Why not just get the non-smart model and connect an [Xbox/PS/Roku/media player of choice] instead? The price difference between normal and smart is about the same as a basic Roku.

Last time I bought a TV (for my in-laws) I made the conscious decision to avoid a smart TV in part because of privacy, in part because they live in a rural area so only have Satellite Internet.

Maybe I just "don't get it", so excuse my ignorance but what possible benefit could a smart TV have if you're not going to be connecting it to the Internet for the purpose of using the in-built apps/services and are instead only going to have a cable/satellite/media box connected to it?

From what I read, Colin Powell and Condaleezza Rice both used private email servers too, and the state department says they both handled classified information - all without repercussions.

So while HRC absolutely should not be given a free pass, these two (and any others who did the same thing) should probably be punished accordingly as well.

Ideally, the government would not be able to sell directly to consumers - it should be L2/L3 infrastructure access only, with retail services being sold by private entities (whoever wants to provide and can satisfy the criteria), as it is done in many parts of Europe, parts of Asia and New Zealand for example.

1. You can't yell at a robot (well, you can, but the satisfaction of being listened to - even unwillingly - isn't there... not that I advocate yelling at employees but unfortunately it happens). OTOH at least if the customer assaults the robot, they won't be hit with an assault/battery charge, they'll just hurt themselves and get maybe a lesser charge like destruction of property.
2. Didn't that automated restaurant in China go back to humans?

Not for long, thanks to John Key and his super fun policies and ideas which are dismantling the systems and destroying the country I grew up in.

You're right, although I think in saying simply "T-Mobile" when talking about the US market, we could have safely inferred that I was talking about the company with John Legere at the helm, and what I was trying to say is that Sprint is similarly structured as a subsidi-filiat-any (whatever it is) of Softbank.

Even Verizon [Wireless] was 45% owned by Vodafone up until fairly recently, which strictly speaking would have made it part "British" (as far as companies that are "headquartered" in tax havens go, anyway) at the time the feds were noseying around in everybody's business without the general public knowing [pre-Snowden, if you will].

Perhaps, but most people don't seem to realize that despite the appearance of choice, they don't have a choice.

Especially when it comes to the ISP market.

And often when it's WAY past "too late".

In any case I've seen it referred to around here as "crony capitalism" and I neglected to add that modifier... but you may talking about something else entirely.

T-Mobile's history is pretty complicated (as is everyone elses FWIW) but it was my understanding the Marcelo was kind of groomed in to the CEO position by Son-sama of Softbank (a Japanese company, which, through it's holdings ultimately controls Sprint) after some other business deal was completed between some other company that Marcelo had run before.

Essentially then, even though Sprint and T-Mobile are both US companies headquartered in the US (Sprint in Kansas City and T-Mobile in Bellevue), they are (ultimately) controlled by or have significant ownership by foreign entities, rather than simply being basic subsidiaries of foreign companies as was implied by the GP.

It's been done successfully in other countries. What makes the US such a special flower that it wouldn't work here? Because we love capitalism and hate the government for any and everything? Boo fucking hoo.

Alltel was swallowed up by mainly by Verizon but also by AT&T in some areas.

US Cellular is currently #5. I've seen signs for them on I55, if I recall rightly.

Isn't Sprint majority owned by Softbank (Japan)? I believe Masayoshi Son even owns a house next to Marcelo Claure so they could be neighbours and have their talks when he (Son) is in the US.

Not so much anymore.

When I first came to America in 2013, the only carrier that covered my SOs parents place (rural MI) was Verizon, but last time I was there I got better signal from TMO than I did from either Verizon or AT&T - and was able to watch Netflix (thanks, BingeOn) without issues.

Anecdotally speaking, these days get better reception from TM in most places I go that I've pretty much stopped taking my Verizon device to most places - the only place I currently have issues with TM coverage is certain spots of eastern Illinois.

You say *was*... but considering they've about doubled their coverage since EOY2014... have you tried them a bit more recently, especially with a band 12 device?

My area only got TM band 2 LTE in September 2015 which - as a VAR - I'm loving because around here Walmart, Best Buy etc no longer stock TM.

There are ways around the issues you've identified.

1. LLCs/INCs get their own tax ID number (EIN), as can several other types of entity, including foreign entities - for example I have a US bank account for a US branch of one of my NZ companies and all I needed was a passport - personally, I'm not eligible for an SSN but I am eligible for an ITIN - and depending on how legal you want to keep it would depend on what you might want to do next as far as opening a US account went.
2. On the other hand, you could maintain some privacy by using a nominee for your LLC, open the bank account in the US, if you decided to open a bank account at all, but it may not even be entirely necessary, as there are plenty of prepaid and/or virtual options you could use both in and outside of the US...

From what I understand there are a lot of poorer people who don't even have bank accounts in the US, so I guess one would need to get familiar with how they are able to move their money around, but the first thing that comes to my mind is those prepaid cards bearing the Visa/MC logo. Since they seem to be able to be purchased anonymously and I'm guessing you can use it for almost any kind of domestic transaction (like if your ISP allows you to pay by card online just by logging in to their billing portal - I know some do but I can't speak for all) - all you need to do is have enough money on the card and presto, bill is paid on behalf of XYZ LLC.

At the end of the day you'd probably just have to watch out for the law firm accidentally having a data breach/leak and your anonymous involvement in XYZ LLC becomes exposed. Hopefully though by then the statute of limitations will have passed.

File duplicators is probably the best/most accurate term I could think of.

File cloners... File copiers... File artefactors... doesn't quite have the same ring to it and are sort of madey-uppey words. File distributors would be too one-sided, as would file downloaders or file uploaders.