bicker
join:2007-05-10
Burlington, MA
| reply to axus
Re: What will Verizon do
That's really the approach they should take: Just keep reducing service so that northern New England is as profitable as the rest of the country, even if that means service there goes into the toilet. Eventually, Vermont will THROW them out.
The state cannot reasonably expect them to support underperforming operations. It is an immoral abuse of state power. |
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tschmidt
Premium,MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| said by bicker  :The state cannot reasonably expect them to support underperforming operations. It is an immoral abuse of state power. No that is why there are state public utility commissions rather then Federal so regulated utilities are able to request tariff rates that reflect local conditions.
I fail to see what is immoral about government requiring regulated companies provide certain services.
/tom |
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bicker
join:2007-05-10
Burlington, MA
| It's called an unfunded mandate. It's immoral when the federal government imposes one on state governments, and doubly so when any government imposes one on private institutions.
As long as the public utility commission approves tariffs such that the business can satisfy its fiduciary responsibility to its owners to invest their resources in the best interests of the owners, then there is no problem. Barring that, the business unquestionably should be allowed to sell their assets and stop wasting more resources on the under-performing asset. |
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tschmidt
Premium,MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
·Verizon Online DSL
| said by bicker :and doubly so when any government imposes one on private institutions. Now I understand your posts. You and I have very different notions about the relationship between Government (i.e. the people) and private enterprise.
My view is citizen voluntarily come together and delegate some of their autonomy to government in order to protect the common good. In this view it is government's role to define rules by which private enterprise operate. The role of private enterprise is to increase to common good, not necessarily that of individuals. Capitalism is a fantastic mechanism to organize labor and capital. However let entirely to itself it also has a number of highly negative consequences. I agree it is the fiduciary of companies to maximize profit within the rules set by government. In fact that is their only obligation. Where we disagree is role "of the people" to set the rules.
said by bicker :As long as the public utility commission approves tariffs such that the business can satisfy its fiduciary responsibility to its owners to invest their resources in the best interests of the owners, then there is no problem. Those of us in VT/NH/ME with a more cynical view think that may have been Verizon's plan from the beginning - to extract concessions from states they would not have gotten otherwise.
/tom |
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bicker
join:2007-05-10
Burlington, MA
| said by tschmidt :The role of private enterprise is to increase to common good, not necessarily that of individuals. You must have been out-of-country for the last thirty years!  Your ideals are, well, idealistic, but don't reflect the way things actually are in this country, these days. |
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tschmidt
Premium,MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
·Verizon Online DSL
| said by bicker : Your ideals are, well, idealistic, but don't reflect the way things actually are in this country, these days. Exactly, and that is why we are in such a mess.
/tom |
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bicker
join:2007-05-10
Burlington, MA | Well, speak for yourself: Perhaps that's why you're in such a mess. |
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