4 ms·

What exactly should the American consumer do in protest? Not buy smartphones until carriers are nicer?

danssig 15y ago
We need better, more efficient regulation. Basically, we need to get back in control of the government. Big business owns it right now so life is getting better and better for them at our expense.
- nicksergeant 15y ago
  It does feel a bit like a runaway train, but I'm not sure it's the government's place to police the carriers on features and price (my biggest issues with them). What we really need is one solid competitor who aims to do things differently. We need an Apple / Google in the carrier world.
  - andylei 15y ago
    > I'm not sure it's the government's place to police the carriers > We need an Apple / Google in the carrier world if the government does not have the solution, and a major competitor to the big 4 (perhaps soon to be 3) carriers has not begun emerging, what do you think we should do? continue to wait for such a competitor to emerge? do you think one ever will?
    - nicksergeant 15y ago
      It's an entrepreneurial opportunity. Someone needs to enter the carrier market, much like what BankSimple is doing to banking and Square is doing to payments. Those are both huge markets where a startup has entered. The carrier market is arguably smaller than the banking market (albeit not by much), so it's not inconceivable to see a startup enter this space. Obviously the people behind this startup need to have $$ and not have their heads up their asses (like the other carriers).
      - andylei 15y ago
        that's not my point. clearly you and i do not have enough money to start such a carrier. why do you think such no one else has started such a carrier? should we wait around for someone to start one? what if we wait 10 years and no such carrier emerges? or should we push for new regulations?
        nicksergeant 15y ago
        Gotcha. I guess we wait, unless you have contacts / $$. :)
  - danssig 15y ago
    >but I'm not sure it's the government's place to police the carriers on features and price The governments place is what ever we say it is.

We need better, more efficient regulation. Basically, we need to get back in control of the government. Big business owns it right now so life is getting better and better for them at our expense.

nicksergeant 15y ago
It does feel a bit like a runaway train, but I'm not sure it's the government's place to police the carriers on features and price (my biggest issues with them). What we really need is one solid competitor who aims to do things differently. We need an Apple / Google in the carrier world.
- andylei 15y ago
  > I'm not sure it's the government's place to police the carriers > We need an Apple / Google in the carrier world if the government does not have the solution, and a major competitor to the big 4 (perhaps soon to be 3) carriers has not begun emerging, what do you think we should do? continue to wait for such a competitor to emerge? do you think one ever will?
  - nicksergeant 15y ago
    It's an entrepreneurial opportunity. Someone needs to enter the carrier market, much like what BankSimple is doing to banking and Square is doing to payments. Those are both huge markets where a startup has entered. The carrier market is arguably smaller than the banking market (albeit not by much), so it's not inconceivable to see a startup enter this space. Obviously the people behind this startup need to have $$ and not have their heads up their asses (like the other carriers).
    - andylei 15y ago
      that's not my point. clearly you and i do not have enough money to start such a carrier. why do you think such no one else has started such a carrier? should we wait around for someone to start one? what if we wait 10 years and no such carrier emerges? or should we push for new regulations?
      - nicksergeant 15y ago
        Gotcha. I guess we wait, unless you have contacts / $$. :)
- danssig 15y ago
  >but I'm not sure it's the government's place to police the carriers on features and price The governments place is what ever we say it is.