The FCC has a map app.[1] Go and plug in some random addresses. The link below is for a NJ suburb , and lists 6 ISP competitors. But three of them are just s

The FCC has a map app.[1] Go and plug in some random addresses. The link below is for a NJ suburb , and lists 6 ISP competitors. But three of them are just satellite services and two are Verizon. In practice, there are exactly two competitors here: the phone monopoly and the cable monopoly, but the FCC would point to this to say that there's robust competition! Here's another one I just picked at random, in a suburb of Oklahoma City.[2] The FCC lists 9 different providers. 3 of them are Satellite, 2 are Cox Cable, and 4 are AT&T. Again, there are exactly two competitors here: the phone monopoly and the cable monopoly. Look around yourself. Two long-term competitors are not enough for meaningful competition. Duopoly competition has the same strategic profile as the Prisoner's Dilemma. When you have the same two players in the game over a long period of time, they learn to cooperate. See Axelrod (1980) etc... Regulatory capture, juking the stats, crooks and liars all. [1]: https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/#/location-summary?version=dec2017&lat=40.711885&lon=-74.211675&tech=acfosw&speed=25_3&vlat=39.88674446538175&vlon=-76.4712681769837&vzoom=6.726892807878911 https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/#/location-summary?version=dec2... [2]: https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/#/location-summary?version=dec2017&lat=35.328475&lon=-97.522893&tech=acfosw&speed=25_3&vlat=35.33832555171966&vlon=-97.53961116705045&vzoom=12.132692602201075 https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/#/location-summary?version=dec2...