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from the if-you-build-it-they-will-come dept.
TechDirt reports
Grassroots revolution [such as cities building fiber networks themselves or striking public/private partnerships with companies like Google Fiber or Ting/Tucows] is precisely why large ISPs like Charter, Comcast, and AT&T have spent the last decade lobbying for (and in most instances directly writing) protectionist bills across twenty different states banning local citizens from making these kinds of decisions for themselves. If you want to see precisely why these regional monopolists are so afraid, you need look no further than Huntsville, Alabama.
City-owned Huntsville Utilities has been building a fiber broadband network that should service the lion's share of the city's homes and businesses over the next few years. What's more, the network will be open access--meaning that ISPs can come in and compete with each other over the regional infrastructure. Google Fiber has already signed up to be one of at least three ISPs taking advantage of the build, and should begin offering service there by the middle of this year.
Have any Soylentils had this happen in their area?
(Score: 4, Interesting) by bzipitidoo on Saturday February 18 2017, @07:21PM
Need to edit the motto on US money: s/o/ree . Or perhaps not. Greed is our God.
It's a big problem, and old. How do you stop greedy businesses from trying to create a monopoly with themselves as the monopolist? Stop them from rent seeking? There has to be a market for market forces to function. This constant lobbying and corruption of government officials is corrosive. Sports looks like a good corollary. How to stop cheating in sports? Everyone has an interest in squelching extreme cheating such as attempts to murder competitors before the competition. Disabling injury is frowned upon too, but that one is sometimes attempted, as when Harding had a hit man try to damage rival skater Kerrigan's knee, and a New Orleans Saints coach told his players to hurt the opposing team members with gems like "We want his head sideways." We don't see stuff like the CEO of Comcast putting out hits on AT&T Uverse leaders or employees, they know they can't get away with that. One would hope they also have enough shreds of humanity not to want to compete that extremely even if they could get away with it.
But softer crimes? Oh yes. When the ref makes a questionable call, used to be nothing could be done about it until it was too late and the game was over. Sure, they could fire the ref afterwards, but that wouldn't change the outcome of the game. Now we have instant replay. Referees can still shade things to favor one team, but it is harder now. More transparency really helped. And it can help with political corruption. The recent victory affirming the right to film cops on duty is a good step.
Sometimes that level of proof isn't needed. For instance, Munich thinking of moving back to Windows is obviously prompted by corruption. But it's still good to have more proof, as some people can be awfully dense.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 18 2017, @10:30PM
How do you stop greedy businesses from trying to create a monopoly with themselves as the monopolist?
The other motto on U.S. money is "e pluribus unum" meaning "from many, one."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 20 2017, @02:27AM
(in other words, a monopoly)
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday February 19 2017, @01:03AM
It becomes trickier when there's infrastructure involved. Here, locally, there's nothing worse than the feeling of your monopolist corporate utility arbitrarily jacking up power and gas rates 10% year after year for no reason other than muh shareholders and because they can.
Cable monopolies ain't got nothin' on those motherfucking bastard snakes.