Hacker News Reader

Comment by IanDrake | Hacker News Reader

Comcast is not a monopoly. This is the sort of misunderstanding that I'm talking about. AT&T was a monopoly and the USPO is still a first class mail monopoly.

I suspect Comcast is just the best option in your location and you're dissatisfied with it. Bummer for you, and I sincerely mean that.

When industries get regulated by the government they get "protected". Protected from upstarts with new and better technology, protected from cheaper alternatives, protected from dissatisfied customers, and generally protected from all market forces.

View on HN

> Comcast is not a monopoly.

It's close to it. Ask those who have nothing else to choose from in their area, and they'll tell you whether it's a monopoly or not.

That's playing semantic games though.

If someone wants broadband at their house and the only possible provider is Comcast, then to them it may as well be called a monopoly.

It is also playing with semantics to exclude DSL from the definition of broadband. 99% of people served by Comcast are also going to have a telco that can provide an admittedly slower, but still broadband, connection via DSL.

> It is also playing with semantics to exclude DSL from the definition of broadband.

No need to play here. DSL is not broadband. Luckily you didn't try proposing to call telegraph broadband as well. Pigeon mail anyone?

>I suspect Comcast is just the [only broadband] option in your location [due to their non-compete agreement with Time Warner and the city council not letting other service providers lay cables] and you're dissatisfied with it.

That's a bit more accurate. If somethings the only provider of a service, that's a monopoly. Plain and simple. There's no exceptions, there's no misunderstanding. The definition of broadband is 25/3, and Comcast is the only company offering that. There's no chance for upstarts with newer and better technology. There's no chance for cheaper alternatives. There's no chance of market forces. If you want to be an ISP in this city, you have to go through the city council who says no one but Comcast can lay cable and only utilies companies can use their utility poles. Guess what, if Comcast is Title II and everyone has access to their poles and conduits, well here comes the competition.

http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/01/google-letter-fcc-title-i...

USPO is a first class mail monopoly because other players choose not to get in that game. Instead, even when you do ship via another carrier if that carrier deems your route to be too unprofitable they will give it to the post office because they cannot refuse. In fact, FedEx and UPS are the post office's biggest customers for this very reason.

Not true. It's impossible to truly compete at First Class Mail. The USPO(USPS) is a de-facto First Class mail monopoly because of the Private Express Statutes.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com