Re: Microsoft, Gateway, Compaq and Intel want telephone monopoly,

[stan johnson <sjohnson@gwi.net>]

** Reply to note from brett@lariat.org Mon, 7 Dec 1998 14:53:38   
-0500 
    
 This one's chilling. I guess Microsoft feels that the poor, struggling 
 incumbent local telephone carriers, which couldn't POSSIBLY be 
 monopolies and just can't handle the intense competition they're 
 getting, deserve a break. So, Microsoft and its buddies are 
 petitioning the FCC to give up on local telephone competition and 
 just let the Baby Bells keep their monopolies. 
    
 Birds of a feather? 
    
 See 
    
   
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/12/biztech/articles/07phone-d 
 ata.html 
    
 --Brett 
    
 
I agree, in spades! It seems clear to me from the article that M$ is   
interested in much more than just helping take the pressure off fellow   
monopolists. They are obviously intending two things, IMO: 
 
1) Get the telco monopolies firmly entrenched [again] and 
 
2) Buy out/form 'partnerships' with/lock into M$ OSes the cable   
internet access which will then be legally exempt from competition.  
 
M$ will then have an unbreakable lock on all high-speed internet   
access. And of course when really high-speed access is widely   
available, all the present dial-up ISPs will go belly-up. Especially when   
the vast herd of blank minds sees the *REALLY GREAT* introductory   
rates that MicroTelco will offer...  Stress on introductory. 
 
I will sell my pc first. Or at least, go off-line...

slj
-- 
Stan Johnson    TeamOS/2
sjohnson@gwi.net