Ten Years Ago... Baby Bells vs. The World: "No Free Rides"

Baby Bells vs. The World: A Fight For Internet Fees
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal 2/27/1997, AUTHOR: Thomas E. Weber]
Even ten years ago, the Baby Bells were complaining about "free rides." Back then, the culprits were Internet users and their dial-up modems. The phone giants told the Federal Communications Commission they wanted to charge Internet service providers access charges to use the their local networks. Luckily, the FCC wasn't too moved by the phone companies' arguments and we all surfed free of nasty per minute fees on our local telephone bills.
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