From: Brian D Williams (talon57@well.com)
Date: Thu Jul 19 2001 - 15:09:14 MDT
>from: hibbert@netcom.com
>You have to draw your lines very carefully in order to define such
>a market. Please give an example in which the customers don't
>have alternatives.
<disclaimer: I do not speak for SBC/Ameritech, my opinions are my
own >
I was thinking of telecom, especially since I sit in the middle of
one of the biggest data centers in the U.S. ;)
The PLEC's (parasitic local exchange carriers) who deceptively
refer to themselves as "competitors" (the only thing they're
competing for is a share of RBOC generated profit) consistantly try
to argue that it would be prohibitively expensive to "duplicate"
existing infrastructure.
We've got 80+ of them feeding on us at the moment.
>This is similar to the case several years ago when the government
>was trying to decide whether to prosecute the three biggest makers
>of breakfast cereals for monopolizing their market. In order to
>consider that possibility, they had to ignore the fact that people
>have many other choices. If the cereal companies raise prices too
>high, people will eat eggs or waffles, or (heavens!) make
>sandwiches for breakfast.
A good example.
>The only examples I know of are in telecom and other utilities in
>which governments have traditionally imposed a monopoly in order
>to protect us from the dangers of a natural monopoly.
Actually if you check the history (I have the archives here in my
building) the reason for granting the monopoly was if we agreed to
provide universal service.
Universal service is the first thing disintegrating since the 1996
telecom act.
Brian
Member:
Extropy Institute, www.extropy.org
National Rifle Association, www.nra.org, 1.800.672.3888
SBC/Ameritech Data Center Chicago, IL, Local 134 I.B.E.W
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