Originally Posted by bobthebuilder

I hate all this talk of using force to change the way the wireless companies work.

Change them with the use of your dollars. This is not a worthy cause for force.

Originally Posted by ARJWright

Eh... and here I was hoping to find some business savvy/sense amongst the reams of conversation here.

Originally Posted by Suurorca

Well. I would very much like like to see Apple brought down by the bureaucrats (yet again one model example why: http://discussions.apple.com/thread....art=0&tstart=0)
However, as there IS viable competition, I choose to vote with my euros and buy Nokia. Simple. But how do I vote with money when there is only one provider offering what I need?
Telecommunications is becoming more and more a necessity. The same way water, heating an electricity have been for a while now. You can't just go and start up your own small, local telco, either... Investments needed for infrastructure are just too huge.

You can call me a commie and crucify me on the wall for it, but imho the business needs to be carefully controlled to ensure customers have their choice of services. To make sure people CAN vote with their money.

Originally Posted by bobthebuilder

I would never call you a commie, unless you were one, in the vein of Stalin, Mao, etc.

Yes it may take much capital to start a telcom business that does not mean one cannot be started.
An d TexRat you do have choices, and you do have different companies doing different things. You may have to make compromises and may not get exactly what you want, but that is life. I am not satisfied with the current wireless companies either, but I choose the one I like the best, which offers what I want and I use it. I dont think that force or violence is justified in these cases.

Originally Posted by Texrat

I'm not sure what you're looking for here. The cynical assessments of the US market are accurate. Granted, complaining is nothing more than venting due the improbability of change by individuals, but what do you expect of people frustrated by a situation they feel powerless to change?

Originally Posted by bobthebuilder

.
An d TexRat you do have choices, and you do have different companies doing different things.

Originally Posted by ARJWright

Would you think of me different if I expected some vein of persons in this highly intelligent and ingenious community to propose or speak towards how they are implementing a solution that would assist in alleviating all the frustrations?

Maybe that person is just me...

Originally Posted by Texrat

[...]

The point is the companies are not different enough, because they are protected by virtual-monopolistic FCC and FTC policies that would be illegal for any other industry.

[...]

Originally Posted by allnameswereout

A telco corporation licenses a limited number of frequencies as defined by the government. These licenses grant a temporary monopoly to the telco corporation to operate on that frequency.

Same as it was with FM. But while we now have tons of ways to express a diverse amount of information (compared to 30 years ago where magazines, FM, TV were owned by a Happy Few), the problem now lies in receiving it.

That, und, ehh... redistributing it.. hihi.

The temporary monopoly we see back in another aspect of our so called free market: copyright, patent system, martial law, ...