Yes, and a number of us look at their "exclusive" agreements, with many municiplaities, and have been asking why they are not a regulated monopoly. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ municipalities Those contracts are as anti-competitive as it gets.
Roland, about which country are you holding this discussion? I am located in the US and thought you were talking about the US. If so, I am confused. What is exclusive about these agreements? Can't you just file to become a CLEC, string fiber/copper on the poles and complete directly with the cable companies? I haven't seen a modern municipal cable contract yet that was exclusive and blocked other providers of high speed Internet access, or even video. Don't get me wrong, I am *very* much in favor of open access, have a good business selling IP over cable plant and would love to do it over Adlephia/TWAOL/AT&T plant, I just hate to see yet another bit 'o BS propagated. BTW, if you spend much time with regulators and lawyers, you will be aware that there is a major difference between the cable network and the PSTN. After the mid-1930's, the PSTN was built by a company which was guaranteed a specific, profitable rate of return. The cable network was built by many small entrepreneurs who were not guaranteed a profit nor even solvency. For that reason, the PSTN is more arguably a public resource. good luck, fletcher