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Regional Bells Blocking Broadband Competition
Tim Doran writes "USA Today has a story today describing regulatory moves by the regional Bell companies meant to stifle competition in broadband. Of course, nobody plays the regulators like the ILECs, and they're using their massive fiber builds as leverage against the regulators. They're even running interference on municipalities who are trying to build their own fiber networks!"
Who would have ever thought?
"The No. 2 wireless carrier, Verizon Wireless, is also controlled by a Bell company, Verizon."
RBOC: "Regulations, motherfucker, do you write them?"
FCC: "Yes..."
RBOC: "Now describe to me what our customers look like."
FCC: "T-they're kinda wooly... and have four legs..."
RBOC: "Go on" FCC: "...and they eat grass..."
RBOC: "Do they look like one of our customers?"
FCC: "What?
RBOC: "DO. THEY. LOOK. LIKE. A. CUSTOMER?" FCC: "N-no?" RBOC: "Then why you tryin' to stop us from fuckin' them like one?"
There are private police forces, they just can't be law enforcement. There are private armies, the just can't commit treason. Also, I doubt there is any business model that can support a fire department.
Sure they can. Just have the city/community contract it out. Decide what should be accomplished and hire a company to do it. Since the state is authorizing and backing them, they _are_ the law/fire brigade/marines - well, until another bidder goes lower the next bidding round. Efficient!
Since by definition (by some) the state is less efficient than private enterprise, it should resign itself to collecting funds and farm out the execution of, well, anything to the low bidder. There is absolutely no reason why we could not achieve the same savings and efficiencies in law enforcement, fire fighting or social services.
And why stop there? Why not farm out the court system, for example? The body of case law we already have provides an excellent foundation for the requirements of the contract - just let an efficient private company do the work instead of that wasteful bureocracy.
In fact, you can do this with the _entire_ government. Have elections - not of parties or individuals, but of policy documents. They would detail the policies and principles with which to govern the country for the next period. Then sell the job of implementing those policies to private enterprise. It _is_, after all, definitionally much more efficient, and we all want that, right.
Trust the Computer. The Computer is your friend.
Welcoming our new insect overlords, I can understand that. Welcoming slimy green new overlords from Sludgebarf 9, sure. Welcoming Sauron, evil overlord from Mordor, is a bit iffy, but I can live with that. Welcoming the Shadows from Z'ha'dum as our new overlords seems cool, especially given that the Minbari's motives are pretty suspect anyway.
But welcoming our broadband-competition-blocking Baby Bell overlords? That's just going too far!