Business Services Industry
The Boston Globe Consumer Column.(Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News)
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, December, 2000 by Mohl, Bruce
Dec. 17--THE HANG-UPS OF LOCAL PHONE SERVICE: Four years after Congress passed a law designed to kick-start telecommunications competition, you can count on two hands the number of companies offering residential local phone service.
In stark contrast with long distance, where the number of choices is so vast it's almost overwhelming, local phone competition remains the province of a small but growing club.
According to Verizon, it services 85 percent of the 4.5 million business and residential phone lines in Massachusetts, while its competitors handle the remaining 15 percent.
I'm not losing any sleep over the lack of competition and you shouldn't either. But competition usually pays dividends for consumers. It not only keeps the dominant...
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