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Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by marknutter on Friday October 19, 2012 @08:26AM (#4673176)
No; when government becomes sufficiently small.
Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by Reebz on Friday October 19, 2012 @08:34AM (#4673204)
No and no; when we are sufficiently globalized and companies are taxed (fairly) by all countries. In your example, France is pissed off they're not getting a slice of the billion dollar pie because Google sits in the US. Our archaic ideas of "nations" are tied to land masses - not a great partner to a distributable service that can be accessed almost anywhere near the speed of light.
Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by mercurial on Friday October 19, 2012 @10:57AM (#4673772)
At the risk of derailing the discussion, it's my understanding that the US government is not getting much in corporate taxes from Google either, thanks to a well-established practice of tax-dodging by funneling profits into Ireland.
Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by oleganza on Friday October 19, 2012 @09:56AM (#4673499)
Your archaic idea of taxes is what holds back productive efforts to be distributed wherever needed at the maximum speed.
Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by erikpukinskis on Friday October 19, 2012 @09:04AM (#4673323)
When government is "sufficiently small" then conventional colleges will be able to just pay ISPs to block Coursera.

Cutting out the middleman! I guess government is inefficient.

Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by icebraining on Friday October 19, 2012 @09:23AM (#4673389)
Why would customers choose an ISP that does such a thing?
Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by pi18n on Friday October 19, 2012 @09:57AM (#4673507)
Because the theoretical government was too small to force even a duopoly, so one provider has bought all the wires.
Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by jessaustin on Friday October 19, 2012 @12:59PM (#4674373)
In the USA, technologically unnecessary government regulation of the wireless spectrum is the only reason the wires confer any sort of monopoly. If the FCC didn't exist, we wouldn't all be forced to use 1940s tech on all non-wifi bands, and our local loop to our ISP would be wireless, fast, and effectively free.

Instead, we have Ma Bell, Part II. I don't see how an evil corporation could have brought about such a situation without the enthusiastic assistance of the state.

Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by jevinskie on Friday October 19, 2012 @06:02PM (#4675574)
Please, leave the wireless spectrum to the mobile devices and use the effectively unlimited spectrum that you get with wires for non-mobile devices. Spectrum is a scarce resource that really does need government oversight!
Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by icebraining on Saturday October 20, 2012 @05:21AM (#4676700)
Why couldn't competitors install more?
Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by pi18n on Saturday October 20, 2012 @05:29AM (#4676708)
When they try, the monopoly lowers its prices until the competitors are out of business.
Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by icebraining on Saturday October 20, 2012 @05:35AM (#4676717)
Why couldn't competitors enter the market after the monopoly raises them again?
Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by xyzzyz on Friday October 19, 2012 @09:32AM (#4673420)
Why do you think they would have a choice? Compared to the situation in Europe, Americans don't really have much choice right now.
Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by yummyfajitas on Friday October 19, 2012 @10:14AM (#4673576)
Because with a sufficiently small government, ISPs would not enjoy a government-mandated duopoly?
Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by xyzzyz on Friday October 19, 2012 @12:44PM (#4674276)
...instead enjoying monopoly unencumbered by some silly competition law.
Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by icebraining on Saturday October 20, 2012 @05:29AM (#4676707)
Why couldn't competitors enter the market?
Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by mindcrime on Friday October 19, 2012 @11:38AM (#4673985)
Because with a sufficiently small government, ISPs would not enjoy a government-mandated duopoly?

BINGO! Give yummyfajitas a cookie. Government inhibits competition and innovation more than it helps.

Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by mkopinsky on Friday October 19, 2012 @11:14AM (#4673863)
Because an ISP that takes payments from third parties to block content will thereby be able to provide lower rates to consumers.
Re:Free Online Education Is Now Illegal in Minnesota by icebraining on Saturday October 20, 2012 @05:33AM (#4676712)
Yes, and so people would be glad to choose that. And others would prefer to pay for the content (presumably, Coursera wouldn't be the only ones blocked), much like they do with almost everything else. Is there any market where only the cheapest can sell? I doubt it.