Subject: Urgent FCC Information

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 11:01:30 -0800

No matter what area of telecom you work with, this issue will affect you 
     personally and professionally!
     
     This letter is to inform you that the recent FCC decision to 
     detariff all long distance services also eliminated the requirement 
     for long distance carriers to provide pricing and service information 
     to the public.  If not modified, this decision will deprive U.S. 
     consumers, particularly small-to-medium sized businesses and 
     residential customers, access to critical information necessary to 
     make their telecommunications carrier and service selections.  The 
     decision will make it difficult for consumers to obtain thorough and 
     timely pricing information.
     
     Salestar is a San Francisco based telecommunications research 
     company.  Together with the Center for Communications Management 
     Information and Tele-Tech Services, we have formed the 
     Telecommunications Management Information Systems Coalition (the 
     "Coalition").  The Coalition's purpose is to advocate consumers' right 
     to view pricing and service information.  The Coalition and the 
     Utility Reform Network ("TURN"), a nonprofit organization that 
     advocates on behalf of California's residential and small business 
     customers of telecommunications, electric and gas services, filed a 
     petition for further reconsideration of the FCC's decision on December 
     4, 1997, the deadline for filing such petitions at the FCC.  The 
     Coalition's petition may be found at Salestar's webpage at 
     www.salestar.com.  A summary of the public disclosure issue as well as 
     a model letter of support for the Coalition's petition for further 
     reconsideration of the elimination of the public disclosure 
     requirement may also be found at Salestar's web page.
     
     In addition, we are mounting an aggressive campaign to rally 
     supporters.  We would like to take this opportunity to urge you to add 
     your support to our efforts by sending a letter to the FCC stating 
     your opposition to the elimination of the public disclosure 
     requirement and supporting our petition for further reconsideration.  
     For your convenience, a model letter of support may be found at 
     www.salestar.com.  Please feel free to use it as a guide in writing 
     your own letter or forward it to other groups who my be interested in 
     this issue.
     
     We would like all letters in support of the Coalition's petition 
     for further reconsideration to be submitted to the FCC no later than 
     Tuesday, January 20, 1998.  With a strong collective effort, we feel 
     that the FCC will take notice of our concerns and reinstate the public 
     disclosure requirement.
     
     Thank you for your support!  Should you have any additional 
     questions, please do not hesitate to call me at (415) 356-2166.
     
     Sincerely,

     Andrea Fortus
     Telecommunications Analyst
     [email-masked]