[oh8eleven]

I really think this nation has bigger problems they should be addressing than this.
I disagree. If the gov't hadn't stepped in and forced the split up of AT&T, we'd still be living with their 1960s style of monopoly.
Something has to be done to stop Cable from forcing us to pay for dozens and dozens of channels we don't want.
If channels like the Spanish channel, BET, religious channels, et al, can't make it on their own - TFB - hasta la vista, baby.

[Gene Eric]

>> If the gov’t hadn’t stepped in and forced the split up of AT&T, we’d still be living with their 1960s style of monopoly.

Doubtful. Furthermore, this is not about monopolies.

[ConservativeMan55]

Something can be done. It’s called the Free Market.

Nobody is forcing you to pay for anything right?

If people don’t like the prices, ditch the service. Geez.

We live in a free country. Anytime the government touches
something it screws it up.

As to your assertion that we’d still be living with an ATT monopoly? I don’t think so. If something else comes along that’s cheaper and a better option people would have the freedom to switch.

We’re talking about a different animal if they’re getting government monies though.

[discostu]

Back when we were “living with” the AT&T monopoly we had the best telecommunication system in the world, upgrades to the infrastructure were constant, even in low population regions (which usually got the left overs from recently upgraded high population regions). Now that we have all these baby bells most of them don’t have the money for upgrades, most of fly over country is at least 15 years behind the curve and we have the worst telco system of the industrialized world.

Cable networks sell bundles to cable companies. 6 companies own the vast majority of the cable dial. They’re not going to stop selling that way. And that’s why cable companies sell to you that way.