Any reason why it should be regulated the PUC's at all? Is the usefulness of that beurocratic arm of the industry fading? If so, why would you need them at all in the future world of IP-only communications through a global network (like the internet)? I bet you will see more and more of this type of push by the industry as they lose their death-grip hold on the PSTN, and I predict we will be paying by-the-packet for access into a globally "free" network eventually. Jerry -----Original Message----- From: Dean Anderson [mailto:dean@av8.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 1998 8:36 PM To: Paul Ferguson Cc: nanog@merit.edu Subject: Re: Check this out Well, the article also said that charging by the packet is "outrageous", which if I followed some of the BBN/GTE thread, was exactly what some were proposing. I think its only a matter of time before the PSTN and the Internet are one and the same, and regulated by PUC's. So I'd have to think also that either the concept of "long distance" will change, or perhaps something as crazy as per packet, long distance internet charges will come into existance. --Dean