AT&T Pushes Bill That Will Kill DSL, POTS in Michigan → This company received tens of billions from the TAXPAYER....

....so they OWE those taxpayers unless they are willing to refund most of that money!

Like the earlier poster mentioned...until AT&T provide FTTH to most of their current POTS customers they should NOT be able to stop maintaining those old copper lines.

It is clear that the folks that are SUPPOSED to be representing We The People are only representing the interests the AT&T's though their highly paid lobbyists.

This is tyranny!

Seems like a highly logical and fair plan, until you realize that are assholes seated in the PUCs, FCC and DOJ, and they are letting the telco's do whatever they please.
Ive said it 10000 times. They can make such a deal, but the sharing regulations for the telcos need to be lifted. If they have to share, they will not build. I know I wouldnt build so other companies can profit. Its a new world, its not 1996.

Haven't been paying attention? The TA 1996 act was largely gutted, and almost no sharing is required. Some older CO's have to offer sharing, which is one reason why they don't want to maintain any of the older copper lines from said CO's. So they are free from sharing, and yet they don't build. Well unless Google shames them into doing so... and even then, half-assed so far.

They only have to share the POTS lines or lines placed when they were MA Bell. I do know they stopped being proactive when they were forced to share. Uverse was completely funded and built separate from the POTS from the CO to the vrad. When they go all IP any sharing would have to start at the X-box where the copper starts. From what I have heard the sharing except for copper T1 special services most of the POTS vendors could not make it and folded. It was not because of cost. They paid the telcos below cost and got VIP service from the telcos. The techs I know would have to go on a shared wholesale service trouble first before any regular telco customer.

They don't share anything anymore, the only thing that requires sharing is existing copper lines direct from the CO. In other words, very few, over short distances. Any new or replacement lines run are exempt from sharing. Sharing is not what is holding them back from upgrading wireline networks. It's they see the future profits as all wireless. This is where they want *EVERYONE* to be forced to go.

They want you on their expensive wireless, and they DO NOT WANT anyone else to provide a wireline service to you (Such as Muni-Fiber or Google, or etc)

So i have fios. Youre telling me that if i go the various wholesale phone companies, they wont sell me dialtone over copper? Want to place a wager?

That why VZ removed the copper from most FIOS installs.

They will resell you a rebranded Telco dialtone. Telco provides it for them.

Yes, and my point is the telcos should not be required to do so, in this day and age.

That's not sharing, it's wholesale. They are still the ones making the lionshare of the profits. Sharing is more like CLEC where a completely different company provides services to you over the existing lines they have to "share" by rule. Such as the TA1996 originally intended, and was gutted and blocked swiftly.

Its still damn sharing, whats wrong with you. Another company selling product over Verizons network is SHARING, and the TA makes that stupid shit possible.

It's rebadged! It's like leased equipment, it's still provided by Verizon.

WHO CARES !? since its no concern, then do away with it.
And aside from all that, a very large portion of their offices have cages where other companies connects their own equipment, its still essentially the same thing.
Rebadged, sharing , wholesale. clecs, I dont give two shits, do away with the 96 telecom act.

Yeah, that's the solution. Eliminate still more options. That will fix everything.

Hell, let's just merge it all back up into AT&T and call it Ma Bell.

What's wrong with you, indeed.