By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 07/04/2026The US is dominated by a cartel of massive incumbents: there's AT&T (formerly a regulated monopoly that was so entangled with the US government that it was effectively a for-profit state enterprise). 17/ 1120
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 07/04/2026Then there's the cable giants, Comcast and Charter, who divide up the country into exclusive territories like the Pope dividing up the "New World." 18/ 2140
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 07/04/2026These companies generally enjoy regional monopolies, which means they're less interested in making *profits* (money you get by mobilizing capital) than they are from extracting *rent* (money you get from sweating assets). 19/ 1121
tempura13.bsky.social @tempura13.bsky.social · 07/04/2026In Florida, the eastern half of the state is Comcast’s exclusive territory while the western half is Charter’s. 041
