According to American Association for Single people (http://www.singlesrights.com/main.html), 2000 UC Census reported that 82 million men and women in United States are unmarried. This figure includes nearly 20 million adults who are divorced, 13.6 million who are widowed, and more than 48 million who have never married.

· More than 48% of all households in nation are headed by unmarried individuals.

· About 40% of workforce is unmarried.

· Approximately 36% of people who voted in last national election were unmarried.

· About 27 million Americans live alone, while about 2 million adults live with an unmarried partner.

The Census Bureau has projected that between ages of 15 and 85, average man and woman will experience more years being unmarried than they will being married.

According to this data, a huge and growing population is choosing to be alone. If you define adults as those over 18, 44% of US adults - that's nearly half -- are singles.

Of 18 to 24 age group, 85.9% are single. This is a very substantial change from a generation ago, and this is group that will be coming your way!

The American Association for Single People (AASP) projects that by 2010, 47.2% of adults over age of 18 will be unmarried.

If we assume that this trend continues, and Cheryl Russell is not only one who thinks it will, what will this mean to workplace?

First of all, there will be increasing pressure for economic, political, corporate, and legal reforms to accommodate this shift to unmarried adults.

Secondly, it seems probable that adults are going to be seeking more connection, and more social contact at work - with nearly half of workers being single.

Way back in 1996, Congrss passed Telecommunications Act. This ground breaking piece of legislation was enacted to loosen death grip that incumbent Bell monopolies held on consumers wallets... as well as foster competition in long distance and broadband arenas.

In FCCs own modest declaration... "The Telecommunications Act of 1996 has potential to change way we work, live and learn. It will affect telephone service -- local and long distance, cable programming and other video services, broadcast services and services provided to schools."

"Potential" being key word here.

Oh, it started out well enough... with usual hype and fanfare associated with Internet heyday. New players, fueled by 90s investment frenzy, arose like wildflowers in May... collectively spending billions of dollars on race to blur line between old switched networks and new IP pipelines.

Breakthrough technologies, such as VOIP (Voice-over-Internet Protocol), threatened to shake very foundation of telecommunications world, offering consumers viable new choices. Companies like Net2Phone and Dialpad gave anyone with a computer, microphone and dialup connection, ability to do an end around established long distance carriers.

Soon, VOIP went mainstream, finding its way directly to telephone and bypassing need for a computer. "Pay by month, not by minute" became rallying cry of a new generation of long distance marketers... as concept of flat-rate and "unlimited” long distance blossomed. Consumers and small businesses no longer needed to fear receiving a huge long distance bill come months end... as they stepped off per-minute treadmill.

And all was well... or so it seemed.

But did these cutting edge Internet technologies forever change telecom landscape, as promised? Was it time yet for high-fives at FCC... and was a victory parade in order for consumers?

In a word... No.

Quality and reliability issues, indifferent customer service and unsound business practices... exacerbated by overall telecom meltdown, wiped out most of these alternate providers... burying them in dot.com graveyard.

Meanwhile, Big Three (AT&T, MCI and Sprint) still enjoy lions share of US long distance revenues.