BellSouth on Wednesday announced that it would begin offering high-speed DSL with 6 megabit per second download speeds at $46.95 per month.

Saying that sufficient competition exists in the Chicago area, SBC last Thursday asked the Illinois Commerce Commission to deregulate basic local measured service in Chicago. The Citizens Utility Board has recommended that the ICC not do so, claiming that SBC will raise local rates.

Most customers impacted by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma have had their telephone service restored at this point. But for those who haven’t, the wait is extremely frustrating.

Verizon Wireless filed a lawsuit against Florida-based Global Information Group, alleging that the company used deceptive and fraudulent practices to attempt to obtain information about Verizon Wireless subscribers. It said Wednesday that it had obtained a temporary injunction against the company.

All modern wireless phones contain location tracking capability which can identify your exactly location down to a few feet. Supposed to be used for 911 emergency calls, your location can be tracked at any time, even if you aren’t using your phone. The government has been abusing that capability, and plans to continue doing so.

BellSouth is giving new FastAccess DSL customers $50 off select HP Pavilion desktop PCs just in time for the holidays.

Verizon announced Tuesday that its new unlimited calling plans, Verizon Freedom Essentials and Verizon Freedom Value, are now available in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, Virginia and Washington, D.C., offering unlimited local and long distance calling from $29.95 per month.

The Federal Communications Commission established a Nov. 28 deadline for providers of interconnected VoIP services to provide enhanced 911 services to their users. It released an order Monday clarifying what providers must do if they miss the deadline.

Google Local, which provides maps, driving directions, and telephone numbers within the U.S., is now available to Java-enabled mobile phones, such as those from Cingular, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile.

Call forwarding lets you forward incoming calls to your phone to another telephone number. Most companies offer a wide range of call forwarding options, at varying monthly charges.