[mike31154]

Hmm, IMO selling a commodity is somewhat different than providing a service such as cable, internet or phone. Commodities are sold under much more of a free market principle, no?

The problem with cable & phone companies is that they've been fortunate to operate somewhat of a monopoly with little or no competition. The CRTC gets involved & messes things up too with their restrictions. Things get even more complex when you get a commodity such as natural gas provided by another pseudo monopoly like the gas company. Whether you purchase the gas from a broker or from the gas company, you'll always be paying something to the gas company to maintain the infrastructure, pipelines etc. When I think pure commodity, I think more of natural resources or agricultural products such as gold, silver, cattle, grain... Much more open market driven than the pricing schedules offered by cable & phone companies. I could be totally out to lunch too though, just thinking out loud.

All I know is the cable & phone companies have the markets cornered/divyied up in certain regions of the country and they've had an easy ride for too long. Things are opening up & services like Netflix etc. are probably starting to instill some fear in the established outfits. They're going to get what they can while the getting's good, because the winds of change are on the way with respect to cable, internet & phone services. You can usually tell how well off a company is when you get the glossy, high quality mail advertising a service you probably already have from them, but they can't be bothered to check files of customers before they mail this crap out.

It's time to UNBUNDLE!!