05-13-2005, 03:27 AM
This Lou Dobbs is completely anti-India. Maybe the chinese have paid him off or something. Who knows ? But India does need some paid hacks in US media companies..
xposting post from Sam CS from BR..
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: Tonight, there are new questions and mounting concerns about a huge deal that critics say could threaten our national security. The last piece of an American built undersea telecommunications network will be turned over to an Indian company within days, an India company that is paying millions for a multi- billion dollar network. That deal is causing concern because of the buyer's close ties to India's military.
Christine Romans is here tonight and has the report -- Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lou, this deal has barreled through the government review process with hardly any resistance. After cries that turning over this valuable communications system to a foreign company would leave no secure U.S. owned bandwidth, VSNL, the company, promised it will do nothing to hurt U.S. national security.
But tonight serious questions about how well this company keeps its promises.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS (voice-over): VSNL stands accused of breach of contract in a billion and a half dollar lawsuit from rival telecom company Polargrid. Polargrid wants to build an Arctic network, and it dropped out of the bidding for Tyco's undersea cable system when VSNL said it would partner with Polargrid on that Arctic network. Then VSNL won the bidding for Tyco Global Network, and Polargrid says it broke its promise.
JIM HICKMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, POLARGRID: We would raise a serious question about how well they honor their promises. And certainly in the deal that is about to be completed, they've made very serious promises to the U.S. government about how they will act in the security area.
I believe that we need similar promises in the economic area. Even then, would he have to look seriously at whether or not they're a reliable partner and a trustworthy partner.
ROMANS: Yet the government has put this deal on the fast track. The Federal Communications Commission swiftly approved it. No resistance from the Treasury Department, defense, or homeland security.
Even though a group of U.S. senators, led by Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, worried the sale to VSNL would give, quote, "the Indian government control over a significant portion of the world's submarine cable network" and said that VSNL has acted, quote, "in a fashion demonstrably hostile to U.S. military and commercial interests."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Particular in the early 1990s, VSNL refused to allow another carrier access to a landing point at Diego Garcia, which houses a U.S. military base. Despite these concerns, the United States government believes that VSNL will not hurt American national security. VSNL has said it has no intention to monopolize that bandwidth. And in court filings, it denied Polargrid's breach of contract charges, Lou.
DOBBS: There is something on its face that is troubling. The United States government is resting the national interest on, quote unquote, "promises" from a foreign company that is paying literally less than $200 million for an investment of three point -- was it four billion dollars for this grid, with all of its implications for national security, its importance to national security communications. It's remarkable.
ROMANS: To a person, national security experts and telecom experts in this country say in 20 years the United States government will likely regret this.
DOBBS: Well, we still have a few days in which the U.S. government could change what seems to be the direction of its decision making. Christine, thanks. Christine Romans.
That brings us to the subject of our poll tonight. The question is: do you think our economic and national security are at risk with the sale of the last piece of American built telecom infrastructure? Yes or no? Cast your vote at LouDobbs.com. We'll have the results coming up. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
xposting post from Sam CS from BR..
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: Tonight, there are new questions and mounting concerns about a huge deal that critics say could threaten our national security. The last piece of an American built undersea telecommunications network will be turned over to an Indian company within days, an India company that is paying millions for a multi- billion dollar network. That deal is causing concern because of the buyer's close ties to India's military.
Christine Romans is here tonight and has the report -- Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lou, this deal has barreled through the government review process with hardly any resistance. After cries that turning over this valuable communications system to a foreign company would leave no secure U.S. owned bandwidth, VSNL, the company, promised it will do nothing to hurt U.S. national security.
But tonight serious questions about how well this company keeps its promises.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS (voice-over): VSNL stands accused of breach of contract in a billion and a half dollar lawsuit from rival telecom company Polargrid. Polargrid wants to build an Arctic network, and it dropped out of the bidding for Tyco's undersea cable system when VSNL said it would partner with Polargrid on that Arctic network. Then VSNL won the bidding for Tyco Global Network, and Polargrid says it broke its promise.
JIM HICKMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, POLARGRID: We would raise a serious question about how well they honor their promises. And certainly in the deal that is about to be completed, they've made very serious promises to the U.S. government about how they will act in the security area.
I believe that we need similar promises in the economic area. Even then, would he have to look seriously at whether or not they're a reliable partner and a trustworthy partner.
ROMANS: Yet the government has put this deal on the fast track. The Federal Communications Commission swiftly approved it. No resistance from the Treasury Department, defense, or homeland security.
Even though a group of U.S. senators, led by Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, worried the sale to VSNL would give, quote, "the Indian government control over a significant portion of the world's submarine cable network" and said that VSNL has acted, quote, "in a fashion demonstrably hostile to U.S. military and commercial interests."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Particular in the early 1990s, VSNL refused to allow another carrier access to a landing point at Diego Garcia, which houses a U.S. military base. Despite these concerns, the United States government believes that VSNL will not hurt American national security. VSNL has said it has no intention to monopolize that bandwidth. And in court filings, it denied Polargrid's breach of contract charges, Lou.
DOBBS: There is something on its face that is troubling. The United States government is resting the national interest on, quote unquote, "promises" from a foreign company that is paying literally less than $200 million for an investment of three point -- was it four billion dollars for this grid, with all of its implications for national security, its importance to national security communications. It's remarkable.
ROMANS: To a person, national security experts and telecom experts in this country say in 20 years the United States government will likely regret this.
DOBBS: Well, we still have a few days in which the U.S. government could change what seems to be the direction of its decision making. Christine, thanks. Christine Romans.
That brings us to the subject of our poll tonight. The question is: do you think our economic and national security are at risk with the sale of the last piece of American built telecom infrastructure? Yes or no? Cast your vote at LouDobbs.com. We'll have the results coming up. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->