we will define later. THE PROTECTED MONOPOLY CONSUMER RESPONSE MODEL Clearly, the consumer is in the process of learning new ways to work with phone companies. Conversely, most telcos are undergoing a similar re-evaluation process as they try to determine how to synchronize their efforts with those of customers. However, the situation was not always this difficult for the carrier. The original consumer response model for a monopoly business is simple and has very little to do with marketing or any kind of complicated consumer relationships. Many Operators are Still Working Under this Model Today Although regulators and industry pundits will rave about how competition is the state of telecommunications today, the fact is that many carriers, especially in the local exchange business, are dealing with largely the same monopoly playing field as in the past. True, these companies will compete on the long-distance, wireless, broadband, and other specialized services fronts, but the core of their business is still monopolistic. Monopoly Does Not Mean Bad Also note that just because a company is working in a monopoly model (whether they are in a monopoly market or not) that is not in any way a bad thing. The monopoly model has been an extremely viable model that has served the needs of consumers for over 100 eXcellence in Telecommunications The Telco Churn Handbook years. The fact that other models are now available does not mean that the monopoly cannot work well in a competitive environment. Monopoly Does Not Mean Consumer-Insensitive The assumption that the monopoly model, by definition, treats people poorly or ignores their needs is absolutely not true. The monopoly model, when executed well, is very responsive to consumers. It is when the model is executed poorly that problems arise. Characteristics of the Monopoly Model Under the monopoly model, the starting point for all consumer/ provider interactions is the government. The national government decides who the provider will be for the consumer and sets the nationa