BellSouth To Nickel-And-Dime iTunes

The telecom company has begun conversations with several unnamed Internet content providers on charging for delivering their content "reliably and speedily." "In most states of the United States, extortion is more widely defined to include the obtaining of money or property of another by inducing his consent through wrongful use of fear, force, or authority of office; blackmail, ransom, and threat of force are included under this definition." -- " BellSouth has pressed forward with its demands for more money from content providers. Company CTO Bill Smith suggested Apple "might be asked to pay a nickel or a dime to insure the complete and rapid transmission of a song via the Internet," according to HD Net, a provider of high-definition movies and other media. "This isn't just about video. It's about other concepts and applications that can't be offered net users without (Quality Of Service)," he wrote in an email. "I think the end user benefits the most. They can opt for using services where the quality of service is higher." Business 2.0 writer Om Malik questioned in his yet to answer. Email the author Del.icio.us") | Yahoo My Web David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.