How much did your *large networking company* depend on the government for the right of way being used?
I don’t seem to understand what you are talking about in particular to me directly. I work for a company that sells equipment, you’ve likely seen the products across all walks of TV shows. Phones, and video conference systems and the really large routers and switches that run the internet.
Your point may be towards ma-bell and the original phone system that used right-of-way’s to INVEST money into creating an infrastructure. And you are right, in the beginning there was initial investment from the government into a few companies to spark innovation, and help promote a faster business case for industry.
The question becomes real simple... is internet something a person has to have and at a certain speed? Now trust me, for myself I’d love EVERYONE to stream HD video’s to their PC across the internet and maybe even multiple HD video’s through their connection but how it gets paid for is another story. I don’t think internet has become as crucial as say... oh Police, Fire, EMT’s you know the stuff that keeps us safe.
From the old days of western electric, and ATT through the break-up of the bells then to the creation of a bell, then another break-up of a bell... yadda yadda it’s been one cluster after another as the government tries to say what is best, and we all get shorted today. Do your homework and understand the issues that came of that period of history, and why a monopoly of the Phone and communications systems is a natural evolution. In case others haven’t noticed we don’t exactly have a whole lot of carriers these days... and why is that because together they have more budget and more customers to help pay for expansion and new services etc.
To the original point however, my comment is about government NOT RUNNING a business. It’s one thing to help a commercial entity or put an RFI/RFP in place to seek investment, but when a government decides they can provide a service better than a company... well I’d urge you to again do homework and come armed because I’ve seen no program government run done with efficiency, instead it’s mainly about growing the budgets and accomplishing LESS with MORE. Something we can’t get away with in the real world, yet a funny thing the real world has to pay for the foolish ways of government.
Defense, Defined monetary system, Enforced Constitutional Law, and an open transparent government of the people for the people.
In my ideal world “Running a internet company” is NOT in the governments job description, regardless of whether it may benefit the few.