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Cynthetiq · 06-18-2003, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by geep
Sounds like the person who negotiated the deal with the cable company in your area should be fired or maybe even run out of town, he sure gave away the baby wth the bathwater. Believe me the deal was negotiated, too. In my community we negotiated a more sensible contract with the cable company. Someone who represented you and your community had to sign. He or she is just as much to blame as the cable company. Despite what you think of me, I am not ignorant enough to believe that regulation caused the growth in any industry, let alone cable television. No matter what regulation there is, if people do not believe they can invest and make a profit, (ie. there is a market) an industry will not grow. People do not throw their money away, just because the government has a regulation or two. I will concede that regulation may have encouraged growth but it did not cause it. That is not opinion, either, just basic economics. And by the way, just because you don't like the choice, doesn't mean they don't exist.

You're right about Viacom, my bad. I just saw Microsoft and ignored the rest of the list. Sorry.

I'm sorry I do not understand the "representavie who negotiated the contract with the cable company" you mean the YES network people? or the Cable company and who's neighborhood they are allowed to operate within?

If you mean what neighborhood, then it's via the government again because the government handed out protected monopolies in the 70's and still to this day protects them.

The cable companies (affiliates) deal directly with the channels, there's no "community" person that I know of at least not in the NYC Metro area.

Reglulations exist to some degree for all industries. It's just a matter of how much regulation. Look at the Pharmacuetical industry. A VERY heavily regulated industry and they have had stellar profits in the past 8 years. Yes, some of their activity has been deregulated such as televsion advertising, ability to supply doctors with junkets, and payoffs for recommending their drugs. Testing for new drugs has been shortened from 10 years to as little as 3 years. Their R&D groups are under heavy pressure to produce profitable drugs that take many years to test and bring to market.

In the past 7 years, there are many people who have died or have dibilitating problems due to medicines that were not properly tested nor given adequate testing time.

So regulations have some protections. If they don't. then drive your car without your seat belt on. There are plenty of regulations out there that are good.