| Agreed, that is a major question. There is nothing that binds the MSOs to continue carrying the parasitic services you cited except for good will, and throughout the country the measure of that good will varies by region, state and down to the individual locale and household. If recent history is any guide, the incumbents will do whatever they can get away with and still profit from within the shortest possible horizon. It would be difficult for the MSOs to cut the Vonages off at the knees at this time, but will become easier if and/or when the Telcos, too, find themselves no longer required to fill the role of common carriers. Then both the MSOs and the ILECs can give the parasites the boot, and customers will have nowhere else to go that permits them. To do so before that time, however, could potentially be a PR nightmare for the MSOs, IMO, and this could outweigh any potential interim financial gains, so I think that they will wait for the ILECs to catch up with them so they could share some of the negative light. How do I know? Certain cleverly disguised actions and other written forms of obfuscations notwithstanding, these precepts are found in their public statements, their prospectuses and their quarterly reports - for those who can read between the lines. |
