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Cable TV Franchise Says No To DSL Ads

Posted by timothy on from the thanks-for-the-local-monopoly-fellas dept.

Sloppy writes "The Albuquerque Tribune reports that Comcast, who has cable TV franchise agreements with many city governments, refuses to run ads for competing internet service providers. I guess that's something that citizens need to remind their local governments to correct the next time the monopoly terms are negotiated .. fourteen years from now."

6 of 46 comments (clear)

  1. So what by Loosewire · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I may get flamed for this but when was the last time you saw ads on linux.com advertising windows xp......

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    1. Re:So what by Blkdeath · · Score: 3, Insightful
      I may get flamed for this but when was the last time you saw ads on linux.com advertising windows xp......

      Try that analogy when linux.com is the homepage for 90% of the Internet users in a particular geographic area.

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  2. They're within their rights... by NanoGator · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "...who has cable TV franchise agreements with many city governments, refuses to run ads for competing internet service providers.... guess that's something that citizens need to remind their local governments to correct the next time the monopoly terms are negotiated .."

    Umm, that's not a monopoly action. They have the right to refuse service to anyone. Sorry but I'm not dusting off my pitchfork over this one.

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    "Derp de derp."
    1. Re:They're within their rights... by gehrehmee · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Sure it is. They're manipulating a monoply in one field (cable TV) in an attempt to corner an independant field (broadband internet). Pretty straightforward monopoly abuse.

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  3. Slashdot First? by dankow · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How often do you see people on Slashdot complaining about a lack of advertising?

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  4. Rights, wrongs, monopolies. by fm6 · · Score: 3, Insightful
    They have the right to refuse service to anyone.
    That's incorrect. A cable system isn't a kind of publisher. They operate under a franchise from a public entity -- usually a city or county. And there are various federal rules governing what they carry. They must, for example, carry all local broadcast stations.

    Though I doubt if any of this results in rules that require them to sell ads to their competitors. And presumably dish companies can still get access by buying time from the channels themselves. God knows I see plenty of dish commercials.

    Still, the word "monopoly" is quite appropriate. Except that cable companies are actual monopolies, not potential ones. Few cable customers have a choice of providers, despite attempts to create a competitive market. If you consider how much Americans rely on their TV sets for information, you should be considered about anybody in a position to control that information.