Critics also charge that the Bells have violated the telecommunications act by not opening up markets and equipment to rivals as required. The debate has heated up in the last two weeks. Lobbying has intensified in the halls of political power and television viewers have been inundated with commercials, each side pushing its views. The winning side will have the lucrative job of offering Americans next-generation Internet services. In areas of Kansas, Massachusetts, Oklahoma and Texas, Bells have in effect become the sole providers of local and long distance services.
Critics say the government is partly to blame.
The battling broadband bills come at a time when consumer costs for broadband service are rising, which has some consumer groups crying foul. Some financial analysts say the increasing prices are just a strategy tweak, de-emphasizing subscriber growth and emphasizing earnings, but others say the hikes are unjustified and that the lower prices consumers previously enjoyed were simply intended to drive out competition. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without written permission. Please click here for legal restrictions and terms of use applicable to this site.