Towns want Verizon investigated for abandoning networks through neglect

Re:Towns want Verizon investigated for abandoning networks t... by rayiner on Friday December 04, 2015 @02:25PM (#10678463)

They own the copper runs. But if you want to compete with them by building your own infrastructure you're allowed to do that. In most places, it's the power companies that own the utility lines, not the telcos. The problem is it's not worth anybody's while to do it to earn 3-5% return.

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Re:Towns want Verizon investigated for abandoning networks t... by dragonwriter on Friday December 04, 2015 @02:40PM (#10678568)

A monopoly doesn't require that other people be legally prohibited from competing (if they are, that's a granted-by-law monopoly), it requires that you have sufficient dominance in some market as to exercise pricing power within that market.

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Re:Towns want Verizon investigated for abandoning networks t... by rayiner on Friday December 04, 2015 @02:51PM (#10678661)

"In the US, many telecoms operate as a legal monopoly."

I assumed we were talking about ^^^.

I'm not being pedantic about the distinction. If you're of a libertarian bent, there is a big difference between legal and de-facto monopolists.

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