Comments on: FCC unplugs states' rules on 'naked' DSL

New Chairman Martin's first big task is to take a hard look at selling digital subscriber lines without other services.

[tocam27]

This sucks

Most of us live in areas that don't have competition for local phone service, this just hands the bells back their monopolies. At least before we could say, I'll pass on your phone service and get dsl with someone else and use voip, but not anymore.

How is this supposed to be good for the consumer? Isn't the government supposed to be working for us instead of corporations? Am I being too idealistic here or what?

[jrzshor]

crap

"This FCC order continues progress on clearing out regulatory
underbrush that handicaps rolling out broadband," Jonathan
Banks, BellSouth vice president of federal executive and
regulatory affairs, said in a statement. "By affirming a single
national policy in this area, this FCC action will increase the
speed and efficiency of bringing to consumers new and
innovative broadband service offerings over wireline networks.
This order is an important step in achieving the president's goal
of increased broadband deployment."

Does that mean that when one buys DSL one must also buy a
wire line phone, a wireless package, subsidise one
employees kids college tuition (4 yrs worth) and the kitchen
sink? And only when signing up for with the "mandatory"
contract of 5 years!

[Jim Harmon]

Buying both

As near as I can tell, these rules do not apply to the typical consumer - at least not directly. These apply to "Brand X Phone Company" - and whether or not DSL purchased elsewhere by BXPC can be distributed over BellSouth lines (and vice versa).

[ordaj]

Lobbyists. Bah! It's not about...

...the service, the product, or who is or is not being served. It's about the money. Monopoly money. Always follow the money.

[mitiori]

If DSL is classed as an "information service"

and therefore not subject to FCC regulations (or not as much), then naked DSL should be required to separate it from the "telecommunications service" regulations. They should at least pretend to be consistent when they finally decide on the Cable modem issue.

bad for all in the long run

The FCC should not have stepped into this one, or if they felt they had to, they should have had a set of rules / guidelines ready to address the issue. Instead they said to the local utility commissions (that were on the right track) you can't do it that way, but we're not going to do anything either.

This ruling sends a clear message to the phone and cable industries that the government supports them and their money to a MUCH greater extent than the good of the average tax payers.

Naked DSL should be made mandatory nationwide. This would create more competition between broadband providers (CABLE / DSL) and Phone service providers (land line and VoIP). The big (short sighted) phone and cable companies would have to quicken their efforts to provide quality Voice over IP services and the VoIP providers would have to improve quality, features and lower prices. Naked DSL would also lower the price of cable broadband and make broadband (both DSL and cable) more affordable for all, and presumably increase the subscriber base and revenues of the providers.

The only way to truly rid us of the utility monopolies is to separate the service providers from their infrastructures, or force them to open their infrastructures to competitors. This goes for phone, ISPs, water, electrical, etc...

[phops6000]

TThe government is discriminating against people that live in rural areas. These areas are serviced with phone lines but only AT&T can provide DSL on these lines. AT&T can charge whatever they want for this service and will fight to keep a Monopoly on both phone service and DSL service. The bad thing is that the FCC is on the side of the big AT&T. People should get together and write to their local representatives to get this changed. If this does not help, vote them out of office. I have AT&T DSL and their phone service. AT&T will not let me have DSL without their phone service. If I could get DSL without their phone service, I could use VOIP service over the DSL connection. I could save over $70.00 per month.