From: Duncan Frissell <frissell@panix.com>
Date: Sat, 3 Aug 1996 01:41:32 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: fbi, crypto, and defcon
Message-ID: <2.2.32.19960802141356.00886864@panix.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 08:50 AM 8/2/96 EDT, Paul J. Bell wrote:
>i, for one, and perhaps others on the list as well, would be interested in
hearing
>what you mean when you say, "At&t, Microsoft, etc) who are ripping people
off on a 
>daily basis". 

I don't know about Microsoft but certainly AT&T long benefitted from local
telephone monopolies that resulted in increased prices and slower innovation
than would otherwise have been delivered.  Even today, long distance
carriers are licensed and there are substantial regulatory barriers to
entry.  International calls still are made under the control of an
international cartel of governments that keep prices way above competitive
levels.  This benefits AT&T and the rest.  Since it costs 2 cents a minute
to *produce* a call to London from New York the 45 cents to $1 a minute
charged represent an excessive price protected by the government regulated
cartel status of telecoms even in the Age of Deregulation.

AT&T should get honest work as should the others.

Maybe when I get a 10 (25?) mbps cable connection to the nets, I'll start
offering my neighbors net connections and LD phone service.  I could make a
pretty penny even savagely cutting the telco's markup.  Lots of challenges
ther but doable.

DCF