In my "A Glimpse into the Post-Regulatory World" post a couple of days ago (see below), I pointed out that the end of the FCC's mandatory line sharing rules would not mean the end of line sharing. It would just mean that sharers and sharees would have to negotiate with each other, rather than spending their time over at the FCC lobbying.

Tech Daily reports [subscription required] that, for the leading ILEC DSL competitor, life did indeed go on the morning after the rules expired: "But Covad Communications, the leading Bell competitor offering DSL lines, said it was unaffected by the lapse because it had struck commercial deals with its rivals. 'The date coming and going has pretty much been a non-event for Covad,' said Valerie Cardwell, vice president of external affairs for the company."

"Unaffected by the lapse because it had struck commercial deals with its rivals...." Hummm...if only the policymakers would have more faith in the free marketplace.