ISPs charge onerous prices already and they often have local monopolies enforced by local governments and public utilities (which create artificially high regul

ISPs charge onerous prices already and they often have local monopolies enforced by local governments and public utilities (which create artificially high regulatory barriers to entry to eliminate competition [0]) as opposed to dominant market positions in a virtual space as a result of network effects and consumer choice. The government and regulatory bodies are so thoroughly captured that the government has actually made it illegal for municipalities to provide broadband across much of the U.S. [1]. The situation is similar, and in some cases worse, for power companies which are often granted local monopolies, immune from antitrust laws through their relations with local government, and guaranteed insane profits despite awful performance [2]. Using ISPs and power companies as an example for why more government intervention in more open virtual markets would be advisable is probably not a winning argument. [0] https://www.wired.com/2013/07/we-need-to-stop-focusing-on-just-cable-companies-and-blame-local-government-for-dismal-broadband-competition/ https://www.wired.com/2013/07/we-need-to-stop-focusing-on-ju... [1] https://broadbandnow.com/report/municipal-broadband-roadblocks/ https://broadbandnow.com/report/municipal-broadband-roadbloc... [2] https://www.vox.com/2015/9/9/9287719/utilities-monopoly https://www.vox.com/2015/9/9/9287719/utilities-monopoly