The typical scheme for electric utilities places customers in one of two bins: investor-owned or city-owned. There is a perennial debate over utility ownership. Should we rely on investor-owned utility companies or should cities manage their own utilities? The answer is simple: neither. Both are fundamentally flawed. Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs) are inefficient and today’s Public-Owned […]
Tag: monopoly
No ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ Card for Google in Its Latest Monopoly Lawsuit
If you’re like me, you probably barely notice the advertisements for skin care products, niche kitchen appliances, and the latest pumpkin-flavored treat that fill the margins of nearly every website you visit. While we’re all familiar with the omnipresent digital pop-up ads on everything from cooking blogs to news sites, many internet users don’t understand […]
The Case for Breaking Up Big Tech
The Big, the Bad, the Un-American… In 2020, New York Times writer Kashmir Hill set out to answer a salient question: how dependent are we on Big Tech? Working with a technologist, Hill designed a virtual private network that blocked all internet addresses controlled by tech’s five largest companies: Amazon, Google’s parent company Alphabet, Meta, […]
The Next Antitrust Wave: Is Lina Khan the New Robert Bork?
In the last few years, Facebook, Apple, Google, and Amazon have dominated the news, and at the same time have become increasingly involved in every aspect of our lives. Calls to break up and/or regulate these corporations have recently picked up momentum, specifically motivated by the 2020 House Judiciary Committee report concluding that “Big Tech” […]
The Indian Federation: The Saga of a Converted Oligarchy
Is the largest ‘democracy’ in the world under the threat of becoming an oligarchy? From telecommunications to steel, every sector in this nation is dominated by only a few businessmen. These names are repeatedly acclaimed in the news, as they acquire more assets and reach greater heights. But as the public rejoices in their success, […]
Monsanto’s Plight: Seeds of Anger
When the rich and powerful try to work together to become even bigger, backlash can be expected. German pharmaceutical giant Bayer’s agreed acquisition of American agricultural biochemical company Monsanto for $66 billion (a $128/share valuation) was no exception. The impending Bayer-Monsanto merger has already acquired negative reviews, in part due to antitrust concerns and in […]