The phone companies are continuing their campaign to get not only us to pay for bandwidth but also to get providers of content and services (movie services, voip services) to pay for quality service. Note first that they’re admitting they can give and withhold quality service; that’s blackmail. Note, too, that if they succeed, we’ll end up paying twice.
We desperately need competition in bandwidth, and that includes municipal efforts. The laws in Pennsylvania and elsewhere that prevent local governments from delivering wireless bandwidth should be revoked. And laws such as New Jersey’s that prevent providers of bandwidth — and TV — from freely entering into local markets should also be shot down.
The big, old phone companies are trying to act like monopolies again. There is only one cure for a monopoly: competition.
