When I wrote about the telecommunications deregulation act last year, I was looking forward to cost savings, better customer service and improved technologies to come—sooner than later (see “It’s the Telephone Showdown: RBOCs vs. CAPS,” at www.NetworkComputing.com/702/702 walsh.html). Today, we are well past the planning stage, and these hopes still have not been realized. The rapid expansion of local access has a lot to do with the good economic times we’re having. Let’s face it, if you have to spend millions of dollars on switches and facilities, low interest rates help. Recently, Wired magazine ran a cover story in which the authors described an economic boom—a 25-year expansion. This boom, they said, could be attributed in part to a more open culture willing to take risks and absorb the costs of trying new approaches. In other words, an economy that is ready to make investments.