President Obama Launches New Pro-Competition Initiative

I can’t dispute the lack of competition on set-top boxes, but cable companies and local telcos are prototypical examples of monopolies created by government regulation. The problem in this particular area is a result of government neglect in an area that it chose to regulate.

The actual issue brief [https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/page/files/20...] reads a lot better than the linked article and does admit that government policy is significant cause of anti-competitive behavior.

  > The first action in Obama’s new initiative is to open the market for set-top cable boxes

I couldn't help but jump for joy at the thought of these things being replaced with something half way usable.