[TriLUG] TWC "Existing Customer Promotion"

[Aaron Joyner]

This thread seems to have drifted primarily towards concern over the Rent
Seeking and Regulatory Capture behavior of ISPs.  If we treat internet
service as a utility, which implies we regulate a single monopoly provider
or have the state provide internet service directly, do you think there
will be more Rent Seeking behavior, and a higher likelihood of Regulatory
Capture, or less?

Background reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent-seeking
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulatory_capture

Aaron S. Joyner

PS - Spoiler alert!  My take on it is that more control by the government
leads to more potential rents to be earned, which shifts the incentives
such that rent seeking provides a larger competitive advantage that
innovating...


On Mon, Mar 17, 2014 at 6:35 AM, <matt at noway2.thruhere.net> wrote:

> > Ok let's be straight here, I never said I am happy with TWC, just they
> are
> > no a utility. All I heard was how successful they were at cornering their
> > market with the Gov to get their product placed. If that is what makes
> > them a utility, then we have to reclassify a ton of HUGE corporations in
> > our society.
>
> On my way into work this morning, a thought hit me.  I remembered the
> famous quote / misquote:
>
> "A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only
> exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the
> public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate
> promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses
> because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a
> dictatorship, then a monarchy."
>
> It struck me that this is in essence what TWC is doing.  They are through
> bought proxy, voting themselves largess, or a guaranteed fat profit
> margin.
>
> They are not unique in this regard and they are not the only player doing
> this.  This in turn has impacted the operation of the Internet and brought
> the death of net neutrality, "features" like Sandvine, Netflix traffic
> extortion, etc.  It has also made single pressure points that have made
> the data spying easier and less risky with fewer players to pressure and
> risk saying no.  The Internet is rapidly losing it's Democracy status.
> Now, over the weekend, it was announced that the USA is losing control of
> ICANN.  We can thank companies like TWC and their cousins for their part.
>
> There is also the question of is, and if not, should Internet Access be a
> utility.  I say that Internet access is the modern equivalent of
> telephone, and in many ways, as necessary for functioning in society as
> electricity.  So, in my view, yes, it SHOULD be treated as a utility.
> --
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