Re:The Music Industry Shouldn't Be Able to Cut Off Your Inte...
by paulddraper on Tuesday December 13, 2016 @09:44AM
(#13167084)
> Communications infrastructure naturally tends towards a monopoly
Agreed, but suggesting "America is supposed to be about free markets" therefore it should have a monopoly isn't a compelling argument.
It should be a monopoly despite the normal free market model, not because of it.
The advantage of the Openreach model is that the last-mile infrastructure is treated like a public good. Anyone can lease bits of that infrastructure and everyone pays the same regulated rates. The system ensures that the monopoly is as small as possible, segregating out the stuff that's a natural monopoly from the stuff that naturally supports competition.
Thanks to Openreach, I have a meaningful choice over my internet service. I can choose dirt cheap service from a multinational, or I can pay a premium for specialist service. If my ISP starts doing traffic shaping or has lousy customer support, I can choose from any number of other ISPs.