What monopoly? You have a myriad of choices in television programming providers.
No, in many areas, cable companies are protected from competition from other cable companies. Cities and towns are allowed to choose one cable company to serve their area. Yes, there is still satellite, but in most places, you only have one choice in cable.
That is true. But I do not have much choice in the programming packages. If I want one stupid news channel, I pay for them all and I am counted as a subscriber because a portion of my payment is given to them in "subscriber" fees. If I go to the grocery store in this great free country of ours, I am allowed to push around a cart and only put in the groceries that I like and I intend to consume. I am charged by the item and I am not coerced into to paying for groceries that I do not intend to consume. If I want to watch say 10 of my favorite channels, I am forced to pay for a boatload of programming that I never watch or even program into my remote. These racketeers in cable media charge advertising fees not by ratings but how many homes that have extorted their way by these so called subscriber fees. There is really not Democrat or Republican position on this extortion as the clowns in both parties are scared to shake up big media. You see these clowns have a system by which they shake down special interests for campaign "contributions" of which most of that money is put back into stupid and insulting campaign advertising. The clowns in both parties absent of any message or ideas NEED big media to convert money into votes, because they are not leaders in any real sense of the word, and simply officeholders. That is their highest purpose to acquire office and hold it by any means. If that means placating big media who coerce consumers into paying for media that they do not want or consume so be it.