Comments on: Playing Chicken With Consumers: Wu Calls for Cellphone Regulation http://techliberation.com/2007/02/12/playing-chicken-with-consumers-wu-calls-for-cellphone-regulation/ The Technology Liberation Front is the tech policy blog dedicated to keeping politicians' hands off the 'net and everything else related to technology. Sat, 06 Sep 2008 06:28:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Bob Jacobson http://techliberation.com/2007/02/12/playing-chicken-with-consumers-wu-calls-for-cellphone-regulation/#comment-37137 Bob Jacobson Fri, 09 Mar 2007 15:12:30 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/02/12/playing-chicken-with-consumers-wu-calls-for-cellphone-regulation/#comment-37137 The continuing consolidation of the telephone market, landline and cellular, can lead to only one thing: monopolization. Sure, in addition to a dominant one or two providers, there is a struggling train of stragglers. But there were multiple suppliers during the former AT&T's reign, too. No one was deceived by the existence of Podunk Telephone in Paducah that AT&T wasn't in supreme control. All common carriage service tends to end in monopolistic market control through consolidation, collusion, or regulation. It's an axiom of business, supported by the entirety of utility history in America. To paraphrase The Who, soon, too soon, the "new" AT&T (the former SBC) is the same as the old one. The rest hardly matter. The continuing consolidation of the telephone market, landline and cellular, can lead to only one thing: monopolization. Sure, in addition to a dominant one or two providers, there is a struggling train of stragglers. But there were multiple suppliers during the former AT&T’s reign, too. No one was deceived by the existence of Podunk Telephone in Paducah that AT&T wasn’t in supreme control. All common carriage service tends to end in monopolistic market control through consolidation, collusion, or regulation. It’s an axiom of business, supported by the entirety of utility history in America. To paraphrase The Who, soon, too soon, the “new” AT&T (the former SBC) is the same as the old one. The rest hardly matter.

]]> By: Bob Jacobson http://techliberation.com/2007/02/12/playing-chicken-with-consumers-wu-calls-for-cellphone-regulation/#comment-46790 Bob Jacobson Fri, 09 Mar 2007 15:12:30 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/02/12/playing-chicken-with-consumers-wu-calls-for-cellphone-regulation/#comment-46790 The continuing consolidation of the telephone market, landline and cellular, can lead to only one thing: monopolization. Sure, in addition to a dominant one or two providers, there is a struggling train of stragglers. But there were multiple suppliers during the former AT&T;'s reign, too. No one was deceived by the existence of Podunk Telephone in Paducah that AT&T; wasn't in supreme control. All common carriage service tends to end in monopolistic market control through consolidation, collusion, or regulation. It's an axiom of business, supported by the entirety of utility history in America. To paraphrase The Who, soon, too soon, the "new" AT&T; (the former SBC) is the same as the old one. The rest hardly matter. The continuing consolidation of the telephone market, landline and cellular, can lead to only one thing: monopolization. Sure, in addition to a dominant one or two providers, there is a struggling train of stragglers. But there were multiple suppliers during the former AT&T;’s reign, too. No one was deceived by the existence of Podunk Telephone in Paducah that AT&T; wasn’t in supreme control. All common carriage service tends to end in monopolistic market control through consolidation, collusion, or regulation. It’s an axiom of business, supported by the entirety of utility history in America. To paraphrase The Who, soon, too soon, the “new” AT&T; (the former SBC) is the same as the old one. The rest hardly matter.

]]> By: Richard Bennett http://techliberation.com/2007/02/12/playing-chicken-with-consumers-wu-calls-for-cellphone-regulation/#comment-37136 Richard Bennett Tue, 13 Feb 2007 01:31:24 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/02/12/playing-chicken-with-consumers-wu-calls-for-cellphone-regulation/#comment-37136 It's official: Tim Wu is a communist. Seriously, however, the net neutrality activists who over-sold their cause so egregiously in the last session of Congress seem to feel compelled to over-sell the over-sold fears by taking it into areas where they don't have a shred of a case. The "Save The Internet" coalition funded by Google (by way of Moveon) is now demanding free broadband for everybody, and here we have Prof. Wu, who actually should know better, taking on the highly-competitive cell phone market. I suppose this indicates that it's even easier to commit adultery the second time. It’s official: Tim Wu is a communist.

Seriously, however, the net neutrality activists who over-sold their cause so egregiously in the last session of Congress seem to feel compelled to over-sell the over-sold fears by taking it into areas where they don’t have a shred of a case. The “Save The Internet” coalition funded by Google (by way of Moveon) is now demanding free broadband for everybody, and here we have Prof. Wu, who actually should know better, taking on the highly-competitive cell phone market.

I suppose this indicates that it’s even easier to commit adultery the second time.

]]> By: Richard Bennett http://techliberation.com/2007/02/12/playing-chicken-with-consumers-wu-calls-for-cellphone-regulation/#comment-46789 Richard Bennett Tue, 13 Feb 2007 01:31:24 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/02/12/playing-chicken-with-consumers-wu-calls-for-cellphone-regulation/#comment-46789 It's official: Tim Wu is a communist.<br><br>Seriously, however, the net neutrality activists who over-sold their cause so egregiously in the last session of Congress seem to feel compelled to over-sell the over-sold fears by taking it into areas where they don't have a shred of a case. The "Save The Internet" coalition funded by Google (by way of Moveon) is now demanding free broadband for everybody, and here we have Prof. Wu, who actually should know better, taking on the highly-competitive cell phone market.<br><br>I suppose this indicates that it's even easier to commit adultery the second time. It’s official: Tim Wu is a communist.

Seriously, however, the net neutrality activists who over-sold their cause so egregiously in the last session of Congress seem to feel compelled to over-sell the over-sold fears by taking it into areas where they don’t have a shred of a case. The “Save The Internet” coalition funded by Google (by way of Moveon) is now demanding free broadband for everybody, and here we have Prof. Wu, who actually should know better, taking on the highly-competitive cell phone market.

I suppose this indicates that it’s even easier to commit adultery the second time.

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