OPINION: DSL Provider Rhythms NetConnections on Fast Track to Bankruptcy.

Jul. 22--The bell tolls for thee, Rhythms NetConnections.

Amid the fire and brimstone of the telecommunications industry's shakeout in the past few months, we've heard many sad tales. But Arapahoe County-based Rhythms has slipped -- or limped, rather -- under the radar for the past two months. Don't mistake the silence as Rhythms hunkering down until the storm blows over. Rhythms is comatose, and its fate will be decided sooner or later. Our guess is sooner.

By now Rhythms has taken its place among the lore of the late-Nineties tech boom in Colorado. Founded in 1998 by ex-US West executive Catherine Hapka, Rhythms offers high-speed Internet access over phone …