[rahimnathwani]

kushnick: the text you included with the submission is not displayed because HN displays the text of a submission only if there is no URL.

kushnick's text is reproduced below:

In the previous thread there was a discussion to give the details of how the phone companies were able to charge customers excess profits and get tax perks that were supposed to be used to upgrade the networks. This book -- link attached --- has a description of how we calculated the numbers -- though it was written in 2004 - the 20th anniversary of the break up of AT&T.<p>We have a new book coming out where we update most of the stats, but essentially, the phone companies were able to claim -- en mass --that they were going to replace the copper wires with fiber starting in 1991, and from 1993-to about 2005 they did nothing (with some exceptions) but they were able to get state laws changed to do funding of the upgrades. No state ever went back and examined the commitment and got refunds—so all rate increases are based on the original ‘commitments’—and changes in the law.<p>In 2005, after they closed the networks to direct competition they started to do new upgrades-- "FiOS-Verizon" and AT&T, which simply used the old copper wires, added some remote terminals and called it U-Verse.<p> Yet, Verizon and AT&T were able to charge basic POTS customers -- phone customers in most states for upgrades-- again. -- even if they will never get it.<p>Our new report on Verizon New York shows that the 'affiliate companies, such as Verizon Online or Verizon Wireless, are able to use the networks and get expenses paid for by regular phone companies-- even though Verizon had announced no more upgrades http://newnetworks.com/verizonfiostitle2/

The cringley numbers are also our stats.<p>The one thing to keep in mind is that we've been tracking this since 1991-- and so every year the numbers are going to increase.<p>... thus differing amounts based on the date.