Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!amdahl!uunet!ficc!jeffd From: jeffd@ficc.uu.net (jeff daiell) Newsgroups: comp.society.futures Subject: Re: Who Controls The Network Summary: Small Is Beautiful Message-ID: <2367@ficc.uu.net> Date: 5 Dec 88 00:38:13 GMT References: <2062@brahma.cs.hw.ac.uk> Organization: Ferranti International Controls Lines: 46 In article <2062@brahma.cs.hw.ac.uk>, nick@cs.hw.ac.uk (Nick Taylor) once again drags out the tired old canard that our only choices (in this case, on computer network provision), are Big Brother and Big Business. I submit that the needs of computerdom would better be served by small firms, competing and/or cooperating as dictated by their interests. Actually, most "megafirms" only get to be megafirms thru help from political powerwielders. The only way even such a megafirm can achieve a sustained monopolistic -- or even a sustained oligopolistic -- position is through such political intervention. There are cities where telephone service is competitive, and cities where electricity provision is competitive. You'd best believe that prices are lower and service better in such cities. The concept of "a natural monopoly" is simply inaccurate. Jeff Daiell P. S. In a later posting, an Adam Margulies talks about the dis- crepancies between the way the two tax-subsidized parties are treated and the way "third" parties are treated. The example he used was the Democans and Republicrats missing the deadline in Indiana, and being placed on the ballot, anyway, whereas the Libertarians missed the deadline in Missouri and were barred from the ballot. What makes this example all the more galling is that the deadline for "third parties" in Missouri is 75 days earlier than that for the two government- sponsored parties ... and a Federal appeals court ruled for Missouri, despite a Supreme Court ruling against early deadlines for third parties! P. P. S. On the idea of influencing via political action the way a governmental compnet would be operated ... many cities and counties operate transit lines. When was the last time an incumbent was defeated because the buses or subways were late, dirty, missed runs, etc? What are the chances an officeholder would be in electoral jeopardy because the compnet had lapses, or was subject to unauthorized monitoring, or the like? With market provision, providers would do a good job, or have no job to do. -- "Justice, like lightning, should ever appear To some men hope, to other mean fear." -- Jefferson Pierce