Check this out

Wed Sep 2 02:05:02 UTC 1998

On Tue, Sep 01, 1998 at 08:36:12PM -0400, Dean Anderson wrote:
> Well, the article also said that charging by the packet is "outrageous",
> which if I followed some of the BBN/GTE thread, was exactly what some were
> proposing.
> 
> I think its only a matter of time before the PSTN and the Internet are one
> and the same, and regulated by PUC's. So I'd have to think also that either
> the concept of "long distance" will change, or perhaps something as crazy
> as per packet, long distance internet charges will come into existance.

Yeahbut when the call originates at Customer X's premises and terminates
at a phone number that is local to Customer X, it is rather silly to talk
about long distance charges. The fact that someone is endorsing exactly that
is what is "embarrassingly stupid."

Oh, Sure... down the road when we're all talking over IP networks instead of
the PSTN, things may change. But that's not the case now.

-- 

"You know, I've decided lizards aren't too smart."
   --Me, to "Junior", one of my iguanas