I READ yet again in another Variety story about Verizon that the company “has a natural monopoly on local, long distance and wireless telecommunications services in the CNMI.” This should come as news to those who use IT&E, PCI or TNI as their long distance service provider and have done since the 1980s, not to mention those who avail themselves of pre-paid service operators too numerous to detail.
As for wireless, Saipancell’s marketing department must be wondering whether they’re spending their advertising dollar wisely if they have become completely invisible to Variety.
Even in the local service market Verizon does not enjoy a legal monopoly—anyone is free to compete for that service as a competitive local exchange carrier and interconnect with Verizon as an equal. The correct term for Verizon is an “Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier,” i.e. one who used to have a monopoly, but no more.
Thank you for the opportunity to put things straight. JIM CALDERWOOD
Navy Hill, Saipan
