AT&T & Cingular merge; users screwed, again

I've been meaning to rant about this one for quite a while, but whatever happened to corporate regulation in the United States?

It's amazing in the last 10 years how corporate America has seemingly been deregulated when it comes to monopolies, and cellular companies are a great example of this. Think back to 2000, how many more cell companies there were, and fast forward to now.

Basically, we are down to the choice of three major companies:

AT&T Wireless
Verizon Wireless
Sprint Nextell

There are also some other bit players, most notably T-Mobile, but I wouldn't be surprised to see that company absorbed by one of the top three.

In the end, the consumer loses, because less companies means less competition, which translates into higher prices.

Bottom line...

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There are many, many other examples that are equally as instructive as the cell phone industry. Ever since the cable television was deregulated, our bills have gone down, not up; our choices have not increased; and cable company consolidation (and alliteration) have dramatically increased.

Radio and television stations are yet another example - the Republican-controlled Congress and President Bush approved relaxing FCC limits on ownership of both. And this is good for America? No, it's good for corporate America, and the politicians that benefit from the corporate largess during their reelection campaigns.

I certainly hope the DemocratIC-controlled Congress addresses this important issue.