FCC approved Verizon / Alltel merger

[draggar]

http://www.reuters.com/article/compa...0081104?rpc=11

I can't wait for the new commercials. Will it be the "Can you hear me now" guy with Chad? How about Chad and the verizon guy hanging out making fun of everyone else?

Is Chad sill a ding-dong?

[Lil Bunny]

Blargh I'm rather irritated with Alltel for this. I went with them and have stuck with them for a reason. I do not want to be part of Verizon but with the other options out there? Looks like I will. Err, well ultimately they're going to be part of AT&T anyhow. Can't win for losing.

HOWEVER...(end rant) your observations gave me a great giggle and has brightened my attitude about it. Thanks!!!

[PhotoChick]

I'm seriously peved as well. Where I am (small town in the middle of the mountains) the big players are Qwest and Alltel. The little players are Verizon and Sprint. Got qwest because they have good coverage(they use sprint network) and good customer service. So now they decided they're getting out of the cell phone business and will move their customers over to Verizon. Ok, I don't want verizon, I'll go to alltel. And now alltel will be verizon. I don't want verizon. But I want sprint even less.

[Rine]

What the heck? I like my Alltel. All of my family has Alltel...we better still have free calling and our circles should still be intact.

And I went with Alltel because I disliked Verizon so much! AURGH.

[Sliceanddice]

im happy with t mobile

[Broomjockey]

I swear, the US telecom industry just goes in big-ass cycles. Monopoly, split up into a dozen companies. Companies slowly combine (like Voltron!), become one big company called AT&T, get called on monopoly, split up, repeat ad nauseum.

[Aethian]

Oh gods Mom is going to be irked with that news. Verizon doesn't work in our area and has said several times that she has to pay exhorberiant fees to be connected to them and now she is going to have to use them? Ick.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I swear, the US telecom industry just goes in big-ass cycles. Monopoly, split up into a dozen companies. Companies slowly combine (like Voltron!), become one big company called AT&T, get called on monopoly, split up, repeat ad nauseum.

That's the simple truth of it, unfortunately.

When I was using pre-pay service mine was through Alltel. I'd tried Verizon's pre-pay several years ago but it was simply too expensive. My mom was using that particular phone at the time (bought it from a neighbor who had a yard sale) so she had it activated and put $35 worth of minutes on it with Verizon. Those minutes were used up within 2 weeks, so we ended up spending yet another $35 just to cover for another 2 weeks until she moved back home.

Since then we used Alltel . . . but I've decided when I get ready to get another cellphone I would like to try SunCom but I'm also going to check into T-Mobile (who has just expanded into my area.)

[Evil Queen]

Well, I think the merger is kinda Nice. It would be nice to call my SO (who has Altel) on my cell (Verizon) without having to pay for the call.

That is, if Verizon does such a thing with the exisiting contracts.