From: frank.kennedy@u2u.lonestar.org (Frank Kennedy)
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Subject: csc-3
Date: 3 Sep 92 00:17:00 GMT
Reply-To: frank.kennedy@u2u.lonestar.org (Frank Kennedy)
Organization: USER-TO-USER PCBoard (214)492-6565 (USR DS v32bis)


 From : Al Stahl                    1:325/1201              29 Aug 92  22:24:00
 To   : All                                                 01 Sep 92  23:46:00
 Subj : CSC letter to FCC

                        +------------------------------+
                        | Consumer Satellite Coalition |
                        |        transcript of         |
                        | 8/28/1992 letter to the FCC  |
                        +------------------------------+

REF: CONSUMERS PETITION FILED WITH FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

Dear Mr. David Mc Intosh;

On July 1, 1991 our volunteer consumer organization, totaling
5.9 million consumer members, filed a formal petition with the FCC.
The petition was filed under our first amendment rights to have our
grievances addressed aganist a monopoly decoder manufacturer known as
General Instrument Corporation (GIC).

In April of 1992 Mr. Jonathan D. Levy, Economist in the FCC Office of
Plans and Policy, requested we submit more documentation on our
complaint aganist GIC. We complied with the request and submitted
approximately 150 documented pages to be added to the 353 pages of
documentation submitted in the original petition.

On June 9, 1992, Mr. Jonathan Levy informed us he shared our documents
aganist GIC with GIC. He indicated the FCC does not have any control
over GIC's policies affecting consumers.

The following is a synopsis of TVRO grievances aganist GIC filed and
reported to the FCC:

  * knowingly entering excessive amount of defective products
    in the marketplace.

  * product warranty outdated: consumers not allowed to seek
    repair services from other sources.

  * disenfranchising legal consumers from paid subscription
    programming contracts.

  * GIC's use of computer authorization equipment center to
    trespass in private residences and destroy the function
    of the consumers legal software product.

  * State Attorney Generals inability to resolve the legal
    consumers problems with GIC and their products.

  * GIC's business practices of falsely accusing legal
    consumers of illegal activity.

  * GIC's ability to force the legal consumers through programs
    that are set up for illegal consumers.

  * cheating legal consumers out of ongoing product upgrades
    they supply free to other consumers.

  * forcing legal consumers to pay repair costs for GIC's
    intentional obsolescence and distruction of consumers
    legal equipment.

  * coercing with programmers to cheat legal consumers out of
    their paid for programming subscription services and
    free decoder upgrades.

The FCC endorses GIC as sole judge and jury without independent
oversight in their investigative business practices aganist legal
consumers. GIC's legal consumer abuse is mainly directed towards
those consumers in rural areas on Social Security or fixed
poverty level incomes.

Meanwhile the FCC has refused to take any action on the consumer
petition filed. The FCC refuses to make themselves available to
enforce the policies that protect law abiding consumers from
GIC's abuses. Law abiding consumers complaints have been filed
with the Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice,
U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate and finally the FCC.
The legal consumers cry for help has been completly ignored by
all these government agencies. Even Senator Danforth's office
tried to get the "ball rolling" with the FCC on addressing our
grievances but was unable to even get a reply from the FCC.

Since 1986 the FCC has continued to endorse GIC as the monopoly
TVRO decoder manufacturer rather than permit competition. Why
isn't the government enforcing the policies already in place
that protect the public from the GIC vulturism monopoly business
practices being inflicted on the law abiding consumers?

Now that the President's Council on Competitiveness has been
informed of the dilema that legal consumers are in, due to the
inept actions of the FCC, we would like to know what actions the
Council on Competitiveness will take to protect the legal consumers
interest from this government endorsed monopoly manufacturers abuses?

Assuring you your interest and assistance in this matter would
be greatly appreciated and we look forward to your reply.

                        Respectfully,

                                signed

                        Ms. SuzAnne Baechler
                        CSC CEO/FOUNDER
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Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite