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| FEBRUARY 2002 |
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National
Grange Legislative Fly In 2002 Is Set for June 9-11, 2002
The
National Grange is preparing for the 5th Annual National Grange Legislative Fly-In.
This year, Fly-In 2001will take place from June 9 through June 11, 2002 at the
National Grange headquarters in Washington DC. The goal of the Legislative Fly-In
is to bring Grange members from all parts of the country to Washington D.C. to
learn more about the legislative activities of the National Grange through an
informative series of workshops and guest speakers. The Fly-In also provides Grange
members with the opportunity to discuss Grange policy and individual state issues
with their Members of Congress. Grange members are invited, and are encouraged,
to participate in the three-day legislative program.
Over
the course of Fly-In 2002, Grange members will participate in several workshops
dealing with legislative issues that are important to all Grange members across
the nation. Special attention will focus on issues that are part of the National
Grange's priority issues document "Blueprint for Rural America 2002". Other workshops
will include various grass roots lobbying techniques and examples of successful
State Grange legislative projects. Several events are being planned involving
key Members of Congress and their staffs from participating Grange states who
will be invited to join the Fly In 2002 participants for individual and small
group meetings to discuss issues of concern in informal settings. Grange
members interested in attending Fly In 2002 must have their registrations in to
the National Grange Legislative Department no later than Friday May 3, 2002 to
guarantee their hotel room. Some additional hotel nights are being reserved for
those who need to stay over a Saturday night or for those who want to conduct
some private sight seeing in the Washington DC area either before or after the
conference. Information about the costs, hotel arrangements and logistics for
Fly In 2002 will be mailed shortly to State Grange Masters and Legislative Directors,
e-mailed to recipients of E-View from the Hill, and will be posted on the National
Grange's Website www.nationalgrange.org. Grange members interested in attending
this year's National Grange Fly In 2002 can contact their State Grange Master
or Legislative Director for more details or contact the National Grange Legislative
Department by phone (202) 628-3507 ext 101, fax (202) 347-1091, or by e-mail swilkins@nationalgrange.org,
or lwatson@nationalgrange.org.
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National Grange Opposes Proposed Satellite TV and Internet
Monopoly
In separate letters to the Federal Communications Commission
and the U.S. Department of Justice the National Grange expressed its strong opposition
to the proposed merger of EchoStar Communications Inc and Hughes Electronics Corporation.
EchoStar and Hughes are the nation's leading providers of satellite TV and satellite
based high speed Internet services. The Grange letters explained that in large
parts of rural America that lack access to cable television or other terrestrial
multichannel video programming distribution (MVPD) services, direct broadcast
satellite services are currently the only means for receiving a full range of
MVPD services at an affordable cost. At present there are only two major direct
broadcast services-EchoStar's Dish Network and Hughes' DirecTV. Each company offers
a competitive, alternative satellite TV and high speed satellite Internet service
for rural consumers. The EchoStar/Hughes merger would therefore, create a monopoly
in these two vital advanced communications technology services. "We believe that
such a monopoly will lead to higher prices and less innovative services for consumers
in rural areas," the Grange letters stated. In
response to complaints that rural America would be held hostage to anti-competitive
pricing, the merged company has proposed to establish nationwide pricing for its
satellite TV services. "While this proposal has facial appeal, it is not sufficient
to address the problems inherent in any monopoly, " the Grange letters explained.
First, the Grange argued that the combined company would be expected to set a
single nationwide price that would maximize its profits, with full knowledge that
extra profits from captive rural consumers would compensate for any lost customers
in urban areas with cable television. Second,
the Grange letter noted that "nationwide pricing" is a form of price controls
that would require some form of new, expansive federal regulatory oversight in
order to assure that the nationwide pricing policies proposed by the new company
are equitably applied across the nation. Third, company spokespersons have already
stated that special promotions on equipment or other aspect of service would have
to be exempt from the nationwide pricing pledge, depending on the local market.
This means that captive rural consumers would be unlikely to benefit from these
special promotions.
Finally,
the Grange argued, "Antitrust policy is about more than just price." Even if a
nationwide pricing policy could be effectively put in place, such a policy would
do nothing to address non-price benefits of the current competitive market for
satellite TV service-such as technological innovation, choice in programming,
quality of service and customer care. "These non-price benefits would be lost
in the non-competitive MVPD marketplace that the merger would establish for rural
America. In an industry where future technological advancements seem likely, there
is enormous dynamic efficiency in keeping the satellite TV companies pitted against
each other and against the cable industry, instead of giving a single national
satellite TV monopoly a free ride on prices and levels of service," the Grange
letters argued. Finally
the proposed merger would also combine the only two high-speed Internet services
available in much of rural America. More than 25% of the nation's households cannot
receive advanced Internet services through cable modems or digital subscriber
(telephone) lines. For these millions of Americans, satellite broadband Internet
service is their only option. Thus the EchoStar/Hughes merger would enable is
company to create a monopoly in current high speed Internet services in rural
America. "And EchoStar/Hughes has so far refused to propose any nationwide pricing
policy or other regulatory safeguard to protect consumers against the effects
of monopoly in the broadband internet market," the Grange wrote. This means that
in the age-old tradition of monopolies, what the new company would propose to
give with one hand (price controls for the satellite TV service) they would take
away with the other hand (monopoly pricing for high speed internet service). "For
all of these reasons, the merger application should be denied.so that these two
companies can get back to the business of competing with each other to the benefit
of rural subscribers," the Grange letters concluded.
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Bill Conference Committee Set to Work Out New Farm Program
The US House
of Representatives and US Senate are hard at work with the Bush Administration
in forging a compromise piece of legislation that will direct federal farm program
for at least the next five years. The House passed H.R. 2646 and the Senate passed
S. 1731. These two bills must be reconciled into a single piece of legislation
before it can be sent to President Bush for his signature. As negotiations have
proceeded, the National Grange has been active in notifying both Members of Congress
and its grassroots membership regarding Grange supported provisions in both bills
that should be part of the final legislation. Grange positions on various provisions
of the Farm bill that have been communicated so far include: Support
including dairy compact legislation in the final version of the 2002 Farm Bill
including: permanent authorization and expansion of the Northeast Regional Dairy
Compact; creation of a Southern Regional Dairy Compact; and authorizing the formation
of dairy compacts among states in other regions. Support
provisions in both the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill that would make
the Federal dairy support price of at least $9.90 per cwt. a permanent program
as part of the 2002 Farm Bill. Support
the US Senate proposal for direct, federal financial assistance targeted to moderate
sized dairy farms that are not covered by Regional Dairy Compact Programs when
the national average all-milk price falls below the historic five-year average
all milk price.
Support
consensus proposals in both versions of the legislation that: authorize a national
Johne's Disease control program; include importers of dairy products in promotion
and research check-off programs; extend the Dairy Export Incentive Program; and
reform mandatory USDA dairy inventory and price reporting requirements for cheese,
butter and non-fat dry milk. Support the payment limitation provisions from the
U.S. Senate Farm Bill that effectively sets an annual payment limitation of $275,000
for all 'Counter Cyclical', 'Marketing Loan' and 'Loan Deficiency' payments under
the Commodity Title of the 2002 Farm Bill and oppose the U.S. House of Representative
Farm Bill payment limitation provisions that would set a nominal payment limitation
of $550,000 annually per farm, but with loopholes that effectively eliminate most
payment limitations. Support
allowing the interstate shipment of meat that has been inspected by state government
meat inspection programs to be included in the final version of the Farm Bill
as one means of breaking the economic concentration of large meatpacking companies
and encouraging rural small businesses. Oppose
the inclusion of Section 215, Water Conservation, from the Senate version of the
Farm Bill, which creates a pilot program covering the states of California, Oregon,
Washington, Nevada, New Mexico, New Hampshire and Maine that would transform the
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) into an unprecedented new water and habitat
management program under the Endangered Species Act.
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Grange Applauds House Passage of the Internet Freedom and Development Act
The National Grange recently celebrated the broad, bipartisan passage of H.R.
1542, the Internet Freedom and Development Act of 2001, out of the House of Representatives
on February 27 by a vote of 273 to 157. H.R. 1542 includes a high-speed Internet
build-out provision that will require the large "Baby Bell" phone companies to
install equipment and facilities capable of handling high-speed Internet digital
subscriber lines (DSL) in every one of their local phone company offices (including
rural phone service switching offices) within five years. It also breaks down
other regulatory barriers that have discouraged investment in deployment of broadband
services to rural communities. One
hundred years ago, the Grange was instrumental in winning Rural Free Delivery
Mail Service, which opened up vast new commerce and communications opportunities
for millions of Americans living in our nation's farms and in rural communities.
The Grange still believes that rural America deserves access to the same basic
public and commercial services that urban Americans enjoy. Advanced telecommunications
services, such as high speed Internet access, is one of those basic services.
Support for the Internet Freedom and Broadband Development Act was a natural extension
of that philosophy. The House of Representatives has affirmed their commitment
to rural America and to the vitality of our economy with passage of this landmark
legislation. Access to broadband Internet will be as important to rural America
in the 21st century as universal mail and telephone services has been in the century
just completed.
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Rick Ottinger is New National Grange Communication/Publications
Director
The National Grange is pleased to announce that Richard Ottinger
of Washington DC has been appointed to the position of Communications/Publications
Director. As Communications/Publications Director, Ottinger will be responsible
for National Grange newsletters, press releases, media relations, website content,
and compilation of major documents, including the National Grange Journal of Proceedings. Mr. Ottinger is a progressive project manager who brings to his new position a
list of broad-based achievements in developing new publications, managing the
editorial and production process, generating non-dues income through publications,
and implementing successful cost control strategies. He is an experienced team
player with effective planning and organizational skills and a proven capacity
to approach problems effectively and creatively. Prior to joining the National
Grange, Mr. Ottinger contributed to media and marketing successes with the Automotive
Parts and Accessories Association, the American Speech-Language Hearing Association,
the American Psychiatric Association, the Society for Human Resource Management,
the American Society of Facial and Plastic Reconstructive Surgery, the American
Society of Naval Engineers and the Texas Society of Professional Engineers. National
Grange Chief Operating Officer Dick Weiss called Mr. Ottinger's selection "A great
choice!" "We are fortunate, " Weiss said," to have someone with Rick Ottinger's
skills and diverse experiences in the fields of media relations and publications
management to be joining us at the National Grange to continue our 135 year tradition
of service to family farmers and rural Americans."
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National Grange Legislative Policy Book 2002!
The 2002 National Grange Legislative Policies Book is the comprehensive source
for information about the National Grange Legislative Program. In this single,
easy to use reference guide are: Excerpts from Worthy National Master Kermit W.
Richardson's Annual Address to the 2001 National Grange Convention; a complete
listing of all 1200 National Grange policy positions adopted by the National Grange
Delegates at the November 2001 convention; Action 2002! -The National Grange Legislative
Program Handbook for Subordinate, Pomona and State Grange Legislative Directors;
Blueprint for Rural America 2002, the National Grange's priority issues document
and 10-point program to revitalize rural America and return U.S. agriculture to
prosperity; contact information for State Grange Masters and State Grange Legislative
Directors and much, much more.
Due
to the retirement of our long time outside printing contractor, the production
of the 2002 Legislative Policies Book was unavoidably delayed. However, production
of the 2002 Legislative Policies Book is now set and ready to begin. As a cost
saving measure instituted last year, printed copies of the Legislative Policies
Book are no longer automatically mailed to each Subordinate and Pomona Grange.
One complementary copy of the 2002 Legislative Policy Book will me mailed to any
Subordinate or Pomona Grange Legislative Chairman who requests one. In order to
request a free copy of the 2002 National Grange Legislative Policies Book
for your Subordinate or Pomona Grange, simply write to the National Grange Legislative
Department at the National Grange Headquarters, 1616 H St. NW, Washington DC 20006,
fax your request to 202/347-1091 or e-mail your request to lwatson@nationalgrange.org.
Be sure to include your name, mailing address, phone number, fax number (if any)
e-mail address (if any) and the name and number of the Subordinate or Pomona Grange
you are requesting this book for. When the books return from the printer, we'll
get your copy out to you via first class mail!
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