services.

"The year 2002 is a critical time for all phone and broadband customers. Prices for local services are going up, customer service is getting worse, and the promise of high-speed DSL has not been kept. Customers are wondering why they are paying all these indecipherable charges on their phonebills, and why they don't have the choices in competitive local phone services they were promised years ago. The American customer knows something is wrong and that no one is speaking out for them in fixing these problems. It is time for a change," said Bruce Kushnick, Chairman of TeleTruth and Executive Director of New Networks Institute

"Right now, federal regulators and some powerful members in Congress are turning their backs on innovative but small competitors and their customers in order to please the big, powerful, entrenched industry interests that have a long history of making but not keeping their service deployment commitments," said Joe Plotkin, Strategic Advisor to TeleTruth, and Director of DSL/Marketing for New York based ISP, Bway.net. Mr. Plotkin pointed to the continuing effort by Congressmen Tauzin and Dingell and their favored Bell companies to eliminate key pro-competition provisions in the telecommunications reforms of 1996 as a prime example of this problem. Plotkin also noted recent court decisions that have castigated the unbalanced, deregulatory practices of FCC Chairman Powell's commission for ignoring the plight and concerns of small competitors while clearing the way for the largest phone monopolies to expand into and disrupt competitive long distance service markets.

The goals of TeleTruth are:

• To Educate and Rally customer support and resources through the TeleTruth's website (TeleTruth.org) and newsletter, Forum, and provide the means for customers to electronically communicate their concerns to their representatives and regulatory leaders.
• To Propose and Support Legislation, both on the state and federal level, that is pro-competition and pro-customer, including a Broadband Bill of Rights.
• To Block Anticompetitive and Other Harmful Legislation, such as the current Bell-campaign-financed bill commonly called "Tauzin-Dingell", that will stifle competition and innovation.
• To protect customer's Phone bill interests, such as TeleTruth's 'Send Us Your Phonebill" Campaign which is currently helping customers recover overcharges paid to the phone companies through our phonebill auditing services.
• To provide access to the extensive research and analysis published by New Networks Institute, including studies that have been catalysts for IRS investigations into Bell tax underpayments.
• To actively file complaints and comments filed with the FCC, IRS, and other state regulatory agencies to protect customers from Bell's unfair business practices.

"Right now the cards are stacked against the phone and broadband customer. From phonebills that hid serious overcharging, to Bell monopoly profits that are no longer "fair and reasonable", the customer today has few protections and safeguards from monopolies taking advantage" states Tom Allibone, Director of TeleTruth's Auditing Division and president of LTC Consulting.

TeleTruth is totally independent of any company, association, political party or lobbying group, and is funded through memberships, donations and phonebill auditing refunds.

For our FAQ, see http://www.teletruth.org/About/FAQ.html. For more information, contact Bruce Kushnick at: 212-777-5418, Joe Plotkin at 212-982-9800, Tom Allibone at 609-397-5799, or Robert Garnet at 201-239-0725.