We’ve all been seeing this crap coming from the telcos about charging everyone for using their wires.
Truth of the matter is, they are already extremely profitable (I don’t normally bash large companies, but I’ll make an exception here).
Do they have a responsbility to the shareholders? Sure.
But don’t get cheap trying to make money. They already charge for DSL. They charge for phone service. They also charge large amounts for Internet service and the pipe itself. Ever hear of a local loop charge?
Their real problem is the proliferation of VoIP/Video technologies. I myself have switched to Time Warner’s Broadband voice service. Flat fee no matter where or how often I call. My old SBC bill used to float around $85 a month. I now pay $44.95 for unlimited service.
All these new services threaten their monopoly, and ability to make money. However, instead of trying to compete, they are trying to kill the competition.
History tells us that the dinosaurs, which couldn’t adapt to their ever changing world, became extinct. Seems to me that our current set of legacy telcos are a bit large, and can’t adapt. How soon will they be fossilized?