Initial estimates of the Qwest-U S West deal suggest that as many as 25 million customers across the Western United States could have one stop shopping for telecommunications services. The Telecommunications Act was a positive step. Competition in all communications markets is its stated goal. However, its downfall has been reliance on regulation as a means of achieving competition. For an industry that always has been heavily regulated, a strategy to bypass the cumbersome regulatory procedures of the Federal Communications Commission and to simply offer new services to consumers is bold and commendable.
Strategic partnerships provide a competitive alternative for consumers.
There are few other incentives for companies to join forces. As a result of the Qwest-U S West partnership, tens of millions of consumers across fourteen states have a new competitive choice for telecommunications service. Consumers benefit from competition through lower prices, new services, higher quality product information and faster rates of innovation. Let s hope that everyone in Washington sees it that way.