Re: Using local MTA re: tlug: Naive VM question

["Jonathan Byrne" <jpmag@example.com>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Kei Furuuchi <kfur@example.com>


 the telephone companies in US even after the
>break-up have monopolizing power and can still offer people
local
>calls free while in Japan, NTT used to be government-own
company and
>can't even offer people local call free.
>
>What is the difference between public and private
enterprises in
>Japan?


NTT has more greed and more power.  There's no real reason
that NTT can't offer unlimited local area dialing at a flat
rate.  They just won't.  In San Diego, I paid $7.00 per
month for unlimited dialing in my local calling area, which
was roughly a 15 - 20 km radius around my house.  Calls
outside of that radius but in the San Diego area code (all
of San Diego county, an area roughly 160 km x 160 km) would
vary from 10 to 20 cents per minute, depending on the
distance.  Because of competition between long distance
companies, most domestic long distance calls were actually
cheaper than a local long distance call in San Diego
county).

Here, of course, people pay more each month just to have a
phone line, even if they never call anyone.  Then they pay
extra for any calls they make.  And they have to buy the
phone line right from NTT.  That's the biggest rip-off of
all.  In the U.S., that's free.  You pay about $50 to have
it connected, but there's no $500 bribe to the phone company
(which is what NTT's "subscription right" really is) to make
them let you have a phone line.

And the U.S. phone companies are making money.  Lots of it.
If they can, NTT could as well.  But until someone makes
them, it's not likely they will.  The only thing less likely
is anyone making them do it.  :-(

Cheers,

Jonathan