JakCrow
join:2001-12-06
Palo Alto, CA
| reply to Alpine
Re: hopefully they won't suck
said by Alpine  :
said by JakCrow :
Don't think anything will get better with Kerry if he gets in. Both sides are in industry pockets, especially with the telcos.
This one always cracks me up. The Telcos have all the politicians in their pockets, huh? I guess that's why the politicians passed things like the Telecom Act of 1996, which was ooooh-so-friendly to the telcos..
You mean the legislation of deregulation that was crafted with the telcos' input, lobbying from their biggest business customers, the desire of the local bells to break into the then-lucrative long distance market, and which also allowed the regional bells to gobble each other up to become bloated industry "players"? At what point did you get lost?
Common sense...
...shows that things are quite different today than they were in '96. |
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calvoiper
join:2003-03-31
Belvedere Tiburon, CA
| Yes, the telcos lauded TA'96 in press releases--but then removed those press releases from their websites when they challenged parts of the law in court.
Reed Hundt was the last "real" chair at the FCC. An experienced antitrust lawyer, he wrote original rules for TA'96 that the RBOCs hated. (You might expect that from someone who had experience with monopolies.)
Anyway, the RBOCs bought the Lincoln Bedroom or its equivalent, and Clinton shoved Hundt out. Hundt wrote a book about it--the best source.
Calvoiper
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VoIP--the death knell of remaining voice monopolies! |
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JakCrow
join:2001-12-06
Palo Alto, CA
| Such is the way of all these "deregulation" plans. The industry players involved praise these plans in public, while dragging their feet and trying to sue their way out of them in the background, instead of actually meeting their obligations for deregulation and reaping the rewards they could have gotten in the first place.
Deregulation is always pushed by industry special interests, where competing in the free market has no place in their plans, and the individual consumer is an afterthought. |
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calvoiper
join:2003-03-31
Belvedere Tiburon, CA
| Often true, but I'm certainly not ready to condemn deregulation altogether.
I think airline deregulation has been a huge success.
Yes, people whine about being treated like cattle and other distractions, but the basic fact is that you can fly coast to coast round trip for under $200--and the best bargains are available to the little guy on vacation, while the business traveller on a short schedule is the one usually paying the highest prices! This is a true reversal from the usual situation where big business gets the cheapest prices.
If we still had the Civil Aeronautics Board regulating air travel, you wouldn't find a JFK-LAX fare for under about $850 RT--though you'd still get probably get roasted almonds instead of the cheaper pretzels as a snack.
Competition has brought us directTV at the seat (JetBlue) and leather seating in coach (JB and SouthWest), both amenities rated highly by customers.
Yes, I prefer the somewhat more confusing atmosphere of a competitive market--but then, I'm not one of the sheep that wants others to make decisions for me--I'm willing to accept the responsibility of deciding such things for myself.
Calvoiper
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VoIP--the death knell of remaining voice monopolies! |
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JakCrow
join:2001-12-06
Palo Alto, CA | I'd say airline deregulation has been a double edged sword given the massive bailouts, and I wouldn't necessarily lump the airline industry in with the telco or power industries. |
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calvoiper
join:2003-03-31
Belvedere Tiburon, CA
| Any change in regulation is always a double-edged sword.
Let's just look at long distance.
Adjusted for inflation, we'd be paying around $1.00 a minute for LD if pre-1982 rates from ATT were still in effect.
And as for the bailouts, they're mistakes--at least as bad as the unnecessary "subsidy" funds in telecom. Those airlines should have gone broke, and they likely still will.
(Likewise, saving Chrysler just postponed the inevitable and gave Daimler-Benz something to gobble up. And let's not even mention Lockheed, OK?)
Calvoiper
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VoIP--the death knell of remaining voice monopolies! |
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