What are the legal ramifications of this? I sure hope they don't set a precedent of involving Free/Open Source Software in questionable legal dealings... not like SCO didn't start that already.
I can see the headline now: Baby Bell eats his mom
on
SBC Might Buy AT&T
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I think we need to realize that the new offspring of SBC/AT&T won't be nearly as powerful as the original. I mean, in the days of Ma Bell you couldn't even buy or sell a telephone except through them. Also, with the huge wireless/cell market today, which AT&T is already dropping out of if they haven't already, land lines aren't the only option, and some people have stopped using them altogether. It's true that this new corporation would own most of the major communications lines throughout the country, but SBC already does anyway, and you can already find their service charges on your monthly bill. As a matter of fact, SBC doesn't own all the major lines--Qwest owns a few of the major fiber data channels.
However, that said, this merger would put the new 'SBCT&T' at a large advantage over the other phone carriers, kind of like a big teenager stealing the kindergarteners' milk money as they walk to school.
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What are the legal ramifications of this? I sure hope they don't set a precedent of involving Free/Open Source Software in questionable legal dealings...
not like SCO didn't start that already.
I think we need to realize that the new offspring of SBC/AT&T won't be nearly as powerful as the original. I mean, in the days of Ma Bell you couldn't even buy or sell a telephone except through them. Also, with the huge wireless/cell market today, which AT&T is already dropping out of if they haven't already, land lines aren't the only option, and some people have stopped using them altogether. It's true that this new corporation would own most of the major communications lines throughout the country, but SBC already does anyway, and you can already find their service charges on your monthly bill. As a matter of fact, SBC doesn't own all the major lines--Qwest owns a few of the major fiber data channels.
However, that said, this merger would put the new 'SBCT&T' at a large advantage over the other phone carriers, kind of like a big teenager stealing the kindergarteners' milk money as they walk to school.