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by minifyre 923 days ago
My understanding (i.e., personal experience) is that many areas only have one or two providers (same with health insurance). Without competition, it's not a true free market as the companies have no incentive to improve since everyone just has to deal with their subpar product or forego it all together.

Curiously, the city I'm currently living in will soon be rolling out it's own fiber and the existing providers are all scrambling to improve their infrastructure and "bribe" existing customers with free gadgets (e.g., Google home speakers, etc.) because they know that their current offerings are not competitive and that they would go out of business overnight if they stood by and did nothing in the meantime.

1 comments

>Without competition, it's not a true free market as the companies have no incentive to improve since everyone just has to deal with their subpar product or forego it all together.

South Park captures this best by having their cableguys rub their nipples when complaining cartoon characters ask for better service/treatment. "What're'you gonna'do 'bout'it?!" the South Park Cable Guys mockingly ask.

Nothing. You'll DO NOTHING and be happy. Perhaps the beatings will end when morale improves? [avg joe gets community fiber for $60/month] "Is this socialism? Is socialism wrong?"