BellSouth Can Force DSL Customers To Buy Local Phone Service
from the no-anti-trust-violations-here dept
Just a few months after the Georgia Public Utilities Commission told BellSouth that they can't force DSL customers to buy local phone service, a federal court has ruled (in a separate case) that BellSouth isn't violating anti-trust laws by requiring DSL customers to have local phone service. The article doesn't have many details, but it sounds like those who filed the lawsuit did a very bad job explaining their case. The judge simply tossed out the case saying that "the customers lacked legal standing to pursue the lawsuit and failed to state any valid legal claims" against BellSouth. It would be nice if there were more details, because on the face of it, you would think the case would at least get heard. If BellSouth is the only way to get DSL (thus, a monopoly) and they're then forcing customers to buy local phone service (something they don't want), it certainly sounds like an anti-trust violation.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
that happened to me
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: that happened to me
Another provider may not have access to information for this RT, if you qualify for DSL with Bell, then you would qualify with a reseller.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: that happened to me
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
BellSouth forcing phone service on DSL customers
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Technological Requirement?
Besides, can someone tell me what the practical difference is between DSL and "Cable Internet," (is that the correct term?) and by difference, I mean to the end user. I guess my point being, if they don't want to do business with Bell South then they should get "Cable Internet" and forget about DSL.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]