Re: Ma Bell

[sheldon@atlcom.net (Sheldon Simms)]

In article <5elcij$nud$1@news.calweb.com>, markhass@calweb.com wrote:


> * Boy are you confused! Sewer and water, electric power and heating
> gas are not in the same boat as cellular whatever. If Ma Bell wants
> out from the umbrella of the P.U.C. we'll deregulate local phone
> service and let the competition in.

Um... It's already deregulated and the competition is already coming in.
That's what a large part of last years telecommunication law was all
about. (the law more widely known for the small part of it that supposedly
banned "indecency" on the internet"). Cellular was been competitive for
many years where I live.

In any case, the proposal is not for the RBOCs (local phone companies)
to charge you or I by the minute. The proposal is to reclassify ISPs
so that *they* can be charged by the minute for incoming calls. Granted
that would most likely result in  per-minute charges on ISP users, levied
by the ISPs themselves.

Face it. Flat rate phone service is not a right. It is thought to be
a good thing by the FCC, but it is not a right. I don't want to pay
by the minute for phone calls but I also don't want to live in a
country where the government owns the phone company.

-- 
W. Sheldon Simms III   |   2000 is *still* the 20th century
sheldon@atlcom.net     |