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["Andrew C. Oliver" <acoliver AT buni.org>]

> It's *not* fair.  That's undoubtedly true.  But life isn't fair.
> Anyway, the "representative government" you think so highly of created
> this system, and it is what it is. I'd love to see a different system
> where highways are maintained by either private for profit businesses
> OR non-profit cooperatives, and funded through usage fees, as opposed
> to the current tax supported model.

We did that already: 
http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/Klein.Majewski.Turnpikes
It had a huge freeloader problem (solvable with modern technology 
perhaps) and a perhaps larger problem... they weren't profitable. 
Wealthy investors invested for social prestige.  The social pressures of 
society that supported them (especially since they were dependent on 
wealthy folks) no longer exist, nor do the economic proportions.

I'd like a system where there was competition for high speed networking, 
content (okay boxing matches) and rural communities were served but 
without ripping up my front yard every week to bury cable as some fly by 
night goes belly up.  Perhaps when technology catches up this will be 
possible via private funding.  Power companies and cable companies are 
generally suggested to be "natural monopolies" at least for the moment. 
 The problem is that while real estate law allows the municipality to 
grant an "easement" of your property rights to allow them to rip up that 
section of your yard nearest to the road on a weekly basis...you 
probably would not be favorable to that (I wouldn't).  Secondly, paying 
only willing property owners for use of that part of their land and 
running the cable around unwilling property owners would make modern 
high speed networks (and not so modern phone, sewage, etc) impractical. 
 There is a major public interest in sewage systems BTW.  Screw your 
property rights to have an "open pipe" and leak your feces into your own 
yard while spreading the plague, etc...but I digress.  So there will be 
a monopoly here so long as land owners have the right to not have their 
easement "overused" and technology does not provide a "better" way.

Until then the clearest route to competition is local governments. 
Frankly I can't see any of my neighbors objecting to what would be a 
very small tax if my neighborhood was then served (we don't have any 
local government to speak of which is but one of the many reasons I live 
here) as it would STILL be cheaper than what time warner charges and it 
simply could not be of lower quality.  Since cable usage is nearly 
unanimous and judging from the number of wireless networks in my 
neighborhood, I'd say high speed network usage is probably nearing it as 
well..

In my neighborhood we have no home owners association (another reason I 
live here) and people of various diverse backgrounds live together 
mostly harmoniously.  We do have, however, the non-representative 
government you seek.  It is a little old lady with a dog.  She tells us 
when our hedges grow too high or our empty trashcan stays out an extra 
day (she puts it to back in our driveway).  No one elected her, she 
elected herself.  If you lived here and didn't want to pay your internet 
tax she'd sick her dog on you only releasing your ankle when you agreed 
to move out.

-Andy
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