Every telecomm company is as big a corporate welfare bum…
““Every telecomm company is as big a corporate welfare bum as you could ask for. Try to imagine what it would cost at market rates to go around to every house in every town in every country and pay for the right to block traffic and dig up roads and erect poles and string wires and pierce every home with cabling. The regulatory fiat that allows these companies to get their networks up and running is worth hundreds of billions, if not trillions, of dollars. If phone companies want to operate in the “free market,” then let them: the FCC could give them 60 days to get all their rotten copper out of our dirt, or we’ll buy it from them at the going scrappage rates. Then, let’s hold an auction for the right to be the next big telecomm company, on one condition: in exchange for using the public’s rights-of-way, you have to agree to connect us to the people we want to talk to, and vice-versa, as quickly and efficiently as you can.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Telecom firms benefit from massive public subsidies, creating a market distortion that should be auctioned to competitors.
In simple terms: Big subsidies give unfair advantage; auction could level field.
Key Takeaway
Consider auctioning public right‑of‑way.
Themes
economics
public policy
telecommunications
regulation
market fairness
Mood
critical
thoughtful
Type
policy
economic
When to use this quote
- Policy reform
- legislative lobbying
- public auctions
- infrastructure planning
Key Concepts
Subsidy economics
public infrastructure
competition policy
Questions to Reflect On
- What alternative models could ensure fair competition?
- How might consumers benefit from such reforms?
A Different Perspective
Auctioning may not address underlying monopoly power.