4 ms·

I disagree, it’s special because it’s owned collectively by the people living in the community without some for-profit middleman rent seeking inflated payments

I disagree, it’s special because it’s owned collectively by the people living in the community without some for-profit middleman rent seeking inflated payments for sub-par service. This isn’t some victory for capitalism and free markets. This is the government having to step in because of the failure of the market to provide a basic 21st century service to the people at a reasonable price. The same way the market has failed to provide healthcare access at a reasonable price in the US. I think your conclusion is also incorrect. A for profit corporation only has incentive to maximize profit for their shareholders so if they are the only provider in town they will likely jack prices up. But a municipality/town does have incentive to improve the lives of their constituents and even if you don’t believe that argument, there is always the argument that a fast reliable internet at a reasonable price could spur economic investment in the community. So a single municipal owned internet provider could be a decent option without competition but that’s unlikely to be the case for a for profit business.

greggyb 3y ago
A co-op is owned collectively. Therefore collective ownership is not a unique feature of a municipal service. Additionally a municipal service can certainly be contracted out to a private company (for-profit or otherwise). So there may still be middlemen. I don't know where you read me claiming this article or anything like it would be a victory for capitalism. If I count, I say twice that I am in full support of this endeavor and others like it. So I am not sure why you are arguing as if I am opposed. But if you do want to argue, I have lived in mid-sized cities in the US and observed abysmal municipal services in the form of public transit and also community wifi. I have also been in municipalities where these services are wonderful. I would argue that public transit, even more than internet, can spur economic activity and improve the lives of residents. Nevertheless, despite the potential value of the service, there is no guarantee that a municipality does even a halfway decent job of it. Why should I necessarily expect different in the case of this particular service, internet access? Before this conversation devolves I will remind you that I voiced my full throated support for this initiative twice in my original post and have noted that twice in this post. My response here is specifically addressing the points that you raised that municipal service is unique in its ownership structure and more likely to be good because of its incentive structure.

greggyb 3y ago

A co-op is owned collectively. Therefore collective ownership is not a unique feature of a municipal service. Additionally a municipal service can certainly be contracted out to a private company (for-profit or otherwise). So there may still be middlemen. I don't know where you read me claiming this article or anything like it would be a victory for capitalism. If I count, I say twice that I am in full support of this endeavor and others like it. So I am not sure why you are arguing as if I am opposed. But if you do want to argue, I have lived in mid-sized cities in the US and observed abysmal municipal services in the form of public transit and also community wifi. I have also been in municipalities where these services are wonderful. I would argue that public transit, even more than internet, can spur economic activity and improve the lives of residents. Nevertheless, despite the potential value of the service, there is no guarantee that a municipality does even a halfway decent job of it. Why should I necessarily expect different in the case of this particular service, internet access? Before this conversation devolves I will remind you that I voiced my full throated support for this initiative twice in my original post and have noted that twice in this post. My response here is specifically addressing the points that you raised that municipal service is unique in its ownership structure and more likely to be good because of its incentive structure.