Originally Posted by danramos

Nono.. that I get, sadly. What I mean is that I also hear it out of ordinary people too, usually very politically conservative. On the one hand they do that--then on the other, they'll complain outrageously when they individually feel some sort of pinch.. but they still feel justified in that the government shouldn't stick its nose in there to force some sanity on the public's behalf.

Originally Posted by danramos

Nono.. that I get, sadly. What I mean is that I also hear it out of ordinary people too, usually very politically conservative. On the one hand they do that--then on the other, they'll complain outrageously when they individually feel some sort of pinch.. but they still feel justified in that the government shouldn't stick its nose in there to force some sanity on the public's behalf.

Originally Posted by Texrat

My family and my wife's family are both that way. All smart people, but they amaze me by holding such opposing viewpoints without recognizing how self-defeating it is. I daresay that metality is too common and a big reason for why things don't improve.

I was about to write that American wireless providers look like saints compared to the Canadian "gang of three". Canadians on average pay 60% more than Americans.

North America needs more competition, by companies willing to charge European prices and bear the wrath of the Big Guys.

Originally Posted by Lord Raiden

Yeah, the free market can take care of a lot of it, but sometimes the free market just can't correct a problem. Especially if someone successfully forms a monopoly and locks everyone out. That's when the government needs to come in and correct things and restore the market balance.

Originally Posted by Nazrax

Of course, in this case, it's the government itself that granted the monopolies . . .

Why do Americans pay five times more for cell phone service than the Dutch?

If cell phones weren't subsidized, then we'd know how much we're paying for the phone and how much we're paying for wireless services. With the subsidy, we have no idea.

Carriers and handset makers create these fake limitations for precisely the same reason movie theaters don't let you bring in your own food -- because it creates mini-monopolies that enable gouging on prices. Why do you think 10 cents worth of popcorn costs $4.50 at the megaplex?

In some European countries, this practice is considered anticompetitive and is against the law.

I don't know if it was AT&T, Apple or both that decided that the Google Voice app should be banned from the iTunes store, but locking out services that threaten total control is standard operating procedure in the U.S.. wireless carrier industry. Competition and innovation is the last thing carriers want. So they use their ownership of the wireless pipes to block the applications and services that would need to move through those pipes.

Your solution to public opposition is more lobbying

With nearly every netbook, smartbook, eBook reader, GPS device, digital camera and wristwatch poised to potentially support mobile broadband wireless connectivity, the carriers are positioning themselves to seize control of the consumer electronics industry.

But all that equipment is useless without access to the airwaves, which are by law owned by the people. And that's what makes the wireless carriers business different from other industries. Companies that are granted licenses to use the publicly owned airwaves should be required by our government to meet certain standards of fairness, equal access and competitiveness. That's not happening right now. It's time to let your state and national politicians know that you want this industry reined in.