Teaming with Microsoft to produce a less costly, more open system could result in new growth.

The costly system has been criticized since its creation three decades ago.

It is a costly system for big mail users, such as banks and utilities.

"The death penalty is a broken and costly system," they wrote.

The costly system favors the big airlines over mid-sized carriers.

Teledesic also faces competition from less costly systems, some of which will be in operation before it is.

The new system, though costly ($15,000-$17,000 a year), is expected to reduce hospital visits.

Instead of teaching the students in a huge, separate, costly system, the panel would integrate more than 100,000 disabled children into regular classrooms.

I therefore wonder whom this costly system is supposed to benefit.

But this costly system is deteriorating, an unintended result of efforts to control rising medical costs.