Dave, our cable companies, until very recently, have had monopolies via their franchises. A local government - county or city - will grant a franchise to XYZ cable company making them the only cable provider in that jurisdiction. In theory, the county or municipality looks out for the consumers best interest (we all know how that works!). Satellite TV changed the landscape by providing real competition with the the cable guys. Recently, the State of Florida granted AT&T (telephone provider) the right to offer cable via its telephone lines. In return, AT&T must up grade its lines and install upgraded switching equipment to make this this feature available to every subscriber. That same switching equipment also carries the ADSL. That ruling by the state is how I finally got ADSL when I lived on the preserve. It was a great ruling for the rural areas of Florida covered by AT&T. It does not affect areas covered by other phone service providers. Where I live now, I can choose Comcast cable or between two satellite TV providers - Dish and Direct. We have Dish both here and in North Carolina. Competition is good for the consumer.
