FCC May Push Bells to Unbundle DSL

Carl Bialik writes "The FCC is nearing approval of two big phone deals -- Verizon-MCI and SBC-AT&T -- according to people familiar with the situation cited by the Wall Street Journal. But regulators are considering requiring asset sales and other moves, including the offering of unbundled DSL, 'without requiring consumers -- mostly home users -- to subscribe to phone service. Verizon already allows some customers to do that, but SBC doesn't. ... Patrick Mahoney, an analyst at Yankee Group, said that traditional phone lines are cash cows, so allowing customers to buy Internet access without traditional phone service would be costly to telecom providers.'"

Comments

Re:hmm

[smooth wombat]

We all use our cell phones to make all our calls, local and long-distance.

No WE all don't. Some of us don't have cell phones and don't a want cell phone. Some of us don't even have long distance service because we don't need it or have other ways of calling long distance.

We don't need a land line anymore.

You may not but I can guarantee that there are millions of people in this country who, for various reasons, do need a landline.

Don't make such broad assumptions simply because of your needs. Contrary to popular opinion there are those of us who don't give a shit about being connected everywhere and at all times.