said by itguy05 
:Surprise Surprise.... Just goes to show "competition" is merely a panacea that makes us THINK prices will go down.
In almost every case, competition does nothing to prices over the long run. You see, if company X can sell product A for $100 and make Z profit, why would I sell Product A for $50 and make $50-Z profit when I know the market will support the $100 price? That would be stupid.
We've seen the same thing with Cell Phones - There are 3-5 companies in an area and guess what? All are roughly the same price for the same minutes.
Competition is pretty much a farce and almost never results in largely reduced prices for consumers.
Just wait till all the IPTV and FiOS customers get their bills in year 2 and realize they are paying almost as much as cable.....
I would agree. One factor is, at some point, the costs associated with providing service dictates the amount a customer pays. And in more rural areas, that cost can be huge. And I don't know of any company making big profits from broadband access. At some point, it's sold as cheaply as it can be. That point may have been reached.
·