Qwest-MSN Subscription Switching: Unfair?

WallytheWalrus writes: "According to this article from today's Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Minnesota State Commerce Department is investigating the fairness of Qwest DSL subscribers being switched over to MSN (as a part of the two companies' new "friendly strategic alliance"). A group of DSL service competitors have alledged that it's unfair that Qwest subscribers aren't being told of other ISPs available, and that if they do switch to MSN, switching out is overly complex and expensive. Can you smell the legal precdent abrew?"

Comments

What they should investigate

[eclectro]

is that they are forcing you to install "MSN Explorer" - other web software be damned.

For instance they give you an email address that can _only_ be accessed by using microsoft software. So if you are using Eudora (or linux), you're out of luck.

Wow.

[mindstrm]

I am still amazed at the multi-tier confusion that is the US DSL business.

I suppose it makes sense, sort of.

Canada:
If you have DSL... then whoever your ISP is owns all the involved gear except the telco lines. There is no DSL provider separate from the ISP (Maybe there is back east in Toronto.. I dunno, nowhere I've been though).

I really think the problem here is that you have just too many cooks.
You have a telco, who provides wiring
You have a DSL provider, who provides like, layer 2 networking over that wiring
You have an ISP who provides the rest. YIKES!

In many cases here, It's ONE company.. the telco. Why? Becuase.. nevermind monopolies and such.. it JUST MAKES SENSE

Look at it.

The telco owns the switches & property around the switches. So it's easy for them to get the CO DSL gear as close to their switches as possible.
They already have a network in place, with huge bandwidth.

OF course, we are a smaller market, so I suppose that has something to do with it. but hey, IT WORKS.

Now... I've also dealt with a DSL provider who was separate from the phone company.

Re:My Poor Friend...

[austad]

If you have problems with Qwest, call your state Public Utilities Commission. I've done it several times, and every time I've gotten what I wanted. Qwest is the PUC's bitch, and they know it. The PUC can imposed huge fines on them for failing to meet customers requests, and Qwest just usually pays the fines because it would cost more to go to court over each one. The only organization that keeps Qwest in check is the PUC.