Press Release
D&E COMMUNICATIONS, INC. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 12, 2004 | NEWS RELEASE CONTACT PERSON: |
EPHRATA, PA -- G. William Ruhl, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of D&E Communications Inc., cited the importance of compensating rural telecommunications companies for use of their networks and creating a level regulatory playing field during testimony before a Congressional task force this week.
Ruhl testified before the Congressional Rural Caucus Telecommunications Task Force in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, November 17, at the invitation of Congressman John Peterson, (R-PA). His testimony was meant to provide a rural telephone service provider's perspective as Congress begins considering legislation to update the nation's telecommunications laws. D&E Communications includes three telephone company subsidiaries that provide service to almost 141,000 lines, largely in rural and small-town areas in central Pennsylvania.
"We are proud of the fact that DSL (digital subscriber line) services are available to 95% of our RLEC customers," Ruhl said in testimony submitted to the task force. "We see this as only the first step, however, and we recognize the need to build fiber closer to our customers in order to provide more advanced services. Telecommunications is a capital-intensive business, and steady investment is required for consumers to be well served."
Ruhl pointed out that, as small telecommunications companies invest in their networks, they must continue to be compensated by other companies that use those networks to complete calls or send information. "Continued investment in wireline infrastructure, spurred by the elimination of government-managed competition, will attract the capital needed to provide consumers a choice of a rich menu of voice, video and data services," he said.
He also urged that regulations be more uniformly applied to companies in the communications industry. "The wireless carriers, cable, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and satellite companies are attracting capital because of their lack of regulatory constraints," Ruhl said. "They are able to offer service free of onerous regulatory requirements, such as rules on what services to offer and at what price."
Ruhl noted that some companies that provide voice communication services using newer technologies are not required to provide 911 emergency call locating service, access to law enforcement agencies or contribute to the Universal Service Fund, which helps fund access to communication services in rural, sparsely-populated parts of the country.
"Rural local exchange carriers have, for many years, provided universal, reliable and affordable service to their customers. The telecommunications services that they have provided are the backbone for economic development in these regions," said Ruhl, who has worked in the telecommunications industry for 43 years. "We believe, as we move ahead with modernizing our network to provide a wealth of broadband services, we need regulatory parity and freedom to compete with other providers of telecommunication services."
D&E Communications, Inc. is a leading provider of integrated communications services to residential and business customers in markets throughout central and eastern Pennsylvania. D&E offers its customers a comprehensive package of communications services including local and long distance telephone service, high-speed data services and Internet access service. D&E also provides business customers with systems integration services including voice and data network solutions. For more information, visit www.decommunications.com.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of D&E's management concerning the development of our business, are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties, and other important factors that could cause actual developments and results to differ materially from our expectations. These include factors that we have indicated could adversely affect our business and financial performance contained in our past and future filings and reports, including those filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. D&E undertakes no obligation to revise or update its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.