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> Do you have cable and/or phone service? The terrible state of internet service providers is not a free-market phenomenon. Those industries matured over a lon
by clarkmoody 10y ago
> Do you have cable and/or phone service?
The terrible state of internet service providers is not a free-market phenomenon. Those industries matured over a long period of time hand-in-hand with governments and regulators. Through bidding processes, licenses, and overt monopolies, government has heavily influenced the shape of those industries today. Taking a broken system and "deregulating" it doesn't magically get you awesome results, if the very fabric of that system was built on government privilege and control.
If government wants to take some action now that can undo what it has done in the past regarding the ISPs, then I'm all for it.
> There's always going to be the problem of information asymmetry.
Even if I grant you that point -- but see sibling comment -- wouldn't it be nice if that were the only problem in the market? Wouldn't it be nice if there were no government-granted monopolies? Uber vs the taxis is the perfect example of what's wrong with cronyism and government privilege.
> propping up the fast food industry
Consumers are propping it up, because it meets the need for cheap, tasty food. Sure it's bad for you, but people know that and don't care. Doing drugs is bad for you -- and illegal to boot -- and plenty of people use them. I don't prefer a government that dictates what sorts of things I put in my body of my own free will.