Re: Internet vs. Telephone company

Some context from Washington State: US West has recently been rebuffed in efforts before the Washington State legislature and our regulatory body, the WUTC (Washington Utilities and Telecommunications Commission). The request for an hourly rate is probably nothing more than a PR effort taking advantage of recent publicity about internet jams, a la AOL, etc. Given their recent failures here the effect of this publicity is much more likely to be through another RBOC citing the consideration of the policy here. That aside, infrastructure investment considerations are a valid subject and it would behoove those of us vested in this whole field to get a better handle on these numbers. (If not the infrastructure itself!) -DT