[1902] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: The NREN and Regulation
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Steve Simmons)
Tue Jan 7 12:26:33 1992
From: scs@lokkur.dexter.mi.us (Steve Simmons)
To: bill@platypus.uofs.edu
Date: Tue, 7 Jan 92 11:26:21 EST
Cc: scs%lokkur@platypus.uofs.edu, com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: <9201071240.AA26015@psi.com>; from "Bill Gunshannon" at Jan 7, 92 07:36:19 am
I wrote:
> History provides a number of not-so-pretty examples of how unregulated
> utilities failed abysmally to service rural areas.
Bill Gunshannon replied (correctly):
>History also provides examples of the failure of regulated utilities to
>provide service where it wasn't deemed profitable.
True, regulated monopolies can fail badly, and cable TV provides a
number of spectacular examples. I'd chalk this up to bad regulation,
but that's outside the scope of this list. To put my point more
succinctly: a well-regulated monopoly is much more likely to provide
a universal service to "unprofitable" areas than a pure capitalist
market.
Steve
