For the first time in history, you actually can choose the phone company that will serve your home. Telecommunications deregulation made some choice available, but that was nothing like the explosion of choices you see now. Chances are that your phone company, your cable company, and (in some communities) even your power company can make your home phone ring. Add to this the hundreds of Voice over IP phone companies, and the choices are staggering. In this chapter, you will tour the most common choices and learn the pros and cons of each. You will gain insight into how each service operates and be able to ask the right questions to find the service that is right for you. |