fair@clock.ORG (Erik E. Fair) writes:

If this perception breaks down, watch out. Theodore Vail was allowed to create the regulated monopoly AT&T in the early part of this century on the promise of Universal Service, which meant not only that everyone had a telephone, but that *all* telephones could call *all* other telephones - one big, happy, PSTN.

I think the history of Western Union interconnections with other telegraph companies may be more interesting. At one point the US Congress passed a law requiring Western Union interconnect with other telegraph companies. How many other telegraph companies can you remember? Missouri still has a law on the books imposing a $25 per day fine on any telecommunications company which doesn't offer interconnection to other telco's in the state. Perhaps the amount of the fine hasn't kept up with inflation since the law was originally enacted, I suspect several large providers would willing pay $25/day in perputity to not intereconnect with their competitors. But the sentiment remains. -- Sean Donelan, Data Research Associates, Inc, St. Louis, MO Affiliation given for identification not representation