[TriLUG] TWC "Existing Customer Promotion"

[matt at noway2.thruhere.net]

> Ok let's be straight here, I never said I am happy with TWC, just they are
> no a utility. All I heard was how successful they were at cornering their
> market with the Gov to get their product placed. If that is what makes
> them a utility, then we have to reclassify a ton of HUGE corporations in
> our society. 

On my way into work this morning, a thought hit me.  I remembered the
famous quote / misquote:

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only
exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the
public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate
promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses
because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a
dictatorship, then a monarchy."

It struck me that this is in essence what TWC is doing.  They are through
bought proxy, voting themselves largess, or a guaranteed fat profit
margin.

They are not unique in this regard and they are not the only player doing
this.  This in turn has impacted the operation of the Internet and brought
the death of net neutrality, "features" like Sandvine, Netflix traffic
extortion, etc.  It has also made single pressure points that have made
the data spying easier and less risky with fewer players to pressure and
risk saying no.  The Internet is rapidly losing it's Democracy status. 
Now, over the weekend, it was announced that the USA is losing control of
ICANN.  We can thank companies like TWC and their cousins for their part.

There is also the question of is, and if not, should Internet Access be a
utility.  I say that Internet access is the modern equivalent of
telephone, and in many ways, as necessary for functioning in society as
electricity.  So, in my view, yes, it SHOULD be treated as a utility.