[ Sent Feb 24, 2002 ]

We don't send many direct mails or bulletins to our customers; in fact
I don't believe we've done so in the last 5 years.  I am sending this
note out today because of one of a number of upcoming issues affecting
the competitive future of the Internet.

These days it seems to be open season, politically, on competition in
Internet access.  This week the Congress is going hunting, with a bill
known called HR1542, also known as Tauzin/Dingell (after its
sponsors).  Under the guise of encouraging investment in high-speed
telecommunications, this bill would relieve the large telephone
companies (like Verizon) from their obligation to provide access to
competitors to the telephone wires used in providing high speed data
service.  This is in direct opposition to the Telecommunications Act
of 1996 which currently forces the large telephone monopolies to
cooperate with competitors in allowing use of wires that are in the
public trust.

This bill can only serve to limit competition, and may be the beginning
of the end for local ISPs such as MV in New Hampshire and elsewhere.
It will also stifle competition in other telephone services.

One would think that it would be hard to find people who support this
bill.  However, NH Congressmen Bass and Sununu both do.  Since a vote
on this bill is coming up on February 27 (that's this Wednesday!) I
urge you to show them that New Hampshire citizens object to this
support.  If a number of our customers email, call, or FAX them,
they may get the idea.  (See below for some information on reaching
them.)

You, as customers of one of the oldest independent ISPs in existence,
are certainly in a position to understand why closing down competition
is an awful idea.  The ability to access the public telephone network
using retail offerings is what drove the growth of the Internet -- not
because of the large telephone companies, but in spite of them.
Competition in high-speed access is the critical thing that stimulates
the market and creates innovation through trial of different new
technologies, new services, and new products.

Innovation and competition aside: the large regional Bell companies
were entrusted with maintenance of the public telephone network on a
monopoly basis in return for guaranteed profits.  That makes economic
and policy sense:  but it does not make any sense at all to allow that
public trust to be turned into a monopoly position in other areas.
Many people in the industry believe that the correct policy would be
in the opposite direction of the Tauzin/Dingell bill, and that would
be to break apart the monopoly aspect of the Bell companies (the
control of the public infrastructure, i.e. the wires) from the
competitive parts layered on top of it.  After all, think about it: a
company that was charged with maintaining just the public infrastructure
would welcome new customers, and would welcome innovative new ways of
using the infrastructure.  It would try its hardest to sell the most
product that it could, rather than hoarding it all for itself and its
single way of thinking.

Tauzin/Dingell puts us on the road to less choice, fewer providers,
less innovation, and less competition.  

We've created an area on our web site that contains this letter and
some links to some more information.  Please go to:

    http://www.mv.com/issues/tz.shtml

And by all means please send a quick email note or FAX to your Congressman.
Please be sure to let them know what area of the state you live in, and that
you think HR1542 ("Tauzin/Dingell") is a very bad idea.

The sooner the better!  The vote is Wednesday; moreover, representatives
from the NHISPA (New Hampshire ISP Association) will be speaking with
Reps. Bass and Sununu on Monday, and your feedback before then could
make a difference.

Charlie Bass:
   URL:  http://www.house.gov/bass/
   email: cbass@mail.house.gov
   FAX: (202) 225-2946
   Telephone: (202) 225-5206

John Sununu:
   URL:  http://www.house.gov/sununu/
   email: rep.sununu@mail.house.gov
   FAX: (202) 225-5822
   Telephone: (202) 225-5456


Thank you,

Mark Mallett
President
MV Communications, Inc.