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  • From: tom poe <tompoe AT fiai.net>
  • To: Seth Johnson <seth.johnson AT realmeasures.dyndns.org>
  • Cc: Community Studios <community_studios AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Community_studios] Experiencing the monopolization syndrome
  • Date: 27 Jun 2005 10:32:28 -0500

In Iowa, a company called, Qwest, offers DSL hookup for twenty-something
dollars, plus whatever phone package you want. The DSL hookup also
requires you agree to use their Microsoft "package" of services. I use
the term, requires, as I contacted them, and requested I only receive
the DSL hookup on my non-Windows, or no Windows, no Mac, operating
system. I did not want to have Outlook Express as my email, or MSN, or
IE browser, or any other Microsoft product. The sales representative
wished me luck, and politely bid me arrivederci. Of course, he knew
that I had no other supplier to request service from. He also knew that
I would almost certainly agree to pay double (in effect) by signing up
with a dialup ISP, who, as an "approved" ISP, in turn, would arrange to
host my account, and permit me to not use the Qwest/Microsoft
"package". Qwest gets their money, and the ISP, a chosen player, would
get their money, and I, the customer, would have few or no choices about
what communications products I would receive.

I need to learn more about how this monopolization issue works, and am
now able to reach out across the Internet, to try and discover
alternatives, options, choices, customer-oriented offerings. The price
is prohibitive. I doubt I will find any. Just down the road, there's
another monopoly, and they don't compete with Qwest customer
territories. Exclusive markets created by someone. Who is that
someone? I think the U.S. Supreme Court knows. They just announced a
decision in favor of exclusivity for those companies.

In Iowa, folks within a community have no options for communications
suppliers. If you think they do, please let me know just exactly what
those options are, and don't tell me I need to accept any MSN "package"
from Microsoft. That's not an option.
Tom Poe
Charles City, Iowa, USA
tompoe AT fiai.net
P.S. Open Studios does have one option: they can outsource their
Internet connection to someone located in a more favorable
customer-oriented climate/country.






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