You say “Want to go back to Ma Bell? Too late.” Verizon is Ma Bell; well, Verizon is Baby Bell – Ma Bell technically no longer exists. AT&T was broken up in an antitrust suit in 1984 http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/att_antitrust.htm AT&T Ma Bell became AT&T long distance and a bunch of baby bells – some of which merged together and is now named Verizon. And Verizon only provides FiOS in Verizon territory – so if you are unhappy with Verizon FiOS, you can certainly go back to Verizon (just not over copper).

Finally, you say “so pulling the copper cuts Verizon’s obligations as a common carrier.” Not quite. Pulling the copper cuts Verizon’s obligations to unbundle the copper as a Unbundled Network Element http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/une.htm and sell it to other competitive telephone companies. — but this is not the same as being a common carrier. This is a specific obligation created by the Telecom Act of 1996. Verizon telephone still has to act like a common carrier in the traditional meaning of the term (fair rates and non discrimination with regard to customers and content – and interconnection).

What I am saying is this – people confuse title II of the Communications Act (where the UNE obligations are) with common carriage. Common carriage is the greater set that includes boats, trains, telephone, telegraph, mail – with telephone service being the smaller set. Title II of the Comm Act are the obligations specifically on telephone carriers as created by the FCC. Specific obligations can be removed – and the company is still a common carrier – as Verizon is.

Any who – chopping the copper is an interesting situation.