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Echoing most telecom-industry analysts, Powell has made clear that he thinks that the industry may well need another round of consolidation to get back on sound footing--whether that means SBC and BellSouth or Verizon and Qwest joining forces, the Bells snapping up their newfound competitors at AT&T and MCI, or some of the six major wireless carriers finding strength in numbers. But, as Gene Kimmelman, co-director of the Washington office of Consumers Union, points out, "If Powell goes too hard too fast, he could end up with egg all over his face, with a more monopolistic market that cries out for new regulations." And surely the last thing he wants is to leave people like Will Harpest with fewer real choices and no one to call for help. --With reporting by Perry Bacon Jr./Washington and Noah Isackson/Chicago