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

[Stephen P. Villano]

On 4/25/15 11:54 AM, Karl Newman wrote:
> On Sat, Apr 25, 2015 at 3:31 AM, Simon Hobson <linux at thehobsons.co.uk
> <mailto:linux at thehobsons.co.uk>> wrote:
>
>     Stephen P. Villano <stephen.p.villano at gmail.com
>     <mailto:stephen.p.villano at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>     > I remember, in my youth, there was *one* company for telephone service
>     > and long distance.
>     ...
>     > 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.
>
>     Yup, sounds just like I remember it back in "the good old days" of
>     the Post Office having an actual and complete, backed by law,
>     monopoly in phone services.
>     If you wanted a phone line, you got it when they were happy to let
>     you have it - sometimes a long time if they were short of pairs
>     and didn't feel like adding any more cable. Party lines were
>     common (we shared with a couple of elderly ladies across the
>     road). And as you say, choice of handset was "limited".
>
>     > Touch tone service cost a great deal more
>
>     Ha ha - we didn't even have the option !
>
>     One of my aunts is Polish, and she used to tell this joke about a
>     Polish guy that goes to buy a car. He goes down to the showroom to
>     pick from the 2 models available, and pick the shade of grey. As
>     he's signing the paperwork, the salesman asks him "you do realise
>     there's a 10 year waiting list don't you ?" "Oh that's fine" the
>     chap replies, then adds "but will it be delivered in the morning
>     or afternoon ?"
>
>     The salesman is taken aback and exclaims "you are waiting 10 years
>     for a car and you are bothered if it arrives in the morning or
>     afternoon ?".
>
>     "Yes" says the chap, "the phone is being installed in the morning".
>
>     Like all good jokes, it's based on substantial exaggeration of
>     actual facts, but my aunt always reckoned it wasn't so far from
>     the truth from when she was a child.
>
>
>     So yes, I agree with the others - you need good competition as
>     that's what drives service, choice, quality, value, etc, etc. But
>     you do need regulators who will step in for those situation where
>     a market doesn't work (roads and sewers being the classic
>     examples) or where it's not working as it should .
>     As an outsider, I'd agree with the comment that US doesn't seem to
>     have a working market. It looks very much like it's run for the
>     benefit of corporate interests, and politicians certainly appear
>     to be working on the basis of not upsetting their sponsors.
>
>     Over here there are some strict rules and limits designed to curb
>     that sort of behaviour - but it's only of limited value when the
>     "reward" may be an intangible ("shift the law in our favour,
>     there's a juicy non-exec directorship waiting for you when your
>     done" sort of thing).
>
>
> Since it has been decided that corporations are people, let's take it
> to the logical conclusion and fight for corporations' right to vote.
> Only after they turn 18 of course. Fight for corporate suffrage! And
> then qualify them for the draft...
>
> Karl
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
I made that very comment on the very day that the Citizens United SCOTUS
decision was handed down.
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