.AUTHOR: John B. Judis, New Republic Senior Editor and founding editor of "Socialist Revolution"
CHIEF TARGETS: Comcast, Verizon
ON BEHALF OF: All of big telecom's American victims, namely their customers
LENGTH: Less than 1,000 words, so you'll need additional reading material if you're on hold with your current service provider
REFERENCES TO GREEK MYTHOLOGY: 1, "Theseus at the Labyrinth"
EVIDENCE OF CAPITALISTIC SKULDUGGERY, ITEM I: "I called Verizon and was offered a bevy of special deals and packages that made my head spin."
ITEM II : "This morning I got a phone call, but didn’t answer it on time. My phone said I had a message on it, but I didn’t know how to access voice mail."
POINTS OF COMPARISON FOR FRUSTRATIONS WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE: Hurricane Katrina, climbing Mount Everest
THE MOST APPROPRIATE CONCLUSION TO DRAW FROM THE EXPERIENCE:
We’re not talking here about companies on the brink of insolvency that have to pinch every penny, but two of the most prosperous and powerful companies in America. According to the vaunted theory of the free market, competition is supposed to make these companies more responsive to the consumer. We have a nearly free market, courtesy of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and as far as I am concerned, it is not working. The FCC, and if necessary, Congress, needs to get on this case.