JakCrow
join:2001-12-06
Palo Alto, CA
| reply to calvoiper
Re: hopefully they won't suck
Such is the way of all these "deregulation" plans. The industry players involved praise these plans in public, while dragging their feet and trying to sue their way out of them in the background, instead of actually meeting their obligations for deregulation and reaping the rewards they could have gotten in the first place.
Deregulation is always pushed by industry special interests, where competing in the free market has no place in their plans, and the individual consumer is an afterthought. |
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calvoiper
join:2003-03-31
Belvedere Tiburon, CA
| Often true, but I'm certainly not ready to condemn deregulation altogether.
I think airline deregulation has been a huge success.
Yes, people whine about being treated like cattle and other distractions, but the basic fact is that you can fly coast to coast round trip for under $200--and the best bargains are available to the little guy on vacation, while the business traveller on a short schedule is the one usually paying the highest prices! This is a true reversal from the usual situation where big business gets the cheapest prices.
If we still had the Civil Aeronautics Board regulating air travel, you wouldn't find a JFK-LAX fare for under about $850 RT--though you'd still get probably get roasted almonds instead of the cheaper pretzels as a snack.
Competition has brought us directTV at the seat (JetBlue) and leather seating in coach (JB and SouthWest), both amenities rated highly by customers.
Yes, I prefer the somewhat more confusing atmosphere of a competitive market--but then, I'm not one of the sheep that wants others to make decisions for me--I'm willing to accept the responsibility of deciding such things for myself.
Calvoiper
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VoIP--the death knell of remaining voice monopolies! |
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JakCrow
join:2001-12-06
Palo Alto, CA | I'd say airline deregulation has been a double edged sword given the massive bailouts, and I wouldn't necessarily lump the airline industry in with the telco or power industries. |
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calvoiper
join:2003-03-31
Belvedere Tiburon, CA
| Any change in regulation is always a double-edged sword.
Let's just look at long distance.
Adjusted for inflation, we'd be paying around $1.00 a minute for LD if pre-1982 rates from ATT were still in effect.
And as for the bailouts, they're mistakes--at least as bad as the unnecessary "subsidy" funds in telecom. Those airlines should have gone broke, and they likely still will.
(Likewise, saving Chrysler just postponed the inevitable and gave Daimler-Benz something to gobble up. And let's not even mention Lockheed, OK?)
Calvoiper
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VoIP--the death knell of remaining voice monopolies! |
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