Cable Company Monopoly Already Exists (Score 1)

While it might seem that this is creating a monopoly for the Baby Bells, it is actually a move designed to create even competition for the cable companies that already have a competitive advantage in this space. Now that companies like SBC are able to offer more products like Satellite TV (through Dish Network) and unlimited long distance, it has had a dramatic impact on the pricing for those services, and is just now forcing the cable companies to offer better rates on those services. This is a fair move that will benefit the consumer. How fair is it to allow other companies to lease the telcos' lines when they don't have to participate in maintaining or fixing those lines? Nobody's going to invest in additional network buildout if other companies are going to reap the profits. That's bad news for everybody.