March 17, 2010
Thousands of West Virginians Voice Opposition to Verizon-Frontier Deal to PSC
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
5,000 petition signatures delivered to PSC headquarters amid public demonstration People holding signs displaying the names of 5,000 West Virginians opposed to the proposed Verizon-Frontier deal watched as the petitions urging rejection of the deal were delivered to the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) today in Charleston.
The petition drop was part of a push by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), West Virginia Citizen Action Group, The Association of American Retired Persons (AARP), legislators and the general public to highlight opposition to Frontier’s attempt to buy Verizon phone lines in West Virginia, and 13 other states.
“Seeing these signs, with the names of all the people who have signed the petition, really brings home how many West Virginians oppose this deal,” said CWA International Representative Elaine Harris. “In less than two weeks we got 5,000 signatures, soon it will be 10,000. As more people are informed about this deal, more people take a stand against it.”
Opposition to the proposed deal has been steadily mounting since it was announced in May 2009. CWA was one of the first organizations to vocally oppose the deal and had dealt with Verizon deals in others states that turned out badly both for workers and consumers. As more details became public, more organizations and elected officials expressed opposition or deep concern about the proposed deal.
“As of March 1 we had more than 80 West Virginia legislators who submitted letters of opposition and concern over this deal to the PSC," Harris said. "Then you have the county commissions, city leaders, various organizations and 5,000 members of the public who are also voicing strong opposition to the deal. Simply put, the public opposition has become a force to be reckoned with.”
Organizers hope that PSC will give the petitions and public outcry their due consideration. The PSC is currently in deliberating in the Verizon-Frontier matter and has the power to approve with conditions, approve or reject the proposed deal.
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Thousands of West Virginians Voice Opposition to Verizon-Frontier Deal to PSC
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
5,000 petition signatures delivered to PSC headquarters amid public demonstration People holding signs displaying the names of 5,000 West Virginians opposed to the proposed Verizon-Frontier deal watched as the petitions urging rejection of the deal were delivered to the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) today in Charleston.
The petition drop was part of a push by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), West Virginia Citizen Action Group, The Association of American Retired Persons (AARP), legislators and the general public to highlight opposition to Frontier’s attempt to buy Verizon phone lines in West Virginia, and 13 other states.
“Seeing these signs, with the names of all the people who have signed the petition, really brings home how many West Virginians oppose this deal,” said CWA International Representative Elaine Harris. “In less than two weeks we got 5,000 signatures, soon it will be 10,000. As more people are informed about this deal, more people take a stand against it.”
Opposition to the proposed deal has been steadily mounting since it was announced in May 2009. CWA was one of the first organizations to vocally oppose the deal and had dealt with Verizon deals in others states that turned out badly both for workers and consumers. As more details became public, more organizations and elected officials expressed opposition or deep concern about the proposed deal.
“As of March 1 we had more than 80 West Virginia legislators who submitted letters of opposition and concern over this deal to the PSC," Harris said. "Then you have the county commissions, city leaders, various organizations and 5,000 members of the public who are also voicing strong opposition to the deal. Simply put, the public opposition has become a force to be reckoned with.”
Organizers hope that PSC will give the petitions and public outcry their due consideration. The PSC is currently in deliberating in the Verizon-Frontier matter and has the power to approve with conditions, approve or reject the proposed deal.
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