Comcast blocking p2p uploads

Fri Oct 19 23:29:44 UTC 2007

On October 19, 2007 at 16:39 streiner at cluebyfour.org (Justin M. Streiner) wrote:
 > 
 > How would you react if you were pulled over for speeding on a road that 
 > had no posted speed limit?

It's happened to me! Every state has a speed limit which applies
wherever no speed limit is posted and drivers are expected to know
it. Usually 35MPH at least here in the northeast. The magistrate
showed no sympathy whatsoever and obviously had heard it 1,000 times
before.

THAT SAID...

Comcast has a lot of monopoly deals for cable installation with towns
etc.

Once one accepts monopoly positions the notion of their being
unregulated, or unregulateable, or "their ball, their rules", becomes
much murkier because the consumers' choices have been forfeited for,
well, it really depends on the specific agreements in each case, tho
it's not quite as simple as contract law either since in a monopoly
situation some assumptions are reasonable. But the agreement is the
place to start.

I'm sure for example most of these monopoly sweetheart agreements
forbid price increases without some form of vetting by those who
approved the monopoly (town board of supervisors or whomever), or else
they're pretty dumb. If it really were "my ball, my rules" they could
charge whatever they like take it or leave it, and not bother with
gimmees like community access channels.

The monopoly per se is not on TV itself (I can already hear keyboards
clacking with words like broadcast and satellite) per se, it's on the
right to run the cable plant to homes. Similar to the telco's wire
plant monopolies in many areas; those agreements come at some cost to
the company, even if you could in theory drop your landline and go get
a cell phone.

That's not really an answer, but I'm just saying it's not quite as
simple as "my ball, my rules".

-- 
        -Barry Shein

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