Gadgetopia

I thinks it completely unfair for a government agency to push a private (for profit) company out of a market. Especially in this case. It's bad enough that my cable modem service goes down 2-3 times a month, small market ect... However I would imagine it is far less a priority for a government agency to fix the problem than the private company.

IMHO government agencies should limit their scope of work to providing security, infrastructure regulation and development (roads), and minimal "fall through the cracks" assistance for those who are in need. The rest should be provided through private companies or non-profits.

It seems to me that it is more important than ever to KEEP the private companies in the markets. There are specific laws and company policies that prevent the intrusion of privacy over all forms of communications in the private sector. Beyond the convenience of government agency owned, tether-free connections, lies the loss of privacy at the whim of control-hungry individuals with political motives. If it seems far from reality, just take a look at Great Brittan and their strong advances in “monitoring”. Yes, even as it stands we still have lost privacy to movements such as the Patriot Act, yet, just imagine how there wouldn’t have been a need for it if the government already held full control over communications. Most of us have nothing to hide, but as many know, we are guilty until proven innocent.