Telecommunication Problems

From another margin of business and industry, comes news of the Federal Universal Service Fund, which was designed to allow companies to build infrastructure in rural areas where it might not be otherwise profitable to do so. U.S. Cellular, in particular, has enjoyed the publication of two articles expressing concern about the move to limit the USF by the first of November, in Wisconsin and in Maine. According to one article, U.S. Cellular has spent almost $50 million since 2002 building towers in rural Wisconsin, yet the strength of their stock leaves much to be desired.

On a slightly unrelated note, the FCC has approved AT&T's petition to ignore some of the pricing and reporting regulations (and another) in a further attempt to coddle those companies that were supportive of certain programs. Programs, which it has been recently revealed, started well before their supposed start date sometime after 9/11. If this program is as illegal as it would appear, that would explain Mr. Bush's push for retroactive immunity for the compliant corporations. Also, an independent journalist has some interesting questions and pointed demands for Nancy Pelosi. It smells like COINTELPRO in here.