----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Ray, MBA, CNE, CTE" <mike at astrocompanies.com>
I think you may have missed the main point of the ILEC proposals to ?modernize?. They still propose, post-?modernization?, to force CLECs to interconnect with TDM facilities and SS7 at each tandem as they have to today. That?s a huge revenue stream and they?re not going to willingly give that up. Their ?modernization? proposal is simply ?We want to get rid of all UNEs? in disguise. It?s totally anti-competitive. AT&T simply wants to take that wire that?s in the ground today that must be made available for UNEs and divest that wire to one of its subsidiaries which is not an ILEC. They will use that existing copper to provide both legacy and next-gen services but since it is no longer owned by the ILEC it?s no longer subject to being used for UNEs by CLECs. Viola! Network modernized! The old monopoly is new again and they didn?t even have to invest in new infrastructure.
Roughly akin to what they were trying to do after Sandy in NY, shifting customers from regulated copper to unreg subsidiary (read: FiOS) fiber, IIRC. Luckily, a statistically significant number of customers told them to fold it until it was all sharp corners, and shove it SO FAR UP their... er, what now? Cheers, -- jra -- Jay R. Ashworth Baylink jra at baylink.com Designer The Things I Think RFC 2100 Ashworth & Associates http://www.bcp38.info 2000 Land Rover DII St Petersburg FL USA BCP38: Ask For It By Name! +1 727 647 1274