On Wed, Sep 23, 2009 at 12:01 PM, Sean Breheny wrote: > How likely is this to be a problem? I don't know. It would seem that > competition could prevent this - as long as you regulated agreements > between ISPs. There are probably also much more subtle aspects like > search engine results. > > Sean Yes, competition would fix it if most people had access to alternate services that were equivalent in features. In most places there is no real competition. If you are rural enough not to get cable TV your option is probably DSL from the phone company. They charge line fees so that competitors cannot compete on price. Cable companies have similar deals. My area (Brookline, MA) is of an extremely rare type in the US because I have three options - municipal wifi, cable, and DSL. The DSL is slow, the cable is expensive, and the WiFi is spotty. We should be able to get FIOS soon. (expensive too) If you have monopolies I don't see how it is fair, prudent, or intelligent to not have government regulation. -- Martin K. -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist