Look at what the options are available to consumers. The consolidation of the media and cable/satellite companies into two oligopalic markets has resulted into a situation where the basic packages and price structures are normalized accross the market. That means I'm FORCED to accept the packages everywhere or decline the packages everywhere.
"Just because you don't like what's on the menu, that doesn't mean you don't have a choice."
UGH, THERE IS NO MENU NOW, ONLY A BUFFET.
"And it certainly doesn't mean that you should get to dictate how someone else provides a service to you by using the law to force them to provide it to you in the manner you desire - that's not a free market either."
The government is fully in it's place to protect consumers by ensuring that competitive markets exists. If the technology exists to allow every consumer to pick what media they wish to consume, then they should be given that choice.
So don't eat there. Problem solved.
> Look at what the options are available to consumers.
Consumers will have options eventually. The traditional cable/telecom company is a dino headed for extinction. Companies know they will soon need to compete to deliver content over one of the at least 6 entrances to people's houses--three pairs of wires plus three via air.
As for the other oligopoly, content sucks for the most part and it's not getting better. By the time delivery is figured out, consumers will have turned to DVDs they download from the Internet.