[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: They can take the order from the ILEC
> provided ILEC has a *signed* letter of agency from the
> customer. Reason for this is too many unscrupulous ILECs were claiming
> customer wanted features A, B, C, and D on their line when in fact
> customer had earlier told the telemarketer no such thing. PAT]
Good point.
Why should I, as a regular customer, be forced to pay for the costs of fraud control or even make up the lost fraud money? That's exactly what is happening.
In real-life competition, a business chooses its partners. Part of that choice is ensuring that partner has the resources and integrity to handle its end. But in the make-believe post-divesture world, we're so out to "get" the Bell companies, we let anyone in, let them switch our long distance and local carriers fraudently, let them steal our money, etc. If normal tests of capitalization, credit, and integrity were applied, these new companies wouldn't see the light of day. But then the "evil" old Bell Companies would charge their so- called "inflated" rates.