she's backkkkk

[SFC]

All hail ma-bell

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/business/2005-11-20-cingular-att_x.htm?csp=34

One would think they'd stop the merger... apparently we haven't learned our lesson. And history repeats.

[PHRANQUY]

Um, in case you haven't been paying attention....AT&T and Cingulair merged a while ago...anyone who was using AT&T a few months ago is now a Cingulair customer....one of the reasons my dad dropped AT&T, the customer service went down the tubes after that happened.

[MisterCMK]

I thought they were leaning more towards using the Cingular name, but it sounds like that article says they will be dropping the Cingular name.

[68GTO]

All hail ma-bell

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/business/2005-11-20-cingular-att_x.htm?csp=34

One would think they'd stop the merger... apparently we haven't learned our lesson. And history repeats.

Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh My....

[68GTO]

I thought they were leaning more towards using the Cingular name, but it sounds like that article says they will be dropping the Cingular name.

In the world of recognizable brand names, one does not go against the established name in favor of a new name. AT&T, FORD, GM, GE...they all have a name recognition that you just can't create quickly. Cingular is a funny take off on Singular (one). They have worked hard, but I don't think anyone will miss their name. AT&T was/is an innovator. The cachet with that name trumps anything Cingular might hope to establish. AT&T is worldwide. Cingular is not. Good decision in my book.

[MisterCMK]

I just thought it was kinda dumb since they were making a big deal about switching to cingular, but now they are going right back to AT&T, but I see your point. That makes sense.

[68GTO]

All hail ma-bellhttp://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/te...t_x.htm?csp=34
One would think they'd stop the merger... apparently we haven't learned our lesson. And history repeats.

Oh, I see. Something was claimed to be bad in the past. We changed it with court-ordered intervention. The monopoly was disbanded to instill competition and better service, etc. I think good things came from this, but not all was good. TO ASSUME that another merger of companies in the COMPLETELY changed market somehow signals some doom to come is ludicrous. And, who would be stopping this merger...and for what reason? Is it that there used to be a big company called AT&T that was broken up into smaller pieces? Big deal. Protect me from the evil corporations....! AHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[PHRANQUY]

On another note...there was a study done rescently about people who canceled service with one provider to switch to another....and IIRC, more people went from Cingulair/AT&T to Verizon than the other way around, by quite a large margin too. Wonder if that says anything for how the company is doing as a whole?

[HAULNSS]

[SFC]

Oh, I see. Something was claimed to be bad in the past. We changed it with court-ordered intervention. The monopoly was disbanded to instill competition and better service, etc. I think good things came from this, but not all was good. TO ASSUME that another merger of companies in the COMPLETELY changed market somehow signals some doom to come is ludicrous. And, who would be stopping this merger...and for what reason? Is it that there used to be a big company called AT&T that was broken up into smaller pieces? Big deal. Protect me from the evil corporations....! AHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Ahh right, lack of consumer choice is always good for the free market, it's what it's based upon right?

What could possibly be wrong with people only being allowed one choice for their phone provider, and one for their cable provider?

Example #1:

Cable internet service in winona minnesota from charter communications is 19.95/month. The exact same service in Gilbert arizona where there is no competing cable company is 69.95 a month. The EXACT SAME SERVICE, only there's no competition in Gilbert. Do we need to continue or are you following why it's VERY BAD to have absolutely no market competition?

[SFC]

Um, in case you haven't been paying attention....AT&T and Cingulair merged a while ago...anyone who was using AT&T a few months ago is now a Cingulair customer....one of the reasons my dad dropped AT&T, the customer service went down the tubes after that happened.

Yes, I had AT&T wireless, now cingular. This is a merger of SBC and at&t/cingular. So now SBC gets all of the wireless, long distance, plus all of at&t's backbone fiber. BAD.

[Grifter]

i have cingular, best customer service so far of the ones i have used..Airtouch (Verizon, before it was Verizon), Verizon, T-Mobile, and now Cingular.. best reception too...

[HopAlong]

I have had T-Mobile for years now and I can not complain with their service. They have been good to me.

[68GTO]

Ahh right, lack of consumer choice is always good for the free market, it's what it's based upon right?

What could possibly be wrong with people only being allowed one choice for their phone provider, and one for their cable provider?

Example #1:

Cable internet service in winona minnesota from charter communications is 19.95/month. The exact same service in Gilbert arizona where there is no competing cable company is 69.95 a month. The EXACT SAME SERVICE, only there's no competition in Gilbert. Do we need to continue or are you following why it's VERY BAD to have absolutely no market competition?

Competition is ALWAYS good. For you to claim that there is no longer competition when there is a merger is insane! I'm sure Sprint, Verizon, T-mobile and all of the others will instantaneously vanish. no more competition. I don't disagree with a part of your theory, it's just that you conclude that the sky is falling and I see progress...

[SFC]

Competition is ALWAYS good. For you to claim that there is no longer competition when there is a merger is insane! I'm sure Sprint, Verizon, T-mobile and all of the others will instantaneously vanish. no more competition. I don't disagree with a part of your theory, it's just that you conclude that the sky is falling and I see progress...

Allright, now list the local DSL carriers in each of the mother companies given areas. Now list the backbones that said DSL or cable carriers are able to run over in each of the given areas. It's not *JUST* the cellphone part of the equation, there's far bigger underlying issues. Each individual corporation, the few that are left, are trying to "own" the entire telecommunications market in the US. They're also lobbying to various degrees to basically eliminate any upstart from ever being able to compete. Case in point, not allowing smaller competitors to use the last mile lines that we, the taxpayers, paid them to put in. It really doesn't matter that they put them in, we paid for it all.

Or the cable services not being labelled communication services. Last I checked comcast offers both phone and internet services, and I can communicate with both. It's all a big joke, and this is one more step towards what they want as a final outcome: cable or phone, that's it. Ma bell or TW (time warner).

Mergers that raise prices and limit choice aren't innovation... I'm really lost as to how you can consider it such.