As with most debates, all of you have some valid points on the cable situation. City/counties do approve the franchise agreements and cable companies are monopolistic.
From what i’ve gathered having to deal with this issue, sitting boards at the local level have to approve the rates (or rate changes). The main reason you won’t have competition in the cable market is due to the extreme cost of proliferation.
If Time Warner could run their signal across Charter’s lines, then competition would be entirely different like long distance service. But cable lines are proprietary. So, the franchise IS somewhat like a government sponsored monopoly. This is simply because the best “deal” gets to come to town to start with, once there, it is the only game in town. Thus cable companies only compete by virute of having to get into any given market through local boards.
Many times citizens that are upset threaten to bring in the “other” cable franchise, but it never truly happens in small markets.
I’m a satellite junkie myself, but then again I can see the southwestern sky from home.
