[detritus]

Cable companies have obtained special privileges from local governments called "franchises", enabling them to gain artificial monopolies and shut out the free market. They wish to expand their government monopoly on the wires and obtain an additional monopoly on content, replacing the existing free market.

Other people believe that the existing free market in content should be retained.

Fixed it for you.

[dfwgator]

Cable companies have obtained special privileges from local governments called "franchises", enabling them to gain artificial monopolies and shut out the free market. They wish to expand their government monopoly on the wires and obtain an additional monopoly on content, replacing the existing free market.

So. There are alternatives to cable, like Satellite, just as there would inevitably be alternatives for the Internet, as long as the government stayed out of the way.