Cable and phone companies don't seem to care about efficiency in their marketing efforts. Almost everywhere they're allowed to count it as an expense and fold

Cable and phone companies don't seem to care about efficiency in their marketing efforts. Almost everywhere they're allowed to count it as an expense and fold it into their regulated costs and make a regulated profit off it. Putting on my cynic hat, buying lots of newspaper, television and radio ads is a good way to keep the media on the sidelines instead of criticizing the incumbents.