The commerce panel will hold a hearing on Wednesday to discuss the measure and its telecommunications subcommittee is slated to debate the legislation Thursday. Tauzin said during a recent telephone interview. Tom Bliley, the retired commerce panel chairman, did not allow the bill out of committee last year, and it remains to be seen whether the renewed effort will succeed in the House, let alone the Senate, where there is significant opposition. We've all learned a lot in the last few, rough months,'' said Ed Young, Verizon's senior vice president for international federal public policy. Fierce Opposition Long-distance carriers oppose the legislation, fearing it would give competitors access to the data markets, but keep local markets bottlenecked as Baby Bells abandon efforts to open their networks to rivals.
Analysts expect seven more bids to be filed by year-end.
Verizon has won approval in New York and Massachusetts, while SBC has Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas under its belt, with one pending bid for Missouri. Verizon has more than 1 million long-distance customers in New York, and SBC has won more than 2 million lines in Texas in less than a year. Tauzin said he has a commitment from his Senate counterpart, John McCain, the Republican chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, to take up the measure. Sen. Sam Brownback, the Kansas Republican, plans to introduce a similar bill, but its fate is uncertain. All rights reserved.