What kind of antitrust effort looms?

In reference to a May 12 article, 25 years ago AT&T was broken up due to antitrust violations. The U.S. Justice Department had been trying to do this since universal service was achieved, which was 1935. Then there was World War II. Then in 1949 the Justice Department tried again, and then began the great stalling tactic the phone company is famous for until 1984. AT&T was finally divested because they were a monopoly and controlled all rates, terms and conditions related to telephone service. However, with the Justice Department turning a blind eye, SBC Communications managed to "put the band back together," and once again there is just "one world," their world, AT&T. Slowly at first but very steadily the phone company squeezed out its competitors through the use of predatory pricing, barriers to entry, the taking of revenues and services without just compensation and bait-and-switch tactics. In other words they engaged in anti-competitive behavior that can only be described as economic waterboarding or the death of a thousand cuts. All competitors ever have asked for is equal rates terms and conditions. A level playing field. What we got was the wrong end of a monopoly with all the influence and power that rate payer money can buy. Will the new antitrust effort by Justice take on the phone company for hurting smaller competitors?

Mike Simon

Glen Ellyn