[pravda]

>Our generation doesn't have a NASA or Bell Labs.

Bell Labs was a private corporation.

[hdevalence]

... owned by a heavily-regulated monopoly, which was banned from commercializing the research produced at Bell Labs.

[foobarian]

Maybe on paper, but in reality the old Bell system was a monopoly, profited more than a non-monopoly would, and on top of that got vast subsidies from the government. I wouldn't be surprised if the money spent for Apolo project was in the same ballpark as the Ma Bell subsidies.

[hueving]

Forced into existence because Bell was a monopoly.