Gene Kimmelman
Gene Kimmelman
Gene Kimmelman is a consumer protection advocate who specializes in competition law and United States antitrust law...
combining great lakes local markets monopolies opened plus rio telephone
What they're doing is combining local telephone monopolies from the Rio Grande all the way to the Great Lakes plus California. These are markets that have not been opened to competition.
congress consumers developing drove fast market nearly plan predicted prices short status
These were exaggerations. The market isn't developing to a competitive status nearly as fast as they had predicted and prices are going up for consumers. Consumers are getting the short end because these exaggerations drove Congress to a plan that was premature,
hope mergers nation puts telephone
Rubber-stamping these mergers is an embarrassing milestone in this nation because it puts an end to any real hope of head-to-head telephone competition.
benefit describe exactly pay potential
Every potential benefit they describe is exactly what monopolists always say: You can get new services, but you have to pay more.
carefully competition congress created federal flawed lifeless policies reject
Congress and federal regulators need to look carefully at the lifeless competition their flawed policies have created and reject this merger.
carefully choices competition concentration congress created deceived federal flawed fooled government lifeless policies produce promises reject result somehow
Congress and federal regulators need to look carefully at the lifeless 'competition' their flawed policies have created and reject this merger. The government has been deceived before by promises that somehow more concentration would produce more choices and competition, when the result has been just the opposite. It shouldn't be fooled again.
asking block department justice step
We are asking the Justice Department to step in and block this.
across cell consumers distance higher lead merger phone prices
If approved, this merger will lead to higher local, long distance and cell phone prices for consumers across the country.
blew broadcast cable enormous fortress happened hole today
What happened today was (Martin) just blew an enormous hole in the fortress of the cable and broadcast monopoly,
reason serve
There is no reason why they shouldn't be able to serve everyone in a community.
benefits cable channels consumers debate letting open pick
We think this is really going to open up a whole new debate on the benefits of letting consumers pick their own channels on cable television.
ballgame becomes consumers controls determine industries offer services speed wire
The ballgame becomes now how each of the two industries that controls a wire can determine what content, what access, at what speed consumers and technologists can offer and retrieve services over those networks,
bad competitor fourth lost news opportunity preserve spectrum strong
The bad news is that we may have lost the opportunity to also preserve enough spectrum for a fourth strong competitor in this market.
excessive inevitable monopoly results toward weak
It is the inevitable backslide toward monopoly and results from excessive deregulation and weak antitrust oversight.