SOUTH PORTLAND – As residents of Maine, we’re all aware of the limited choices available to us to receive high-speed Internet service.

We’ve become dependent and demanding to have this service just as we have on cell phones, GPS devices and other technological achievements.

In a good portion of Maine and other areas of the country as well, Time Warner Cable has the monopoly.

Whoever is responsible for paying the bills for a home or business is keenly aware of continually escalating costs of this service from TWC.

Until such time as more competition in the marketplace brings pricing down and/or the public’s right to this service at reasonable pricing is recognized, we will all be held hostage by corporate giants like TWC.

Where would you think TWC’s National Help Desk for its Roadrunner service would be located? If you thought the Midwest, the West Coast or multiple locations in the United States, you’re wrong.

In these difficult economic times, when our nation can’t compete with the world economy for manufacturing jobs, when we can’t generate enough jobs in this country to get our economy moving again, TWC has decided to locate its National Help Desk in the Philippines.

There is an abundance of unemployed or underemployed technically trained individuals in this country who could perform this needed function and be contributing to their family’s well-being and the U.S. economy at the same time.

But it’s easy to figure out why TWC has made this decision. The corporate bottom line and stockholders’ return on investment are responsible. But where are the company’s social and moral ethics in receiving large payments from their customers, receiving ever-increasing stock market values and at the same time sending jobs overseas?

This would not have come to my attention had I not recently used the TWC National Help Desk to assist with technical issues involving setting up a high-speed router and security system on a new computer. I probably wouldn’t have become irritated over this issue had it not been for one important factor: poor customer service.

I found myself speaking with individuals who spoke English with such acute accents that after four separate phone calls lasting more than 3 hours total time I still had not resolved the technical problems.

I consider myself a liberal personally and politically, accepting and open-minded to diversity among all individuals on the planet. I’ve traveled to poor nations such as Tanzania and developed friendships there with people who have absolutely nothing when compared to citizens of this country.

I harbor no negative opinions of the Philippine people or the Brazilians who staff the customer service center for Chevrolet (“The Spirit of America”) nor of India, a nation which has so many U.S. corporate centers there’s been a movie made on the subject.

Even our beloved AT&T, which younger folks wouldn’t know stood for American Telephone and Telegraph, routes many customer service calls to the Philippines. It’s unfortunate the way money talks and corporate America listens, shortchanging our country and its people for corporate gains.

Perhaps my experience with TWC offshore center was an anomaly, but I don’t think so. I’ve spoken to many people who have had similar experiences with other companies.

We need to pass legislation in Washington to compel American companies to keep jobs here in the United States.

Corporate America is making enough profit to be able to pay American workers. Congress should put taxes on corporations that are guilty of exporting jobs. This may cause their bottom lines to suffer, but if they continue to send jobs overseas and Americans’ buying power drops even more in the world economy, we all lose.

Americans must have the ability to economically stabilize our way of life, and jobs and earnings are the only way to do that. I consider myself a liberal, but I’m surprised that no regulations on this subject have surfaced in Washington.

We’ve already lost our manufacturing prowess overseas. We used to be the leaders in the world of manufacturing creating and maintaining a healthy balance of trade.

Today, almost everything we buy is made in China or other nations where labor costs are lower and environmental and health regulations more lax than in the United States.

Start taking note of text in catalogs and tags in merchandise or on packaging and look for the word “imported.”

The only way things will change is if enough people become committed to change. Labels such as “Buy Local” or “Made in Maine” may encourage us think about broader implications of our purchases than price differentials.

The time has come for all Americans to stop being a nation of sheep before it’s too late.

 

– Special to the Press Herald

 

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