[shkkmo]

> If you can explain the monopoly without invoking government intervention, I am all ears.

>> But what's keeping out competition is, e.g., Baltimore forcing companies to build fiber service to the 25% of the city that's below the poverty line as a pre-condition for building anywhere in the city.

The original, specific contention (exclusive cable laying rights) may be untrue according to you.

Does that matter whether the government is enforcing the monopoly through excesive coverage requirement or through limiting cable laying rights? The government is still helping to enforce a monopoly.

I think the argument is that the telecom companies need to be regulated because they're a monopoly. So... government is helping to enforce a monopoly

[rayiner]

> Does that matter whether the government is enforcing the monopoly through excesive coverage requirement or through limiting cable laying rights?

The original contention was not that the government is helping to perpetuate the monopoly, it's that the cable companies were using special privileges in an anti-competitive way. There's no special privileges, and if you look at e.g. Verizon's tussle with Baltimore, they're not the ones lobbying for excessive coverage requirements.

I don't know why the solution to government policies that discourage competition isn't getting rid of those policies.