HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

65

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

Requesting the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing and the House Committee on Consumer Protection and COmmerce to convene joint informational briefings to determine whether the sale of Verizon Hawaii, INc., is in the public interest, and the feasibility of the Public Utilities Commission acquiring Verizon Hawaii, Inc., and operating it as a cooperative venture.

 

WHEREAS, Verizon Hawaii, Inc., formerly GTE Hawaiian Telephone Company Inc., is the largest telecommunications service provider in Hawaii, providing vital telephone, cellular phone, internet, facsimile, and digital as well as broadband-related services to Hawaii consumers and businesses on a daily basis; and

WHEREAS, Verizon Hawaii, Inc. is also one of the largest employers in Hawaii, employing over two thousand employees and generating millions of dollars in revenue annually; and

WHEREAS, Verizon Hawaii, Inc.'s parent company, Verizon Communications, Inc. has begun soliciting offers from numerous parties including a Washington D.C.-based private equity firm, a New York-based asset management company, and other telecommunications service providers regarding the possible sale of Verizon Hawaii, Inc.; and

WHEREAS, the uncertainty surrounding these preliminary negotiations, including the identities of prospective purchasers and the potential economic impact on Hawaii in terms of jobs and revenue in the event Verizon Hawaii, Inc. is sold, has generated much concern within the community; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, that the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing and the House Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce are requested to convene joint information sessions within fifteen days after the adoption of this Resolution to determine whether the sale of Verizon Hawaii, Inc., a vital telecommunications provider, is in the public interest, as well as to discuss the feasibility of the Public Utilities Commission acquiring Verizon Hawaii, Inc. and operating it as a cooperative venture in a manner similar to Kauai Electric; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that both the Senate and House Committees are strongly encouraged to invite representatives from Verizon Hawaii, Inc., Verizon Communications, Inc., other members of Hawaii's telecommunications industry, representatives from the Public Utilities Commission, and members of the public in discussing the potential impacts that a sale of Verizon Hawaii, Inc., would have on Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that both the Senate and House Committees are requested to report findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2005 concerning whether the sale of Verizon Hawaii, Inc. is in the public interest and the feasibility of the State Public Utilities Commission acquiring and operating Verizon Hawaii, Inc. as a cooperative venture; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to provide all necessary assistance to these Committees in coordinating and conducting these informational briefings and in formulating the findings and recommendations of the Senate and House Committees; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to Hawaii's congressional delegation, the President of the Hawaii State Senate, the Speaker of the Hawaii State House of Representatives, the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing, the Chairperson of the House Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, the President of Verizon Hawaii, Inc., the Chair of the Public Utilities Commission, and the Acting Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau, and the Chairs of the County Councils.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Verizon Hawaii; Senate and House Joint Information Briefing