Tim, lighten up...Sure, I work for a RBOC, but I have friends and collegues in the cable industry. We debate, disagree and argue all the time, but try to avoid "bashing" because its not constructive...
<<The cable companies are terribly monopolistic corporations,who never expected this level of competition.>>
Hmm, if there are widely available choices for delivery of video services to the home at competitive prices, does cable still have a monopoly? Cable can fight like crazy to be the only cable franchise in town, but that doesn't stop people from buying a mini satellite dish at Sears. It doesn't stop me from renting a movie at Blockbuster instead of watching their pay per view. Or, it doesn't stop me from unplugging cable and putting up rabbit ears if I live within the Grade A or B contour of a TV broadcast tower (I don't). If TCI had a complete monopoly, why did they have a net loss of approx. 80,000 subscribers in a recent quarter? They have market power and clout, but they are not a monopoly. Most cable folks have known competition would be just around the corner. In fact, most are surprised it didn't happen sooner. Thats why many cable cos like Cox have positioned themselves to diversify outside their core business into things like PCS, where they will probably do very well.
Are there any monopolies left in the USA? Electric utilities in Calif. are soon to be deregulated much like splitting up local and long distance telephone. Natural gas? Not in some places where heating oil still survives. Garbage collection? Hmm, some places make you haul your own (New Hampshire?), and some places have multiple choices.
If cable companies or RBOCs really are the biggest, baddest monopolies in the communications world, just turn off that MS-NBC newscast, log onto MS network and bring up your MSExplorer browser, attach a MSWord letter stored in your pentium PC, and email to pres@whitehouse.gov. That way you don't have to pay the "monopoly" phone companies to call in your complaint. (oops, doesn't that contradict the whole premises of the complaint?? Are you sure the "monopoly" label is attached to who is really gaining clout in the communications mass market?? hint, hint. )
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