GE>The cellular industry's use of the airwaves is well regulated. They have
  >to conform to the FCC's technical regs regarding frequency and transmit
  >power. But the "public" phone system is the property of private
  >enterprise. It's no different from any other private business that
  >society has developed a level of dependence on.
No, Sir.  It is an industry that exclusively utilizes a public 
resource(s),...the public telephone system and the air ways.
CH> About the only real reason
CH> there is not more regulation is because the cellular companies have
CH> done a good job lobbying (bribing) our government officials.
GE>That's a crock. The simple fact is that it is very expensive to build
  >and maintain a cellular phone network. The towers and MTSO alone cost
  >billions. The only way that a cellular phone network can function is if
  >the company that owns and operates it makes enough revenue to handle
  >expenses, and enough profit to make it the work required worthwhile.
  >Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile is also a publicly owned company.
The cellular companies have been and are raking in the profits by the 
barrel.  So what if they are a publicly owned company?
GE>And those "unethical" people happen to be anyone who buys shares of
  >stock in the company.
Not quite.  Those unethical people are the big wigs at the top.....
Dennis Strigel included IMHO.....who are so intrigued with themselves 
and their power that they wouldn't know how to do anything else but
screw the general public.
GE>I suggest you go to the library and look up what "extortion" means.
  >Setting terms and conditions for service is one of the standard things
  >that all businesses do. The simple fact is that it costs all cellular
  >companies a certain amount to set a customer up. The cellular companies
  >don't start making a profit from a customer until that customer has been
  >with the carrier for a certain length of time. If they couldn't be sure
  >that customers would stick with the company for a given length of time,
  >then they'd have to charge much higher prices for everyone.
Oh Bull.  Most companies that are in the service business cater to 
their customers to attract business.  Bell Atlantic Nynex extorts 
deposits from them to be able to use that money at interest rates 
lower than prime so as to expand their system.
GE>Besides, if you don't like the way that Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile does
  >business, then just get a cell phone from the "A" side carrier. The area
  >code on your tagline indicates you're from the Southeastern corner of
  >PA, so I think your alternate carrier would be Cellular One or AT&T
  >Wireless. Or, go to your local Radio Shack and cough up the $200 bucks
  >to buy a Sprint PCS phone. Sprint doesn't require contracts. They also
  >don't have towers outside of major cities, but that's the way it goes.
Your attitude is interesting.  You think that you can just dictate what 
everyone else should do without regard to what their interests and 
rights might be.  Hmmmmmmm......I think you really must be a Bell 
Atlantic associate.
CH> Your comment is a bit ignorant and aristocratic.  I don't see why a
CH> company like Bell Atlantic Nynex should be able to extort deposits from
CH> potential customers with which to fund it's expansion.
GE>The don't. They require security deposits from people who are bad credit
  >risks. But they never turn anyone down for service.
Their definition of "bad credit risks" is hardly logical or fair.  Nor 
is it consistent.  What they consider "bad" in most cases is what other 
types of businesses consider "good".
GE>Yes, there is. If you haven't established a credit history of paying
  >your bills on time, very few companies are going to trust that you will
  >pay them on time. Cellular companies are no exception. Try getting
  >electrical or gas service without a security deposit if you have bad or
  >no credit.
The gas company or the electric company ask for deposits; but they are
based on legitimate factors and are usually fair.  Many landline phone
companies only require a $50.00 deposit for service.  You can sign up
for Bell Atlantic Cellular service wherein you are promising to pay a
bill of less than $50.00 a month and they want a $1000.00 or more 
deposit.
GE>No, Bell Atlantic was one of the "Baby Bells", formed as a result of the
  >divestiture of AT&T in the early 1980's. It is not a "public" utility,
Bell Telephone of Pennsylvania, Diamond State Telephone and (I believe)
C&P Telephone were put together to form Bell Atlantic when the 
divesture took effect.  It was and is a public utility.  Bell Atlantic
Mobile (now Bell Atlantic Nynex) was and is a division of the public
utility, Bell Atlantic or it's parent company.
GE>The "public" telephone system is now, and always has been the private
  >property of the companies that built it (and the people who own stock
  >in those companies). It is not, and never has been, the property of the
  >general public, except for those people who bought a piece of it on the
  >open market.
Nonetheless, it still utilizes a natural resource that in reality 
(Continued to next message)
 * 1st 2.00 ~ To poldly bow air mobius gumby four: Star Trek on novocaine.
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