Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!pacbell.com!ucsd!casbah.acns.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: sichermn@beach.csulb.edu (Jeff Sicherman) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: "Independent" Coin Phones Message-ID: Date: 17 Feb 91 06:00:00 GMT Sender: news@casbah.acns.nwu.edu Organization: Cal State Long Beach Lines: 44 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 124, Message 4 of 8 In article msa3b!kevin@gatech.edu (Kevin P. Kleinfelter) writes: >john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) writes: >> On Feb 10 at 1:21, TELECOM Moderator writes: >>> And now the more you shop around; the more you use the >>> competition, the better telco and 'genuine Bell' service looks. >>> Some of us were saying 'I told you so' several years ago. I'm >>> beginning to feel vindicated. PAT] >> Yes, indeed, the more you shop around ... but is >> it not nice to be able to shop around? Do you honestly believe >> that 'genuine Bell' would be at the level it is today if it had no >> competition nipping at its heels? Do you think, for instance, that >> AT&T would even today be providing digital connections nationwide if >> it were not for Sprint and >>others? > [automobile analogy deleted] > In the early days of telecom, you could get any service you wanted, as > long as you wanted a service provided by Ma Bell. If you didn't like > it, you could do without. I have been reading the stream of complaints for quite a while. Personally, my or my clients' phone needs are not sophisticated enough to have encountered most of the difficulties or problems. (Shockingly, I have also never been slammed - did you guys get on a secret 'slam me' list ?) However, to be fair and consistent, if you are going to curse de'judge and bitch about the MFJ shouldn't you also enumerate everything that was wrong or defficient about the phone network *before* the world changed ? As far as I can see, the main 'cost' has been aggressive and sometimes borderline marketing tactics. Well, sorry, but that seems to be a side effect of competition in an open market. There are good guys and bad guys and you have to learn to tell the difference. Perhaps we should have a single breakfast cereal manufacturer and another FCC (Federal Cereal Commission), if you want to regulate and restrict every industry with questionable marketing approaches. Jeff Sicherman