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The US has a history of breaking up monopolies. Think of Standard Oil or Bell breakup. Usually when they react they react late, but when they do it, they make s
by est31 7y ago
The US has a history of breaking up monopolies. Think of Standard Oil or Bell breakup. Usually when they react they react late, but when they do it, they make sure they don't have to come back again, as in they are very thorough with their breakup.
- yellow_postit 7y agoNot sure about that, MaBell has essentially reassembled itself.
- est31 7y agoHow so? AT&T is a big carrier but it doesn't have near the size of the Bell system, no?
- rrrrrrrrrrrryan 7y agoWe still don't have a full-blown monopoly like we used to, but there's been considerable consolidation in the industry over the years. The T-Mobile/Sprint merger is the latest example. Article from a few years back: https://www.theverge.com/2016/10/24/13389592/att-time-warner-merger-breakup-bell-system-chart https://www.theverge.com/2016/10/24/13389592/att-time-warner... There are massive economic incentives to consolidate infrastructure-like industries, hence why infrastructure is often nationalized, pseudo-nationalized, or heavily regulated.