PE> 1. You said the modem manufacturers were gouging.

RS> I was mainly talking about the top of the line class modems
RS> like the USR VE and the retail price, not the sysop price. At
RS> typically $800ish IMO they are gouging for what isnt a particularly
RS> electronically complex device. The parts count isnt that different to
RS> a taiwanese V32bis modem, at a vastly higher price, the gouge factor.

DD> It seems that USR modems have a much higher tax
DD> component in their price than other brands . . .

I doubt it. I just dont believe that the bulk of the Taiwanese modems sold
by the major operations like the Modem SuperStore etc are diddling the tax.

And as Bill points out, even if you import a Courier direct and
manage to avoid paying tax on it, the saving isnt dramatic.

They have managed to corner the market on a decent modem with
a full gp DSP design which works and are gouging while they can
basically. That makes good economic sense for them, but not for us.

--- PQWK202