Bracing for an Internet meltdown

"Viewing the financial disasters as acts of God--it may seem extreme, but it's actually a very appropriate analogy and makes perfect sense to me," said Tom Jenkins, a telecommunications analyst and vice president at TeleChoice in Tulsa, Okla. "We know that the small providers are in trouble, but how much better off are the Sprints, Qwests and AT&Ts? It's not a matter of switching from one to the other; it's a matter of protecting yourself from everyone. You can't predict anything anymore."