Competition
Because he is a failed businessman himself, it should come as no surprise that regulations on competition would be anathema to the Bush administration, and hence that he would allow telephone service equipment leasing rules to expire. Only “modest” increases are expected from SBC, Verizon, BellSouth, and Qwest, at least by the thief-in-chief, which AT&T, MCI (among others) are expected to “absorb.” With the FCC focussed on the use of profanity in radio and television, I wouldn’t expect to hear a peep out of them, at least not over the phone.