Talk about being a very good day. Looks like Baby Bells will no longer have to share their wireline networks with other competitors, much like their cable industry peers. The Wall Street Journal reports that FCC could announce rule changes “as early as tomorrow, making it more difficult for independent Internet providers to offer high-speed service but offering an incentive for the Bells to build out broadband networks.” The Telecom Act of 1996 is finally dead. Bells got everything they wanted, including getting rid of getting all the competition.
Om — I have read that some US Senators have said that the SBC/AT&T and VZ/MCI mergers will not be approved unless the merged companies offer Naked DSL.
Thomas, just remember that some US Senators said that Bolton was not going to the UN. There are definitely some right thinking Senators on this issue, but all that lobbying by the Bells is hard to beat. In the end, there will be naked DSL anyway, because it makes good business sense to offer it. It will just take the Bells a while to realize it.