Source: Wikipedia
Well, this game of RBOC monopoly started on January 1, 1984 and now at&t is only two (giant) steps away from reclaiming the entire board. But the game has changed – technology has changed the board from analog to digital.
Great article at Wikipedia for a trip down memory lane with the carrier you grew up with (more or less – both Southern Bell and South Central Bell are missing). As for the carrier that the next generation grows up with…maybe the death star will survive, but the right answer maybe none of the above.
Although the term "monopoly" carries a negative connotation today, it’s clear that the economic natural monopolies evident in network industries are not mutually exclusive of a Laissez-faire market structure.