[read_if_gay_]

None of these examples is the only option in the same way your local power company isn't the only option for getting power, because you can also buy a generator.

We still consider power companies a monopoly. It doesn't matter much that some alternatives exist if they are so inferior.

[erikpukinskis]

Power companies are considered a monopoly because they have a special right of way to run their lines. I can't just put my own power lines up on the high tension lines that run over state owned land, or the telephone poles that run down city owned streets.

And from a practical standpoint, depending on how _much_ power you need there may be no other way to get power to your property besides the grid.

None of that applies to Amazon. For every service they offer, there's an alternative available.