>A Market Fails at Internet Speed
>
>by Robert Kuttner
>
>
>LAST WEEK a company called NorthPoint Communictions went bankrupt, causing
>more than 100,000 customers nationwide, mostly businesses, to lose access to
>the Internet with 48 hours' notice. The biweekly magazine that I edit, the
>American Prospect, is one of them.
And so is my household; Panix contracted with NorthPoint for DSL service. Only weeks after installation, NorthPoint went under, having told Panix and other ISPs until the very last minute that all was more or less OK. Panix is moving its DSL customers to Covad and Focal - they're strongly recommending Focal, which is more or less solid financially. Covad, though, is hanging on by its fingernails. Bursting bubbles do some collateral damage.
Doug