PWG> Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:34:04 -0400 PWG> From: Patrick W. Gilmore PWG> Calling something a "tax" or "federally mandated" when it is not PWG> sounds both like a class action suit waiting to happen, and illegal PWG> enough to have the company at least fined. I agree. I'm probably not the only one who has read large communication company shareholder reports and SEC filings. Class-action suits are listed as a calculated risk, a cost of doing business, and factored in as part of doing business. Yay for customers prepaying their opponent's legal fund! If we were to ask for a show of hands who's never been jerked around by a telecom company, I don't think we'd see many folks on this list uncrossing their arms. I'm even having some fun with one (re a small personal/non-business account) that claims service cannot be terminated in writing -- despite lack of any Contract terms, statute, or precedent to substantiate their position. And then we have [what appear to me to be] FCRA violations. To answer Joel's "[a]t what point is regulation okay" question: At the point where the regulators are less evil than those they are regulating. There are two three reasons for reading statutes and precedent (or for paying someone on your behalf): 1. To comply; 2. To find loopholes; 3. To find the best way to nail whomever has angered you. When #2 or #3 becomes "excessive", someone cries for an overhaul. Of course, a poorly-executed "overhaul" can exacerbate #2 and #3, but let's not follow the recursion too far. ;-) Eddy -- Everquick Internet - http://www.everquick.net/ A division of Brotsman & Dreger, Inc. - http://www.brotsman.com/ Bandwidth, consulting, e-commerce, hosting, and network building Phone: +1 785 865 5885 Lawrence and [inter]national Phone: +1 316 794 8922 Wichita ________________________________________________________________________ DO NOT send mail to the following addresses: davidc@brics.com -*- jfconmaapaq@intc.net -*- sam@everquick.net Sending mail to spambait addresses is a great way to get blocked. Ditto for broken OOO autoresponders and foolish AV software backscatter.