Wow...how wrong can you be? Cable de-monopolization is the future.

So some of you have read that I loathe cable companies and the current "franchising" system (which I prefer to label "government approved monopoly"). So I was understandably excited about the bill moving through the government to dismantle this system and free the lines for open competition in markets.

So here comes this dude, who simply gets it all wrong. He laments that instead of complaints about the cable company being handled by "city hall," everyone will have to go through the FCC. HELLO? Apparently he is so entrenched in the thinking of "red tape" that he has forgotten that money speaks louder than words, tape, or city hall.

He writes: "The major telecommunications bill careening through Congress right now would shift almost all the responsibility for cable complaints from local governments to the Federal Communications Commission. With some 30,000 local governments currently taking and acting on cable complaints, it's not clear how the FCC would suddenly gear up to all of handle them. But I’ll let you guess."

Okay, okay, I know this one! (hand shoots up in the air) If cable companies had to face competition and had some kind of financial incentive to treat customers with respect and to deliver good service, there wouldn't be so many complaints. People would just switch companies! And while I feel certain that if this in enacted, cable companies will suddenly come up with all sorts of schemes to get subscribers to sign contracts (a la cell phone companies -- don't do it!!!) it would nonetheless give people options they don't currently have. So what do you think matters more? The people angry with their local cable company switch to a competitor, or the people angry with the local cable company go to their local government, whose palms are greased with the tax revenues and money of the provider filling their coffers, who then say, "hey, stop that. really. stop. okay, stop when it's convenient for you." Or better yet, they say, "quit complaining."

I, along with many others I know, have converted to satellite service for television. But I still have to go with the worthless, do-nothing, money grubbing, service-impaired local cable company for my high-speed internet service. I would like to point out, however, that when I call my satellite provider with a problem that I talk to a human (who is usually generally pleasant and helpful and whose only advice isn't "unplug the box for thirty seconds...")

So file this under "think for yourself." It is a pretty sad state I suppose when we need government regulation to fix government regulation (see: Louisiana ethanol mandate), but I have a dream. I dream of a world in which I can tell Cox Cable to stick it somewhere very impolite because I'm moving to _______ (fill in the blank...satellite, Time Warner, Comcast, local provider, etc.)

These companies fear the day they will have to compete for dollars. Improving service and options...it frightens them! Entrenchment...it is soooo comfortable...Responding to consumer sentiment and demand...nooooooooooooooooo!!!

Please, "Red Tape Chronicles," get a clue. The market is the best consumer complaint system of all. Just ask aol.