'END OF T' stories seem to be popping up. The premise is simple; when the fast-growing wireless and huge potential broadband business are taken out of the picture, all that is left is the shrinking long distance business. Will the rest of AT&T's business be acquired in part or in whole? Will it simply fade away? Or will it somehow make a successful business out of the parts that are left? I think the premise of this question is wrong. Some commentary from columnist / telecom analyst Jeff Kagan, published in December 2001, before the Global Crossing bankruptcy came to light. His analysis here is missing a number of critical facts, including the RBOCs' tens of billions of dollars in outstanding bonds that will come due in the next year or so. With the market as it is, and scrutiny high in the post-Enron/post-Andersen era, it could become very difficult for them to pay off their maturing debts and sell new bonds. What then? | 
