Why public oversight and regulation are required

[Spock]

Kentucky, that bastion of consumer friendliness, is considering an AT&T sponsored bill to scrap basic POTS

Kentucky's telephone industry wants the option to end basic phone service in less profitable parts of their territories if other communications options, such as cell phones or the Internet, are available in the area.

The industry hopes to build on its 2006 legislative success in deregulating basic land-line phone service, arguing that it needs to shift its resources to cell phone and broadband communications.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/02/16/20719...rylink=cpy

http://www.kentucky.com/2012/02/16/20719...shing.html

[mattkime]

eh, dare we say....kentucky is being progressive? why keep old tech around?

[Acer]

It's obvious that copper to every home's days are numbered. But a utility should not be allowed to end it until they can confirm that the new technology has the same saturation as the old one.

I suspect they are anxious to declare it dead in order to get out from the subsidy it represents. But likewise, the subsidy should b switched to the new service, not just forgotten.

You can make a heck of a lot of cheap calls from a $15 a month POTS. Even prepaid phones get expensive fast if you are using them as your only phone.

[RgrF]

Just try getting a cell call into or out of Kentuck's many 'hollars'.

[Dennis S]

I called information for 2 numbers in Kentucky before the internet. The male operator said, "That there number is xxx-xxx-xxxx and that there other number is yyy-yyy-yyyy."

[kj]

Don't they still need to stay connected with copper for DSL? kj.

[Dennis S]

AT&T doesn't give a rat's a$$ if you have DSL or not. They told me I would never get it and I'm 2 miles out of town on a major highway.