Dear Blograins,

As part of our ongoing effort against fascism, I present you with a letter to the imposters at the good ole Department of Telecommunications and Energy.

If Mary Cottrell writes back, I'll let you know what she says, but I cannot legally publish the words of a postal letter.


Dickie Richards
Georgytown, USA
5 January 2004


Mary Cottrell, Secretary
Department of Telecommunications and Energy
One South Station, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02110

Dear Secretary Cottrell,

On 11 November 2003, I called the Department of Telecommunications and Energy for your assistance with a problem I was having with Comcast. I spoke to Beverly. I told Beverly that Comcast was billing me for a custom ring telephone number that I had ordered from Comcast when I set up the account with them, yet the custom ring telephone number was never activated. I also told Beverly that I had brought this issue up with Comcast on several occasions, and they had failed to rectify the problem.

Beverly got back to me shortly afterward, and dictated to me something which seemed to have been written by Comcast. I say this, because what was being dictated to me, was essentially the same statements that Comcast had made to me. When I told Beverly that I was not satisfied with her response, that she was merely repeating to me what Comcast was saying, she told me that "This is what I needed to do." (Referring to the statement she had dictated to me). In response to my statement that I still am having a problem with Comcast, she stated that "If you have any further questions, you need to take them up with Comcast."

I also asked Beverly for a copy of what she dictated to me. Beverly refused to comply with this request, and went on to tell me that your department does not fulfill such requests.

On 20 December, Comcast finally delivered the service that they had been billing me for, for several months. I have not yet received full reimbursement, which includes the cost of reinstating my old Verizon telephone service in order to transfer the custom ring number over to Comcast. Comcast has told me they would reimbursement me, yet they seemed unwilling to put this in writing. I have recently submitted the Verizon bill to Comcast.

Although my issue with Comcast has not yet been fully resolved, this is not why I am writing you. I am writing you because I was deeply troubled by my experience with your office.

After my last conversation with Beverly, it left me feeling as though your department, which, from my understanding is supposed to make sure that the utilities do not abuse and exploit their monopoly advantage, is doing just the opposite -- that your real function is to validate the contemptuous way in which the utilities treat their customers. Whether this is true or not, I cannot say, because I cannot make sweeping statements about your department, based on my experience alone.

What I am deeply disturbed about -- what has motivated me to write this letter, is your department's abject refusal to turn over to me, records pertinent to my case.

You are a government agency. What right have you to withhold from me, information that a regulated utility has stated in defensive of its failure to provide me the services I had paid for? I assert that your department has no right whatsoever! And if you can come up with this right, I'd like to see where you got it from.

If we are to call our system a free and open democracy, we cannot have Government departments withholding information from citizens. Otherwise the Government is no longer governing, but aiding and abetting criminals.

I demand that you make available to me, all records pertaining to my complaint against Comcast, including any statements made by Comcast about my complaint.


Sincerely,




Dickie Richards

cc: Representative Kay Khan
cc: Senator Cynthia Creem