AT&T _mostly_ got its way very late Friday afternoon when the Federal
> Communications voted to agree to the merger between AT&T and
> BellSouth. Democrats on the Commission held out for concessions,
> including among others, 'Network Neutrality' and a continued
> discounting in rates for wholesalers; i.e. the former Prairie Stream
> Communications and the existing Sage Telecom.
I'm not sure I understand why the FCC should be dictating policy in this situation.
AT&T is not the old monolithic and powerful Bell System. It is a shadow of its former self, keeping the name for marketing purposes. It's last power base, Long Distance, isn't worth much anymore with all the cheap fibre and satellite circuits lots of others have installed. As others have noted, even the traditional landline business is falling off for companies like Verizon.
Consequently, I don't know why it should be forced to discount its rates for wholesalers. It should be free to do what every other business does -- if it feels it's in its interest to discount, it will do so, otherwise not.
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: AT&T wanted to be very pragmatic about the whole thing and have the merger approved _sometime_ during the lifetimes of its present executives. The Democrats (or do you know them as 'Demopublicans' or 'Republicrats'?) suggested "here is a way to grease the American public's back orifice, and make it easier for everyone to take your offering: Maintain the status quo so we can tell everyone what good guys we are." AT&T apparently agreed that was a prudent way of handling things, by not offending more politicians. PAT]