Post: #1

Quote:Ma Bell asked the FCC to eliminate regulatory requirements that it support a landline network and to provide a deadline for phasing it out.

 

Post: #2

Hmm, so American Telephone and Telegraph no longer wants to be either. I hope if the government lets them out of the regulation that it makes 'em take all those overhead wires down.

Post: #3

AT&T hasn't been AT&T in a couple of years now. SWB bought them out and they haven't been the same since. Blame it on the federal fucking government!

They broke up AT&T in 1974 and allowed for the creation of a bunch of Baby Bells, separating the local and long distance markets, then realized they screwed up and rescinded themselves in 1996. The breakup allowed the local phone companies like GTE to rape the public on local long distance charges and the formation of new long distance companies like MCI, which later became Worldcomm.

The Telecommunications Deregulation Act of 1996 was supposed to open the the local and long distance markets to all, but it was far from a level playing field. AT&T was forced to allow GTW and the other Baby Bells to resell their long distance, and they were supposed to be able to sell local telephone service, but very few of the Local Carriers allowed AT&T back into their markets.

GTE for instance petitioned the Public Utilities Commisions that they were to small and didn't have the capital to invest in the equipment needed to comply with deregulation. Imagine that! GTE was to small to comply with federal law! They were able to skirt the law, selling local and long distance telephone service, cable TV and anything else they wanted, while not allowing anyone else into their local markets becasue they had incorporated individually in each State they were doing business.

The reality was that if you combined all the little GTE's into one company they were the largest local carrier in America, until Southwestern Bell merged Pacific Bell and Bell South and a couple of other carriers and became SWB. The Baby Bells profits kept skyrocketing with the Deregulation Act, while chiseling away at AT&T, and the federral government stood by and watched them get fucked, while doing nothing to make the local phone companies come into compliance.

Finally after the federal government had crushed one of the oldest and greatest companies in America, AT&T agreed to sell off what was left of their telephone operations to SWB.

I hope the FCC shoots down their petition and forces them to continue providing landline phone service untill they can provide VOIP service to 100% of the country and the last little old lady goes digital!