[10380] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
bill text draft 2: Telecommunications Competition Act (fwd)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Barry Shein)
Sun Feb 20 17:31:33 1994
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 1994 01:36:02 -0500
From: bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein)
To: jeffgs@netcom.com
Cc: horn%temerity@leia.polaroid.com, com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: Jeffrey Sterling's message of Mon, 24 Jan 1994 21:46:02 -0800 (PST) <Pine.3.85.9401242102.A15764-0100000@netcom>
Ok, one comment:
>From: Jeffrey Sterling <jeffgs@netcom.com>
>Cable industry intends to preclude access of newspapers, TV stations,
>radio stations, community content providers, etc. I'm interested in
>universal access for commercial content providers.
Here's an exercise I'd like you to try:
List several major regulated industries, telephone, cable, automobile,
railroad, etc.
Now list the major companies you associate with each of those
industries.
Now add up the percentage marketshare those few represent.
For example:
Industry: Auto
Major Companies: GM, Ford, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota
Total Market Share (US): I dunno, around 85%?
Now list the smaller community players who have benefited in each of
those industries:
Industry: Auto
Smaller, Local Community Players: Um, er, hmmm.
ok, now ask yourself if there is possibly any relationship evident
here.
Now, as a comparison, let's take one of the most unregulated
industries in the United States: Newspapers.
Repeat above exercise.
Ask yourself again, is this all a coincidence?
Do you believe, for example, that regulating the newspaper industry
would improve "universal access for commercial content providers"?
I think some illusions need to be shattered here, badly.
-Barry Shein
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