From: John Cuccia 

Here's more on the Congressman from SBC:

http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/64502
However Sessions is not only a 16 year ex-SBC employee, his wife works for
Cingular, and he holds half a million dollars in SBC stock options,
according to an e-mail being circulated today by media reform outfit Free
Press.

On Mon, 13 Jun 2005 09:54:52 -0400, "Rich Gauszka"
 wrote:

>Brooks Patterson ( Republican - Oakland county executive )  stated this bill
>would even threaten Michigan's Oakland County proposal to team with Verizon
>( Verizon would own, control, maintain ) to provide wireless internet access
>to all county residents.
>
>http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/64120
>National Muni-Ban Proposed
>Rep. Pete Sessions knows what's best for your town
>Posted on 2005-06-01 09:22:28
>
>It was only a matter of time before the state level community broadband bans
>being crafted by incumbents went national. Save Muni Wireless reports that
>HR2726 would ban communities from wiring themselves unless there was "market
>failure". How is that failure defined? A private business can't be offering
>anything remotely resembling broadband anywhere nearby. Not surprisingly the
>author of the "Preserving Innovation in Telecom Act of 2005", Rep. Pete
>Sessions, is a former SBC employee.
>
>http://www.larryville.com/forum/index.cgi?frames=n;read=15019
>
> bill just introduced in Congress would take away the right of cities and
>towns across the country to provide citizens with universal, low-cost
>Internet access.
>Giant cable and telephone companies don't want any competition -- which
>might actually force them to offer lower prices, higher speeds and service
>to rural and urban areas.
>
>U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) -- a former telephone company executive --
>has introduced a bill (HR 2726) that would let cable and telecom companies
>shut down municipal and community efforts to offer broadband services.
>
>You can stop this outrageous bill. Send a message to your representative
>now.
>
>Next, forward this message to everyone you know ...
>
>No less than the future of all communications is at stake. In a few years,
>television, telephone, radio and the Web will be accessed through a
>high-speed internet connection. Low-cost alternatives to telephone (DSL) and
>cable monopolies are emerging across the country, as cities, towns,
>nonprofits and community groups build low-cost "Community Internet" and
>municipal broadband systems.
>
>Companies like SBC, Verizon and Comcast have been introducing laws state by
>state that would prohibit municipal broadband, undercut local control and
>prevent competition. But we've been fighting back -- and winning.
>
>An alliance of public interest groups, local officials, high-tech innovators
>and organized citizens have defeated anti-municipal broadband measures in
>nine of the 13 states where they've been introduced this year.
>
>What the industry couldn't pass in the states, they're trying to push
>through in Washington. Sessions' bill -- the "Preserving Innovation in
>Telecom Act" (an Orwellian title if there ever was one) -- would prevent
>state and local governments from providing "any telecommunications service,
>information service or cable service" anywhere a corporation offers a
>similar service.
>
>Congressman Sessions worked for telephone giant SBC for 16 years, and his
>wife currently serves as a director of Cingular Wireless, an SBC subsidiary.
>SBC and its employees have been Sessions' second-biggest career patron,
>pouring more than $75,000 into his campaign coffers.
>
>We can stop this legislation and send a clear message to Congress that local
>communities -- not the giant telephone and cable companies -- should
>determine their own communications needs. But you must act now.
>
>Please send a letter opposing HR 2726 -- and forward this message to
>everyone you know, asking them to do the same.
>
>

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