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Invisible wrote:
> I would have thought that for something like communications, or indeed
> any type of network, a monopoly is almost a design requirement.
Anything real-time, yes. That doesn't mean it has to be owned by the
government.
> If you had three different telephone companies, they'd invent three
> types of telephone, with three incompatible numbering plans, and three
> incompatible sorts of cabling with incompatible signalling protocols.
> They'd then go out and lay three sets of cabling, build three sets of
> telephone exchanges, and when everything was finished you'd *still* only
> be able to call people who are with the same provider as you.
You're assuming that there even *was* dialing and numbering plans and such.
The phone network here was a monopoly for technical reasons long before
anyone invented a dial phone.
> Similar arguments go for things like power distribution, or rail
> networks.
Rail networks aren't a monopoly. They didn't even have compatible rails for
a long time, since it wasn't really that much of a problem to switch cars.
--
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
Ada - the programming language trying to avoid
you literally shooting yourself in the foot.
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