VZ Lawyer Monica Azure: That's assuming that we do censor, and we're not saying we do that.
Assemblyman Richard Brodsky: Ok, huh. Does the existence of a legal barrier against your doing that create an impractical disadvantage for you in your exercise of your business?
VZ Lawyer Keith Clemmons: Your talking about on the telecommunications side... It would be difficult for me to expound to that, to assess its impact because it is a situation, which with we've lived, you know, since we've been providing Telecommunication service. We really don't have any way to compare what our, how we would provide for someone, or to deliver to costumers if we did not face that restriction.
RB: But, just assume because I've heard from you guys repeatedly about this particular regulation. In fact, you've asked legislation to remove some that have come through the legislature - to remove the regulatory barrier to business activity. Do you assert the existence of this for your telecommunication services has such a barrier?
KC: Ok, now the existence, if your talking about regulatory barriers generally, I can answer that question.
RB: I'm not. I'm talking about this - regulatory barriers. It's not a group liable, it's specific - some are good, some are bad. Is this one a good one, or a bad one?
MA: court regulation...
RB: I'm sorry, I didn't hear you.
MA: I haven't found a good regulation, but...
RB: (laughs robustly) How about lead paint on Chinese toys? That's good.
MA: Especially, Thomas the Tank Engine. I have a major problem with it.
RB: Ok, I just wanted to find out one we could agree on.
MA: There is one we can agree on.
RB: Ok, but go ahead. Is this particular telecommunications restriction, a good one or a bad one - and, does it offend the principles that you set forth in the testimony?
KC: I think I'd have to answer that it is an unnecessary one. So, to the extent that it is unnecessary, I would say that I'm not really saying that it is bad. That's because our view is that we don't need to impose regulations on telecommunications carriers to get them to do the right thing - to provide open network services, to provide services to all their costumers, to not restrict the content of their messages. Aside from the fact that there are other laws that would restrict us from doing things with content of, and costumer proprietary network information...
RB: That's the question we are examining today.
KC: But, our view would certainly be that much of that regulation is not necessarily, that we would have gotten there anyway, and that we certainly endeavor to provide those kinds of services that our customers would always demand even in the absence of those types of common carrier rules on the telecommunication side.
Um, uh, OK...
