I believe that UUNET has applied for and received common carrier status [...]
I'd love to hear more about this --- my understanding was that "common carrier" status only had a specific meaning for telephone companies, and also meant as a side effect that they had to regulated by the FCC. I was not aware that "common carrier" status had any meaning in the computer networking arena, since no regulatory agency would have the right to receive applications and grant common carrier status, unless a law were specifically passed by Congress or perhaps some action resulting from a Federal court decision.
I am fairly certain that the people doing Skynet (Usenet news over satelite) are common carriers (or at least that is what Len Rose told me, I could be wrong...) For an example that predates computer communication by some time but might be a worthwhile example anyway, take a look at Western Union's telegraph business. What is/was thier status regarding the messages they sent? jim