[somewhat off-topic] Comcast and Verizon

[randyokc-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org (Randy Cole)]

Bill Bogstad wrote:
> On Mon, Oct 26, 2009 at 12:17 PM, Dan Ritter <dsr-mzpnVDyJpH4k7aNtvndDlA at public.gmane.org> wrote:
>   
>> On Mon, Oct 26, 2009 at 11:56:02AM -0400, R. Luoma wrote:
>>
>> I'm pretty sure it's very hard to order phone service from VZ
>> and Comcast without getting an all-you-can-talk local and
>> continental US LD plan included. International is likely to be
>> of average cost, but if you're really concerned, setting up
>> Asterisk and going minute-by-minute with Teliax or VoipJet or
>> someone like that is reasonably easy and quite cheap.
>>     
> Verizon still operates under local tariffs for phone service and I
> believe you can still get lifeline
> wired service from them if you qualify (low income).  I think you can
> still get per minute/per call
> service as well, but expect to have to fight to get the info.   A call
> to whatever Mass. state department that regulates them will probably
> get you the right service names, etc. faster then talking to Verizon
> directly.
>
> Bill Bogstad
Sadly, the only rate information still published in the Boston area
phone books are the cost of message units for customers of measured and
unlimited service. There ought to be a Law requiring any company
offering local phone service to publish their all of their rates in a
clear way on their website.

And a similar law for ISPs. Call it Truth in Internet Service.

Tying should be declared an illegal anti-competitive practice for any
ISP, phone company, cable, or wireless company that also practices
market division. Including related companies, that would be all of them,
except maybe RCN since they are small.

Randy Cole