[mythtv-users] Comcast 'flees $45bn monster-merger with Time Warner Cable'

[Stephen P. Villano]

On 4/24/15 4:00 PM, Eric Sharkey wrote:
> On Fri, Apr 24, 2015 at 3:30 PM, Stephen P. Villano
> <stephen.p.villano at gmail.com> wrote:
>> It's been my repeated experience that when two corporations merge, with
>> one having lousy customer service, the one that had barely acceptable or
>> even excellent customer service tends to end up having lousy customer
>> service.
>>
>> Examples are the Sanyo-Fisher merger and the Sears-Kmart merger.
> In those examples, the un-merged companies competed for customers but
> the merged companies have a reduced need to compete for customers
> because the number of options for those customers to turn to a
> competitor are reduced.  Since Comcast/TW have fully segregated
> markets and don't compete for customers, it's not clear how much we
> can learn from those examples.  If we were talking about a merger of
> Comcast and Verizon, where service areas overlap, you would have a
> point, but it's not the case here.
>
> Eric
> _______________________________________________
>
I remember, in my youth, there was *one* company for telephone service
and long distance. Later, the Bell companies were broken apart, as they
were an unlawful monopoly and AT&T sprung into being from a larger
portion of the central carrier line owners. Their growth was helped by
the US government requiring and contracting with AT&T for nationwide
fiber trunks, retaining a number of such to this very day as dark fiber,
for potential future need.
During the period of the ascension of AT&T, there was essentially *one*
long distance carrier for the nation, although some minority carriers
wanted to provide such services. That provider was AT&T.
That eventually was broken up and today, we have a wide variety of long
distance carriers and cellular companies have eliminated long distance
charges entirely.
In the Bell Telephone era, you were strictly regulated by the company to
use *only* their provided telephone, the variety being wall or tabletop
and the colors being white, black or rarely, red. The number of
telephones in the house were charged for, claiming increased costs to
ring additional telephones and proclaiming harm to their equipment if
non-approved telephones were connected.
Touch tone service cost a great deal more and highly specific equipment
was allowed, leaving essentially two models and again, little color
choice. Add to that the touch tone telephones were analog, due to the
era, resistance in the switch would alter the tone to the point where
one had to replace an expensive telephone or swap a rented telephone
from Ma Bell.
Prices were barely regulated, choice was absent, competition vacant. It
was a Ma Bell telephone, use what was ordained or use tin cans and string.

Today, we have tighter regulation, we have many telephone companies to
deal with, each competing with the other to provide service, the same is
true with long distance carriers.
AT&T still attempts to play the non-competing game, but it's a weaker
game, that attitude would disappear if the US government dropped any of
its significant number of contracts with AT&T, they were already
weakened by the US government giving back a significant amount of dark
fiber it previously leased.

As for socio-economic systems, I'll simply suggest that the best system
is that which blends all competing forms to suit the culture it is to
serve and adjust as the culture shifts over time, with benefit to the
majority of the populace.
Hence, the Kingdom of Sweden has a lot of socialistic organizations, a
lot of capitalistic organizations, democratic organs and the monarchy
(to oversimplify). The UK, similar, but lesser in socialistic
organizations, more in the capitalistic organizations. The US, much less
socialistic organizations, more capitalistic and the rest, a variable mess.
This US citizen's favorite here in the US?
The village idiot who carps about anything socialist-like (usually
calling it communism, which is another system entirely), while driving
the SUV down a federally funded superhighway, to enjoy the National
Park, while certain that emergency medical services are a phone call
away, as well as police, firefighters and the garbage that was left at
the curb will be removed by the time the family is done with their picnic.

Gary, your remark "You want facts to enter into a rational discussion of
economic theories when this is (for some) an emotional issue?" spurred
my comments. So, have I been somewhat rational?  :)
I will admit, I have no clue how to make a "perfect" mix for my own
nation. But, I do get some good ideas for mixtures that may be adjusted
for my own.