[annalex]

This brings the government into the "market" and I hate to admit the necessity.

Where do you see a necessity of government in any of this?

[secretagent]

I look outside at all the telephone poles, and I assume that the local government owns the land that they sit on. Not enough room for every telephone and cable company that might want to compete, so I assume that the government has some franchise they give to the current phone company. Not a pure market here.