Regarding Bell Atlantic

You mentioned Bandwidth... and BA.

My dad works at Next Level Communications in Rhonert Park....  They make super
-super fast telecom gear for central offices.  Transmit over a gig a second
data, POTs, and Movie transmission MPEG3, all in one box.  They compete with
Lucent, Nortel Labs, etc..

Bell Atlantic just announced it is buying out GTE in an attempt to eliminate
another competitor for high speed communications.  That would make Bell
Atlantic the biggest Baby Bell in the US.  They are already huge.

GTE is Next Levels biggest customer. The SEC may block the BA maneuver, but I
wouldn't bet money on it.

Yes, Bandwidth will not always be an obstical for interactive entertainment.
But if the industry remerges into a single Ma Bell, then competition will slow
again, and things will move at a snails pace. What would take only a few years
to revolutionize... may take over a decade under one monopoly.

sorry if I depressed anyone,
tim