[May 11, 2013] Group blasts telecom bill touted by Ed Tweet May 11, 2013 (Boston Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A leading consumer advocacy group blasted the same telecommunications bill that U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey is boasting about in his first television ad in the U.S. Senate race -- saying it created larger monopolies instead of breaking up cable and media companies. "In many ways, the Telecom Act failed to serve the public and did not deliver on its promise of more competition, more diversity, lower prices, more jobs and a booming economy," wrote Celia Viggo Wexler, author of the Common Cause report released nearly 10 years after the 1996 bill was passed. "Instead, the public got more media concentration, less diversity and higher prices." The Markey campaign released its first television ad in his general election faceoff against Republican Gabriel Gomez this week, saying the Malden Democrat "fought to break up monopolies and transform the telecom industry." But a 22-page report released by Common Cause detailed that instead of breaking up big companies and increasing competition, the bill lifted ownership limits for companies -- making mergers more attractive. The law triggered mergers of big-name media companies such as Viacom and Paramount Communications, and Disney and ABC. "Those who watch the industry say that all the mergers have brought about a return of a 'media oligopoly,' " Common Cause wrote. Markey spokeswoman Giselle Barry discredited the report as old and out of touch, saying since the 2005 report was released the number of people receiving broadband has shot up from 3 percent to 63 percent. The number of cable options for Bay State consumers remains limited, however, despite the arrival of Verizon Fios. "The Telecommunications Act unleashed billions in private sector investment, creating new jobs and establishing entirely new industries," she wrote in a statement. "We have witnessed an eruption in wireless technology and services. Today, we enjoy a greater variety of programming, along with the various ways to watch that programming, from traditional tv to emerging over-the-top services such as Hulu and Netflix." The report also pointed out that cable rates shot up after passage of the bill because it relaxed bans on broadcast-cable and telephone-cable cross-ownership, allowing companies such as Comcast to monopolize media. ___ (c)2013 the Boston Herald Visit the Boston Herald at www.bostonherald.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]