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more on Comment on AT&T/BellSouth and the FCC
From: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2006 13:25:35 -0500
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [IP] Comment on AT&T/BellSouth and the FCC Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2006 10:05:14 -0800 From: Glenn Fleishman <glenn () glennf com> To: dave () farber net I don't want to be in a position to defend AT&T, and I'm not defending them. But I would like to point out how a continent-spanning 2006 AT&T differs from Ma Bell circa 1980 or so. * AT&T/BellSouth no longer has a monopoly on local phone service; they have, rather, a discriminatory, quasi-regulatory monopoly on wire running from their central offices to homes. That wire is becoming less and less valuable every day, despite their rearguard action for subsidies, anti-competitive initiatives, tariff raising, and broadband deregulation. Competitors for local phone service: Local cable operator. Clearwire (one day). Cell carriers (several, plus MVNOs reselling cell service). Independent wireless network providers. Municipal network providers. Vonage (over existing broadband if not blocked!), Skype, and their ilk. (Vonage may be small and struggling to get their IPO out, but Skype is now part of a multi-billion-dollar firm, eBay.) * AT&T/Bellsouth can't restrict you from using your own phone equipment on their phone lines as Ma Bell once could. Remember leasing phones? * AT&T/Bellsouth no longer has a monopoly on long-distance service, which is dirty cheap or "free" (unlimited via flat monthly rate). * AT&T/Bellsouth no longer has a monopoly on dedicated lines, which, over two decades ago, weren't very fast but were very expensive.
From the present competitive environment, Cingular has three extremely
aggressive competitors all pursuing slightly different models. They will also face competition for cellular voice service from metro-scale networks offering VoIP and from independent broadband wireless providers. This isn't to say that AT&T/BellSouth won't have incredible advantages of scale and monopoly, but despite a regulatory structure that is now stacked in favor of incumbent wired, wireless, and broadband operators, they have a fair amount of serious competition in each of the realms in which they operate from other multi-billion-dollar firms. -- Glenn Fleishman seattle, washington work and home: glennf.com wireless data news: wifinetnews.com email sent to me will not be quoted unless you allow me email sent from me is intended to be private unless noted otherwise ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as lists-ip () insecure org To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
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