Consumer groups counter that they've heard these promises before. That never happened, of course. The monopolies feared ISDN would cannibalize their lucrative T-1 offerings, and didn't wire even a small fraction of the consumers or communities they initially committed to. That's where the competition from high-speed access via cable plays such a crucial role. Preliminary studies show that where cable upgrades its capacity for high-speed Internet access, ADSL rollouts follow.
Consumers get more choices, and prices fall.
Meanwhile, companies like AOL and local phone monopolies seem to be placing their bets on ADSL technology. Such a high stakes gamble on the future of the Internet access will certainly create winners and losers. While nobody knows how the infancy of the Internet will develop, the one indisputable fact is that the recent competition in the industry will offer consumers many choices at lower prices. The future of the Internet is in its infancy, and it appears that the FCC is seeking to allow the technology to develop without regulation in order to benefit consumers. The future is uncertain, but the choices provided to people are growing every day at breakneck speed.