Phone rate hike must go: Here's how to get it killed
By HOWARD TROXLER
Published March 16, 2004
TO: Johnnie Byrd, Speaker of the House
FROM: Your friend Howard
SUBJECT: How to repeal telephone bill
Dear Mr. Speaker,
I spent last week in Tallahassee, and everybody said you would like to do something to fix that awful telephone rate hike that you passed last year. The trouble is, there's no graceful way just to turn around and repeal it.
I think I can help you out. You have a great, built-in excuse for changing the law. You don't have to look like you're flip-flopping in an election year.
In fact, you have the best possible excuse the Legislature can have: Things have changed.
That's right. Things have changed dramatically since you guys voted for the phone companies last year. In fact, if you play your cards right, you can claim that you have no choice but to set things right.
As you will recall, your vote last year to jack up local telephone rates, almost doubling them in some places, was based entirely on the premise it would help "competition."
But now, Mr. Speaker, courtesy of a court ruling in Washington, D.C., the local telephone industry has won a tremendous victory. It does not have to give competitors access to its system at regulated rates. It can charge what it wants.
Which means, keeping them out.
Which means, less competition.
What a hornswoggle! They won a potential $1-billion in rate increases from the Florida Legislature in the name of "competition," and then they turned right around to make sure that competition doesn't occur.
Let's be crystal clear about this.
Our friends at the phone companies right now are trying to look innocent, with little halos over their head, saying, "Now we're REALLY going to have TRUE competition."
What they mean is that anybody who wants to compete is going to have to build their own telephone system - from scratch.
This is not what was said last year.
Last year, what was said was if they got these rate increases, all these competitors would rush in, plug into the existing system and compete right off the bat.
Now, this is how I figure things from here.
You are running for the U.S. Senate. You are a long shot at best - no, don't get mad. The only way you are going to win the Republican nomination is with a miracle comeback. And I can dang well guarantee you that you are not going to do it as The Guy Who Jacked Up Everybody's Phone Bill.
As for if you don't win: In that case, I appeal to your sense of legacy.
Your career has been based on the idea of reducing government, lowering taxes and freeing up Floridians to pursue the American dream. How is it consistent that, as one of your final acts, you would uphold a $1-billion "tax increase" on them by using the power of the government to reach into their pockets?
So, you have the means. You have the motive. You have a gold-plated, iron-clad justification. Things are just not going to line up for you any better. Do it. There's time.
* * *
Here, once again, is the list of how our area's members of the Legislature voted on the bill to raise telephone rates.
Here's who voted yes in the House:
Kevin Ambler, R-Lutz; Johnnie Byrd, R-Plant City; Faye Culp, R-Tampa; Frank Farkas, R-St. Petersburg; Bob Henriquez, D-Tampa; Ed Homan, R-Tampa; Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa; Ken Littlefield, R-Wesley Chapel; Sandy Murman, R-Tampa; Frank Peterman, D-St. Petersburg.
Here's who voted no in the House:
Tom Anderson, R-Dunedin; Kim Berfield, R-Clearwater; Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor; John Carassas, R-Belleair; Charlie Dean, R-Inverness; Heather Fiorentino, R-New Port Richey; Charlie Justice, D-St. Petersburg; David Russell, R-Brooksville; Leslie Waters, R-Seminole.
Here are the senators who voted yes:
Dennis Jones, R-Treasure Island; Jim Sebesta, R-St. Petersburg.
Here are the senators who voted no:
Nancy Argenziano, R-Dunnellon; Victor Crist, R-Tampa; Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey; Tom Lee, R-Brandon; Les Miller, D-Tampa.
