Re: Should we oppose the Data Superhighway/NII?

[norm@netcom.com (Norman Hardy)]

de Sola Pool's book 'Technologies of Freedom' gives an excellent
description of issues of monoloplies and their motivations.
He describes a scheme that I think was adopted in Boston.
The scheme was to grant a cable monolopy but require the
cable owner to lease half of the cable capacity to a
competitor at some prespecified price. There was thus
competition between suppliers of programs.
The arguments for a natural monopoly were accommodated
(Space on the phone pole, cost of laying cable)
and yet competition was achieved.
 
That was one of the few books that I have read that actually
changed some of my opinions on economics.
The author described why rational, non corrupt regulators
might grant such a monopoly. He did not imply that such monopolies
were not corrupt.