[opendtv] Re: News: Cellphone Straitjacket Is Inspiring a Rebellion
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 10:54:16 -0500
Craig Birkmaier wrote:
> A minor point of irony here.
>
> The storm clouds are gathering around the cellphone industry,
> which has been acting as an oligopoly to keep prices high and
> to keep control over its subscribers. Articles like the one
> that follows are now commonplace as the barriers to competition
> in wireless communications begin to fall.
>
> I suspect that there are few on this list who would disagree
> with the above, or complain that competition is going to lead
> to lower prices and better products/services.
>
> Yet when the subject of multi-channel TV distribution comes up
> in this forum, there are persistent arguments here that similar
> levels of predatory pricing and control of consumers even exist.
I see no inconsistency. Allowing cell phone users to choose whatever
third party phone they want, with the feature set they want, is exactly
the same thing as allowing cable or DBS subscribers to buy whatever STB
or PVR they want. Instead of being constrained to using only the
proprietary equipment offered by the cable company.
On the other hand, what the article does not address are the bundled
packages of services that customers might prefer to buy a la carte, from
cell phone companies, which has been your primary complaint about cable
systems.
Bert
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