Compared to what? Microsoft has given us so many good standards it's probably impossible to measure the true value. It's like the QWERTY keyboard. The standard is more valuable than the item itself.
AT&T comes to mind (no I won't go back to the 1800s), they had to be broken up by congress. It was a good move.
I agree it was a good move, but it was also the government that gave the company the monopoly in the first place. AT&T did much good getting the industry rolled out to the country. We're much better than Europe on that score where lack of standards and local squabbling retarded phone use and inflated the price.
If we loose all three, it'll be like the Ministry of Truth in 1984.
Perhaps, but only for a short time. That's my point. Liberals had unimpeeded control of the press for decades, but it was exactly that control the led to the rise of talk radio and internet news. Competition finds a way around those things, and I think that is a good thing.
We're much better than Europe on that score where lack of standards and local squabbling retarded phone use and inflated the price.
Here in Germany the telephone system grew out of the postal service and was until fairly recently state run. I has been privatized and the goverment forces them to allow competition in. It's not as terrible as it was in the 80s. So on one side privatization (righty idea) was the key, but on the other side government intervention (lefty idea to some) forced them to let in compeditors. Both had to happen. Now our service is about the same as the US (except for maybe customer service).
Ok, I don't want to be alarmist here about the whole 1984 deal, but there is something to worry about. Yes I'd like to think competition or good human nature or what ever will make it impossible. It's still something to worry about with things from Clear Channel to Mic$oft's Digital Rights Management.
Back to the topic: Conservative viewpoint
Consolidation of power is bad.
Consolidation of the press is bad.
So that leaves us having to give some limited power to the state to break up power elsewhere.