Cable companies cry foul on Verizon

The battle between phone and cable companies is getting uglier. Three cable giants are accusing Verizon of illegally using proprietary information it obtains as a wholesale telecom provider to retain customers who had planned to switch to the cable providers for their phone service. Since last June, Verizon has deployed the tactic to hold on to "thousands" of subscribers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, as well as parts of the Midwest, South, Texas and California, allege Comcast, Time Warner and Bright House. In a recent Federal Communications Commission filing, the companies asked the agency to crack down on the practice. Verizon says that it's doing nothing illegal and that its marketing is good for consumers.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20080324/1b_phone_wars24.art....