Press

by Jerry Bellune,  Lexington County Chronicle Published May 13, 2004 A state official has criticized a proposed law to restrict consumers’ rights and expand phone companies’ freedom to raise rates. Acting state consumer advocate Elliott Elam said the bill would strip the state Public Service Commission of authority to regulate “bundled” services from BellSouth. The PSC […]

by Jim Davenport, Associated Press BellSouth and other telephone companies would get a break from regulations that they say make it more difficult for them to bundle services and compete under a House bill that cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday. The bill affects nearly every BellSouth customer in the state and opponents say it

by Rudolph Bell, Greenville News Consumers’ rights to complain to state regulators about poor telephone service would be restricted while phone companies’ latitude in setting prices would expand under legislation making its way through the General Assembly, according to the state’s acting consumer advocate. The bill would remove the state Public Service Commission from regulating

Published in The Wall Street Journal The most-favored-nation clauses have proven so constricting in South Carolina that “even large insurers can find it hard” to enter or remain in the market, according to the S.C. Medical Association, which represents the state’s physicians. National health insurer Cigna, which said it does not have any most-favored-nation contracts

by Frank Knapp, Jr., The State Complying with state regulations is a time-consuming and expensive proposition for businesses and citizens. Essentially, these regulations are nothing more than laws from our state government that must be followed. But, unlike legislation that is passed by our elected leaders in the General Assembly, regulations written by government employees

Editorial, GSABusiness (The editorial below concerns H.4739, which was introduced at the request of The SC Small Business Chamber of Commerce.) A new legislative initiative will serve as a watchdog for private businesses against unfair competition by taxpayer supported public agencies. House bill 4739, backed by 29 members of the SC House of Representatives, would

by Tanya Fogg Young, The State Some critics of the Columbia Hilton convention center hotel said Friday the city is wrong to pursue financing through state-sourced bonds intended to spur development in more economically distressed areas. Four organizations, including the S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce, on Friday questioned Columbia’s efforts to use Jobs-Economic Development

by Frank Knapp, Jr., SC Primary Health Care Association Newsline In the late summer of 2000 The SC Small Business Chamber of Commerce held public forums around the state to hear what was on the minds of small business owners. Consistently at every meeting we heard a very clear message—group health insurance premiums were unaffordable. Three

By Frank Knapp Jr., Triangle Business Journal Ross Perot coined the phrase “giant sucking sound” in the presidential debates of 1998. He was talking about the jobs he predicted (correctly) that would leave the United States in search of cheaper labor if we passed NAFTA. Today’s giant sucking sound is the $25 billion not going

by Frank Knapp, Jr., The Greenville News Gov. Mark Sanford should be applauded for publicly raising the issue of privatizing our institutions of higher education. The decision-makers of these universities have been quietly debating the issue and some institutions have been actively privatizing their facilities through development foundations in preparation for the day when the schools